My First Time Coasteering and Review of Cornish Rock Tors

Continuing my series of 'First Time' posts, my first experience of Coasteering is reviewed here:

What is Coasteering: 

Coasteering is exploring the coastline through swimming, entering caves, climbing rocks, jumping off them, observing the landscape, and engaging with plants and creatures at first hand. And a chance to see such things as seals if you are lucky. 

Cornish Rock Tors:

Endorsed by the National trust, Cornish Rock Tors have been providing beach activities for a decade. Our escapade left from Port Gaverne, close to Port Isaac in the North of Cornwall. 

Add caption

Who is it for?

Although all jumps into the water are optional, I would say this is not an ideal activity for anyone with serious vertigo. Or a jellyfish phobia. Or a fear of entering caves. Or a problem with being in open water. Having said that, a guided excursion like this is a great way to challenge yourself. 

A fair degree of strength and fitness is helpful, and a spirit of adventure is probably an essential for enjoying coasteering. There is a consent form to fill in, with only a small section where you declare any medical conditions, so nothing like standard gym PAR-Q form. If you are unsure whether you are ok medically to do this sort of thing you absolutely should check in advance with your GP. 

Is it safe? 

We were fully equipped with a buoyancy aid and helmet. Very clear instructions were given on how to communicate with simple signs once in the water, and there were three guides the 10 participants in our group. They were all qualified lifeguards, and carried safety equipment. The instructions for climbing and jumping were always clear, and the guides had endless patience with us asking for clarification as we needed it. 

In short, I felt very safe at all times. 

Yep, I'm in that huddle!

Was it Exercise?

I was far too engaged with the experience to notice at the time whether I was physically working hard. However, after two and a half hours I did begin to feel tired and a little cold. I woke up the next day with the tops of my pectoral muscles feeling like they had been worked. Looking back though, with all of the swimming, climbing, and scrambling over rocks we must have used up a lot of calories. 

The cost:

Introduction to Coasteering sessions like this cost £40 per person. If you have a large family this is clearly going to work out as an expensive activity. However, I'd say it is worth every penny, and the chances are that it will be a real highlight of any holiday and something that you won't forget easily. Cornish Rock Tors also offer  vouchers, which would make an amazing present. 

Nauticalia

Top Tips:

My first piece of advice is a more general one: chat to the Cornish Rock Tors staff, and make sure that coasteering is for you. They are very friendly and extremely knowledgeable, and quick to answer email queries. So if you have any questions that might seem silly I would recommend that you put them out there and put your mind at rest. 

But here are my top 3 specific tips:

1. Take the opportunity to borrow a winter-weight wetsuit (included in the price). In my experience and that of the other women in our group, the ladies ones come up a little small, so I would recommend you go up a size. Be aware also that there isn't really anywhere to change. If you are particularly shy or need to put your swimsuit on then there is a public loo close by, but our group all changed into wetsuits in the road outside the office. 

2. Carb load! Ok, that's an exaggeration, but do make sure you have eaten well and kept yourself hydrated before you head off. Coasteering can be a chilly experience, and if you are not used to being active for a few hours at a time, let alone exerting yourself by hauling your own body weight up rocks etc then I imagine this may be a shock to your system. If you haven't eaten then I expect you will start to flag. Ditto hydration.

3. Don't try to park at Port Gaverne. There are public carparks in Port Isaac, which is only a stroll away. 

Port Isaac

In Summary:

Coasteering is a magic experience. It takes you away from all of your comforts and/or millstones, depending on how you see day-to-day essentials like your phone, your handbag, perhaps even your watch. Leaving behind everything like the need to be bothered with how you appear is a liberation which lets you properly relate to the beautiful Cornish landscape around you in way that you otherwise just wouldn't.  

Taking a guided excursion like this gives you the confidence to know that what you are doing is entirely safe, and shows you things that you probably wouldn't notice, from a buoy lodged tight in the top of a cave, to rare anemones. 

The guides clearly love what they do, and that is infectious. Their respect for the Cornish coast is evident. 

Going with a family or partner is a real bonding experience, but joining a group if you are by yourself would also be really fulfilling I think. 

I loved just being out in the water, seeing the coast literally and figuratively from a whole new perspective. I'm also thrilled that I jumped off all of the highest points on offer. I'm naturally cautious, but after a few smaller jumps I really wanted to go for it on this trip. 

So, thank you Cornish Rock Tors, we had a brilliant time and can't recommend you highly enough. We'll be back for Intermediate Coasteering! 

