I’ve Met Someone, And They’ll Probably Add 20 Years To My Life….
If I let them that is…
May half term, Unihorne (my hubs) and one of my lifelong besties planned a trip for our two families to go to the Lake District together. I have to say, although I had been once before in my time of living on the Sunny Island, it was more stunningly breathtaking than I had remembered.
Between the families we have six kids, almost perfectly mirrored children as far as ages. Each of my children had a matching child of our friend’s children to play with. It was magical.
Our firstborns, prearranged friendship from birth, two months apart. How stunning is the lake with the hills?
Being the intrepid adventurer that Unihorne is, he planned a little hike up a hill to a waterfall for the families the first full day we were in town. It had been raining that morning- obviously, it is England after all- and I was not thrilled about scampering up the path. Not just because of the rain, but because I am so very out of shape. As we set out, the six mountain goat children, led by chief mountain goat, Phill, began scampering up the hill effortlessly. Lifelong bestie (LLB) hung back to chat with me, as a good LLB does, but got pulled up by one of her brood. I of course said, go ahead everyone, I’ll be there shortly.
Off I trot, begrudgingly, up the path.
Eventually, I did make it to the top with the rest of the gang. The views were beautiful, the air was fresh, and I felt proud. On the way up left only with my own thoughts for company, I crafted many metaphors about life and things that are worth it, how these are usually difficult, and while the path is often long and arduous, its worth the climb. The hike was also a perfect analogy of where I feel we are with Breaker. Gaining huge ground, closer than ever to the top, but each step becoming steeper and more strategic to give us that last push forward.
I was never the thinnest girl in school, but I was athletic, and I used to love playing team sports, skied most of my university days, I even got very into running in my 20’s and early 30’s before I grew three huge babies. (Ollie was 10.11lbs, Jack was 11.02 lbs and Layla was 9.6 lbs and no, I did not have gestational diabetes, the women in my fam just grow giants). If I’m honest, I’ve never really recovered to my pre baby body. Now I know that we shouldn’t have to, and it’s often unrealistic. BUT I sort of used body destruction by baby as an excuse to neglect my health. Working harder than I should have to hike to the waterfall was a wake up call. It’s no longer about wanting to aim for a certain size clothes, or a ‘perfect’ (whatever that means) body. What I do want, is to be able to keep up with my kids. Hike all the hikes, ski all the slopes, dive all of the dives. I mean, who am I kidding- I ain’t never gonna hike all the hikes, that’s the hubs department, but I want to be physically capable of doing it if I wanted to. I want to be healthy and live as long a life as possible. Not shorten it because I’ve become complacent.
As many of you know, one of our core values at Breaker, along with authenticity (I’m currently writing this blog trying to channel being authentic) is Balance. We want to help our Breaker crew find balance in their lives, which includes taking time for selfcare, wellness and things that will add to our longevity. While both Gemma and I want to achieve this, as I’ve stated above, it’s not our, or at least not my strong suit. Fortuitously, we’ve met someone, she’s amazing. And while I’ll always prefer a cheeseburger over quinoa, this someone makes quinoa look quite tasty. She also is a perfect match with us as Breaker, what we stand for, who we are, what we want to be. She’s authentic, real and believes that getting healthy is about being the best you can be in your skin, which is different than your neighbours skin, or your bestie’s. Lauren understands that our paths are individual and she meets you where you are on yours, no judgement, no criticism. Just a listening, welcoming ear. So very excitingly, we’ve joined forces with Lauren Jones pilates and wellbeing goddess. She is going to represent our wellness arm of The Breaker Collective. Gemma and I couldn’t be happier to have her as part of the core crew, and we can’t wait for each of you to get to know her.
Everyone say ‘Hello!’ to Lauren!
You’ll be able to follow my journey with Lauren as well, who, if I let her, will probably add 20 years to my life. And most importantly, help me get strong again for myself, and to keep up with my growing ankle biters.
