I was delighted to feature this week on Alison Canavan’s fantastic website, alisoncanavan.com, for her Wellness Wednesday Lifestyle Quiz.
Alison places a special focus on health and wellness of mind, body and soul, and it was lovely to be asked to answer the following ten questions on my lifestyle 🙂
1. How would you describe your lifestyle?
My lifestyle can be very busy and stressful at times, with a lot of travel, early mornings and work demands. But I do my best to achieve a good balance, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, as well as relaxation time. But I can find it tough to switch off completely, and there’s rarely a day when I let myself totally relax from work as there are always emails to be sent and work to be done on my website.
2. What’s your favorite food? Naughty or nice.
I love Indian food, and a good veggie curry made with coconut milk and loads of spices.
3. Do you exercise and if so what do you do to keep fit?
I absolutely love keeping fit, as it benefits both mind and physical health so much. It really helps my focus and mental clarity too. I try to workout six days a week, doing a mixture of weight training at Bodybyrne Fitness, Pilates at Pilates Plus Dublin and cardiovascular exercise.
4. How do you find balance in your day-to-day life?
I think that stress management is so important for achieving a healthy balance, so I meditate, do acupuncture, and just spend quality time with family and friends.
5. How do you manage stress in your life? Do you meditate? Have you ever tried it?
I took a course in transcendental meditation a few years ago, and try to do it as often as possible. I find it incredibly powerful and effective for boosting mental clarity and helping me to deal with stress. I would love to see meditation and mindfulness taught in schools.
6. People often set goals or intentions as they go through life. Is this something you do?
Yes, I definitely visualise the goal I’d like to set, and even do it as often as each morning, week and month. I’m constantly focused on my personal and professional goals, and each year on January 1st, I write down all the positive things that happened to me in the previous year, and all of my aims for the new year. I think it’s a great way to set positive and achievable goals.
7. How do you unwind after a busy day?
Wes and I were given a electronic massage chair for our wedding, so I like to sit on that, close my eyes for 15 minutes and get a great back massage at the same time! If I’m really tired, I’ll usually nod off for a few minutes. But it’s so relaxing and really does the trick.
8. It’s the weekend, what do you do for fun?
I love to just relax at the weekends and get cosy in front of the fire with my husband and dogs! I’m not much of a party animal, and as I tend to go to so many glam events for work, I love to pull on my comfy clothes, go for a walk in the countryside, visit my parents and just chill out as much as I can.
9. What’s your top health tip for our readers?
Finding time for yourself each day, to exercise, make a healthy meal or just de-stress is one of the best things that you can do for your physical and mental health. It really comes down to self-awareness, and keeping an eye on your health each day.
10. Finish the sentence – Being complete for me means…
Having all area of my life in a healthy and sustainable balance: my mind, body, soul, relationships and career. Each takes work everyday, but it’s so worthwhile to put the effort into each to achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle.