Our fantastic gym (Nikafit, in case anyone has not heard me mention it 1,000 times before!) is starting it’s outdoor sessions today. For the last 10 weeks, they have been looking after all their clients online with remote training but now, with Phase 2 starting, outdoor training sessions are available. This is great news!! Not only does it mean that the world is starting to slowly re-open again but it also gives a lot of people, myself included, that happy place to rejoin!
The online coaching that Niall and Katy and the team provided was great in the interim and lucky for me I had Jonny dragging me along behind him, making sure I was doing my workouts and keeping active! I don’t know about anyone else but my will power to push myself to do my sessions was waning over the last few weeks so this stage could not have come at a better time.
What I love about Nikafit is that once I step inside those doors, everything and anything that is going on in my outside life gets forgotten about, even just for those 60 minutes. It is my safe space. It’s a place that I know I can go to and just be. When I was in chemo they had yoga classes on and every 2nd Saturday I used to go up and lie in a class full of fantastic women and stretch out my weary body, enjoying that little bit of normality and chit chat amongst the madness that was going on in my life outside those doors. Once treatment was over, the gym was one of the first things I wanted to get back to. Not for anything aesthetic, but just for the way I felt when I was in there, for what it did for me mentally. I felt back to myself. For that hour I would not be thinking about what my body has just gone through, what my mind was going through, for that hour, I was just Niamh, and the importance of that to me, I don’t even think I realised it at the time. I have known Katy for the last 6 or so years and we have this beautiful friendship that I cherish so much, so I knew I was in good hands when I returned.
Keeping my head fresh and clear is my no.1 priority and being active is key to that. Myself and Julie were only chatting about this yesterday. Once your headspace is feeling clear and healthy, then everything else seems that little bit easier.
Your space to find this doesn’t have to be the gym, it can be anywhere where you feel free. Where you feel like you can let go of anything that is weighing you down, even for a little while. It is the place where you go to let your mind breathe for a minute! Whether it is a gym environment, or the outdoors, or going to your favourite shops to have a browse around – whatever it is that helps you take a minute for yourself. Find your space and embrace it. ❤️
