Kindle version of The Eco-Fitness Book

At last, The Eco-Fitness Book is available on Kindle...

At just £2.85, it's much cheaper than a gym membership! Or a personal trainer!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Eco-fitness-Book-ebook/dp/B0051ATRDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&qid=1310467044&sr=1-1

I've got a new job title!

I've just stumbled across this amusing term for a full time mum - 'home executive'. Yay, at last recognition for a job, which done well is at least as taxing as any other you can think of (well maybe excluding test pilot or neurosurgeon...)

I do manage to squeeze in several hours of 'real work' in a week, seeing patients or writing, but since having a child I have decided more or less to be a full time mother. I have my off days but I try very hard to be gentle, rational, entertaining, boundaried, encouraging and considerate with my daughter. This requires more patience and stamina than anything I ever experienced in an office!!!

Then of course, there's the dog walking, gardening, hoovering, school runs, play dates, birthday parties (aaagggghhh, yawn), cooking, shopping, cleaning, camping, art and crafts sessions, museum visits, riding lessons, potty training, washing, swimming lessons, ironing.... Yes, home executive suits me fine thank you. It's a great job and I think I made the right decision to take some time out and be a dedicated mother. But ask any full time mum and they will tell you it's not some 'easy option' or luxury decision. To keep a nice balance between nurture and structure is a real emotional challenge. The pay off is not financial or course, but knowing that hopefully your children will grow up with a sense of trust in the world, with good self esteem and with the ability to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy relationships.

In terms of eco-fitness, there are a lot of opportunities to keep fit too as a 'home executive'. Gardening, walking, activities outdoors, child carrying, 'rough and tumble play', ball games, musical statues and soft play are all good ways to incorporate core stability and a little aerobic work into the week.

So thanks to the mother who introduced me to my new job title. It will give me a little spring in my step today, until tomorrow I forget and just go back to being 'mummy'.

Yay! New front cover for my book

Here's the new front cover for the Eco-Fitness Book, in preparation for publication on Kindle.

Try this healthy low GI spring breakfast

Anyone out there like me who has trouble eating breakfast? Yes I know it's the 'most important meal of the day' but toast doesn't enthuse me and I haven't got time to cook in the mornings. Well here's a simple idea, which is great for spring - light and healthy and takes the minimum of preparation time...

Into a cereal bowl, tip a portion of All Bran, just cover with (vitamin enriched) oat milk (now easily available from supermarkets and health food shops), add a generous handful of raspberries, chopped strawberries or blueberries and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and cover with a small drizzle of agave syrup or authentic maple syrup.

This breakfast is delicious, virtuous and filling. It is low GI so releases energy slowly through the morning, it is dairy free helping keep your sinuses clear and it contains a portion of your daily fruit and a dose of vitamin A, vitamin E, essential fatty acids and zinc.

Edible gardening - another type of Eco-Fitness

If the thought of gardening bores you, try to think of it in a new way...

Edible landscaping is not just about lawns and flowers - it is a form of eco-fitness in that it keeps you supple, strong and fit, while you work happily in outdoor natural light. Digging, weeding, pruning and planting are excellent methods of keeping strong and supple. And it also provides you with lovely fresh edibles such as fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Even if you have the tiniest of spaces, you can maximise your garden, or just an area of your garden, by planting cleverly. Fruit and nut trees form the tallest element of your edible garden (eg apple, pear, cherry or walnut), and you can use the space around the trees to grow everything from raspberries to outdoor cucumbers to blueberries or figs. Herbs such as fennel, parsley or thyme can be squeezed in too. And you can plant tomatoes in pots, or even goji berries or coriander.

A lovely new site www.ediblelandscaping.co.uk gives lots of tips to get you started and offers courses.

Get fitness training for free!

The Eco-Fitness Book is offering three volunteers the chance to receive the Eco-Fitness Book for free. In addition they will receive a free intensive one to one eco-fitness coaching session and follow up counselling.


If you would like to be considered, please get in touch via the website www.theeco-fitnessbook.com, where you can also find out more about eco-fitness and read chapter 1 to get a taste of the book. Eco-fitness allows you to get fit and slim, using natural everyday movement. No gym membership necessary!



Please apply by March 16th.

Play - the easiest form of Eco-Fitness

Sunlight, the bright glare of the snow, a happy child.

Pulling a 30 lb infant up a steep incline on a sledge isn't just play - it's eco-fitness. Could I have achieved much more by going to the gym? Maybe a fraction, but this is fitness how nature intended it. Getting out there isn't just good for your figure, it keeps you young and happy too!

No gym membership required... just a scarf and a good pair of gloves!