Hey there! I think I can still just about exclaim Happy New Year! to you. How are you doing? In Christmas recovery and keeping up with that resolution you made a couple of weeks ago? I truly hope so.
Well, 2019 has got off to a cracking start :)
Firstly, I had the idea of creating the Online Class Programme back in November and was really excited to hit ‘publish’ on this just over a week ago. The aim being to assist you, fitness resolution or nay. I’ve spent years crafting class programme schedules IRL (in real life) so I am interested to see how this develops online.
Let’s face it, it’s blimmin’ tricky squeezing in fitness when you're juggling at least 3 schedules and I want it to be easier for us.
I’m always short on time and high on content, so I thought this would be a good way of helping everyone else get to the good bits faster and more easily. Let’s face it, it’s blimmin’ tricky squeezing in fitness when you're juggling at least 3 schedules and I want it to be easier for us. As Phoebe once said on Friends, ‘There is no unselfish good deed,’ ha, ha.
I’m also going to ‘live my advice’ and sign up to an online programme and report back to you what it’s like. I’m totally ecstatic today as I have been given the big green light from my physio following ‘rec check’. It’s been a shocking 2 years (take that in) since I last saw her, and I was keen to know what the results were of my painstaking attempts to knit my insides back together. I’m thrilled after literal years of quietly, cross-laterally working my abs its good news. Hooray! as I am itching to get back in the studio. More on this later as diastasic recti is a hot topic.
I would absolutely love any recommendations you have for more content you have found that is useful – drop me a note @ihearttalent or on the Facebook page.
Saturday, I was super-fortuitous to get a ticket (thanks to a generous Dance Mama) for the sold-out, totally brilliant event called Pregnant Then Screwed Live #PTSLive at Conway Hall in London, created by activist Joeli Brearley. Joeli was sacked by her employer when she was 4 months pregnant (horrific!) and created @PregnantScrewed which ‘protects, supports and promotes the rights of mothers who suffer the effects of systemic, cultural, and institutional discrimination through our various schemes and activities.’ Well, I would say if her former employer was at that event on Saturday they would have further regretted their move. It’s not often you feel part of something bigger and history making, and that is exactly how I felt. THANK YOU.
It’s not often you feel part of something bigger and history making, and that is exactly how I felt. THANK YOU.
Speakers included; inspiring activists like Akeela Ahmed MBE (Women’s March Founder), author, Christine Armstrong, Leader of the Women’s Equality Party, Sophie Walker, campaigner and blogger, Anna Whitehouse @mother_pukka and TV Presenters Cherry Healey and Kate Quilton. Topics ranged from Rock Your Returnand Guilt and Identity, all wittily and sensitively connected together by comedian compere Jessica Fosterkew. What was also fantastic was representation on the The Politics of Birthpanel from communities including BAME, transgender, non-binary and Mums with disabilities, really celebrating inclusivity and getting us to consciously question up to how we can be more inclusive for parents from all backgrounds. Inclusion is something I strongly believe in and have been asked a few times “is Dance Mama’ just for Mums. Nope. It’s not. Just a few weeks ago I posted this story from a Composer Papa and will collate more stories in due course.
It was wonderful to see so many women, from a wide variety of backgrounds, all supporting each other and with a common cause of wanting to improve the situation for themselves, their children and future generations. It was also great to step out of the dance world and see what the conversations are beyond our own. I have also found some great women to sign post you to. You can watch some of the debates here on their YouTube channel.
It was also great to step out of the dance world and see what the conversations are beyond our own.
Combining my back-together-abs and the inspirational inner strength demonstrated by the inspiring speakers from #PTSLive I am looking forward to getting my teeth into this coming year and regularly letting you know how it tastes. May your 2019 too be full of flavour!