My Walking Week, plus 5 Tips for Walkers

Walking Cornwall

I have really enjoyed going out walking nearly every day this week. In Cornwall we are blessed with an abundance of beautiful woodland trails, picturesque rivers and lakes, moorland, and of course the Coastal Path. 

Bodmin Pony

Walking for Fitness

Walking is great for maintaining fitness: it is lower impact than a lot of aerobic activities and so places less stress on joints, and yet if you keep to a decent pace you can really hit the fat burning zone. I love MapMyRun for finding out exactly how many miles I walked, how much of climb the walk covered (often a huge amount on the cost path), and how many calories I might have burned. Of course, this is a great site for keeping track of your running too. 

Dozmary Pool: legendary Arthurian home of The Lady of the Lake

Wildlife

Another aspect of walking that I love, is how the slower pace enables you to engage more fully with the wildlife around you. This week's sightings include moorland ponies and cows, sheep, goats, numerous beautiful birds, and a close encounter with a fox. 

Beautiful Cows on Bodmin Moor

Walkers Yoga

I can never resist a little bit of outdoor yoga though, as it is the perfect way to stretch out the back when you have been carrying a backpack. I also love connecting with the landscape in a whole new way- there is nothing like getting down on your hands, moving through different planes and looking from different angles for experiencing a place in a whole new way. 

Outdoor Yoga

Dartmoor

Yesterday I was quite touched to be asked by Tim to accompany him on the first of his sponsored hill walks, on Dartmoor. You can read more about his aims and sponsor him here, but I will sum up his challenge by saying that after a lifetime of hill walking, Mountain Leading, instructing and assessing Duke of Edinburgh awards and Ten Tors, he is now in recovery from a heart attack and having to engage with his passion for the outdoors in a whole new way. We had a really pleasant day despite the bitter wind, and ticked off a couple of the peaks from his list: well done Tim and thank you for having me along!

Dartmoor Tor

Walking with Poles

Tim is an advocate of walking with poles, and it does seem that apart from the basic mechanical benefits of giving you extra stability, walking poles can prevent excess wear and tear to your joints. I found this interesting page here which examines some of the other advantages. 

Golitha Falls

Five Tips for Walkers:

1) If you are driving to your walking spot, make sure you take a change of footwear and dry socks for the journey home. This is a reminder to myself, after my boots leaked yesterday. I had clean shoes but no socks, which made for a less than perfectly comfortable drive home. 

2) Make sure you backpack is comfortable. Take it for a trial walk with something fairly weighty in it (flask of coffee?). Experiment with the strap lengths and adjustments so that the bulk of the weight is spread comfortably over your back- if it rests on just your sacrum for example you are going to be sore quite quickly on a days walking, so it is better to get this worked out before you set off. I love my Fjallraven backpack. It looks so unlikely to be comfortable with its thin straps and no waist/chest fastenings, so I don't really understand the engineering, but it is the most comfortable day pack I've ever had. 

3) I stole this one from Tim: cut up an old carry mat (a yoga mat might do), so that you have a small portable seat that stows away in your pack. Sitting on rock etc is not only uncomfortable, but can get you cold and sometimes wet very quickly. Something like this to sit on will insulate you, is light to carry, and costs very little. 

4) Go prepared: take plenty of food and drink, especially water, plus a sun hat and warm layers. This is particularly important if you're going with kids, who are generally terrible at protecting themselves from the elements. We can be so blasé about our British climate, but perhaps we should have a little more respect for its power. 

5) Have an emergency plan. Most of the time our climate is temperate and hence ideal for walking, but it never hurts to think about the "what if...?" scenarios. It might be a beautiful sunny day when you set out, but things can change extremely quickly. What will you do if the weather closes in? What about if someone injures themselves? If you get lost, what then...? If you need to phone the emergency services, but there is no signal what will you do? You will probably never need any of this, but it doesn't hurt to spend five minutes pondering.    

Shop Review: Hendra, 9 Lemon Street, Truro

I have often walked past this shop after it has closed, and been curious. Today I got the opportunity to visit during opening hours, so I thought I would review the experience here:

Hendra, Truro

The Review

First Impressions:

Set in the smart Lemon Street, Hendra has a clean and slick outward appearance. The window displays that I have been so drawn to on my previous visits to Truro are what enticed me in: creative and fresh, they exude luxury without seeming snooty. 

I had been under the impression that this was a health food store though, so I was slightly surprised to find that fully half of the shop floor is given over to beauty products and cosmetics, and that there are treatment rooms upstairs. Even now I am slightly unsure about whether the treatments on offer are health and beauty, or holistic treatments. 

From the Hendra Website

Product Selection:

We noticed a broad range of healthy snacks, teas, and cooking ingredients, such as you might expect from any good health store. I noticed a good selection of Ecover products. There were also jars of local honey which impressed me. 

On the beauty side, there was certainly copious choice: from Burt's Bees and Neals Yard to other less memorable brands, with a varying degree of what I like to term 'naturalness' (I did see a few laureth sulphates despite being under the impression these were all unnecessary), most budgets were catered for.  If you have a favourite range it might be easier to find what you need, especially as sometimes things seemed to be arranged by brand, and sometimes by function. 

Service:

The service was friendly and attentive. There were plenty of employees, who greeted us positively and answered my questions. We also noticed an elderly lady with mobility difficulties being sensitively cared for and aided around the shop. 

Did I buy?

Yes. I did eventually manage to pick a shampoo from the almost overwhelming selection. Plus I was tempted by this raw cacao powder- it looks so tasty, and I have some recipes which I'd like to try out. We also located these chocolate sesame snaps, which we haven't been able to find on sale anywhere for genuinely years. A quick glance at the expiry date (next month) suggests they might have been hanging around for a while, but I doubt they will last very much longer in our house. 

I also wanted some Coconut Palm Sugar, which Hendra do stock. In fact they stock a bumper-sized pack in a rather nice tin, at about £7 if memory serves me. However, I did not wish to carry it around in my backpack all day and so I did not buy, but I might consider picking up a pack in future. 

Shopping from Hendra

Overall Review:

This was a pleasant shopping experience, and I will certainly visit again, armed with a list. 

Whilst I did appreciate the clean, modern feel of Hendra, I also slightly missed the type of vibe some health stores have of being a community hub- often with a notice board stuffed full of handwritten ads for toddler groups and meditation. Is that just me... ... ...?


Edited March 31st: I have just received a helpful communication from Hannah at Hendra:
We try to cater as much as possible to our customers needs, and where possible if we don’t stock a product we will order it in especially.  We had a refit last year which involved moving quite a bit of the stock around to encompass more space for the beauty products, which are becoming our best sellers, and the eventual aim is to link our hair and beauty salons more with the store.  In fact the Beauty therapists have recently undergone the REN spa training and are hoping to offer the treatments soon.

Ten Things Learnt Whilst Studying

Here goes, my first Ten Things post, inspired by A Cornish Mum. I'd love your feedback!

Ten Things I've Learnt Whilst Studying for my Fitness Qualifications:

I've learnt a lot, in terms of the knowledge that I am studying, and about the fitness journey that I am on, and even the development of this new blog, so here is a random list of ten of them for you: 

1. The brain can only use carbohydrate (out of the three macronutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrate). I don't know why, but I find this really fascinating.

2. I get chilblains if I run in the cold: old lady alert!!

3. There are seven stages to adopting a whole new healthy lifestyle. Somewhat immaturely, I find the fact that the first one is called 'pre-contemplation' amusing.

4. I find yoga really is the best way to calm a racing mind and allay some anxieties. 

5. There are technically three distinct body-types: ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph. I have no idea which one I am, but I'd guess its an ecto-/meso- combination. I don't know if this is real science or not...

6. I can actually survive a 60 minute spin class- just. 

7. You can never have too many gym clothes. 

8. Fats are essential in our diet: not only is each and every cell membrane a double layer of fat, but it is fat which allows the electrical nerve impulses to be carried around the body. Bring on the ice cream!

9. Blogging is as much of a full-time job as you want it to be. 

10. People can be so positive and helpful: I was really dubious about telling staff and acquaintances at my gym that I am studying for my Exercise to Music Qualification. A few months ago I didn't feel I was anywhere near fit enough, and I assumed that the instructors would just see me as unwelcome competition. I was so wrong: they have been so helpful, encouraging and supportive. I am so grateful.

Online Yoga Video Review: 'Slo Mo Flo' on Udaya

A few weeks ago I signed up to the Udaya online yoga video website. I've been doing just a about a class a week to compliment my other activities, with mixed results: sometimes the practice has felt really satisfying and sometimes it just hasn't.

Online Yoga Classes: 

One of the beauties of online exercise classes of all types is that you get to pick and choose what you want to do, and who you want to guide you through it. This is obviously great, as the variety is endless (plus you get to pause it when your loving other half surprises you with an espresso half way through!). However, there are also drawbacks to changing your teachers all the time: it can be difficult to follow a new instructor that you're not familiar with, especially when you are in a pose that doesn't easily allow you to watch the screen. This is exacerbated when the class is fast. 

Which was one of the motivating factors in why I chose this class: 'Slo Mo Flo' with Adam Husler. The slow pace appealed to me. I was also drawn to the '2' difficulty rating, as the Udaya classes do seem to be on the more challenging side (although I have done other '2'-rated classes that have involved at least four head/hand stands, plus the splits thrown in- which dispiritingly I can do none of- hence I was still wary). 

Class Review:

True to it's title, this was a slow-moving class, but it would be a mistake to think that slow means easy- which suits me: I am always up for a work out! But when someone says "high plank is your happy place today" you know what's coming is going to be a little bit challenging.

My legs were shaking with exertion at one point, so I was reassured when Adam said something along the lines of: "our legs really enjoy the stretching in yoga, but they don't always enjoy the work". It's these empathetic remarks from an instructor when you're working hard that make you feel like you're not completely out of your league. 

The slow pace allowed me to better understand the transitions between poses, which to be honest is not something I have given much thought to in the past. 

I also enjoyed the instructing style, as it felt like there was plenty of information to work out whether you are holding a pose or doing a movement well enough to be getting the best out of it. 

Class Highlights:

It was the fine details which really made this class interesting to me: for example I learnt so much about how to fine tune the position of the hands, and exactly how to hold the foot to make the best of a leg extensions, which combined to make it a really rewarding learning experience rather than just a work-out. 

One part of the class I particularly enjoyed was when we twisted through a lunge. I've not come across this before but it's one aspect of my mobility i'd really like to improve. 

I also feel like I learnt a lot about my chair pose, and how to improve it. In earlier versions I have done I feel like maybe I didn't pull my derrière in enough (see below!). 

Does my bum look big in this...?

Satisfaction...?

I will certainly repeat this class, for the important reasons that I feel like it would improve my practice to work more on this routine, plus I enjoyed it!

I would also recommend it if you'd like to work on your strength and stamina- good for all exercise goals, not just yoga. 

You can find the teacher, Adam Husler here on Instagram

Quick, Healthy Store Cupboard Dinner

Healthy Ideas:

I've got some lovely recipe books full of healthy meal ideas, but sometimes when there is no opportunity to plan or shop, I am left wondering what I can eat that isn't going to undo my hard work at the gym. 

Today was just such a day, but I decided to improvise a guilt-free dish from what I had available, and it was so yummy that I thought I would share it with you. 

You can re-create it exactly as I made it, or substitute whatever ingredients you have lying around. Let me know how you get on and what great combinations you discover. 

Ingredients: 

(serves two hungry people)

I used half a floret of broccoli,

3 celery sticks, 

a small amount of onion,  

half a courgette, 

a carrot, 

a large handful of mixed nuts,

approximately 50g pumpkin seeds, 

a large spoon of honey,

a large spoon of lemon juice

How to make your healthy dinner:

Cut the broccoli into small pieces, and slice the celery. Put into a saucepan with a well-fitting lid with about 1cm of water in the bottom. Cook over a low heat, stirring often but with the lid on between stirring, and steam the veg lightly until just tender. Drain into a sieve. 

Finely dice the onion and put into the pan with as little oil as you can get away with to keep it from sticking to your pan (I used about a teaspoon). Replace the lid again and sweat until tender.

Grate the courgette and carrot. Return broccoli and celery to the pan, along with grated veg, nuts and seeds. Stir well over a medium-low heat until you decide it is 'done'- a couple of minutes ought to do it. 

Add the honey and lemon juice, stir well, and enjoy!

Get Your Face in the Water!

Since getting my 800m badge when I was a kid, I have only been a dabbler with the big blue stuff. I feel completely blessed to live by the sea: I love water and I am captivated by its beauty, but I feel woefully inadequate when it comes to swimming.

Or... I did until recently, when I decided to really push myself outside of my comfort zone and make a positive change. I want to be able to hold my own in the pool, and to swim for fitness (without being embarrassed by my hideous style and intimidated by the old pro's gliding around like happy dolphins).

You see, my secret shame has been this: I cannot put my face in the water. Which means I swim around with my nose up like a performing seal and my legs dragging behind. This is obviously quite inefficient, and not really fun. I'm talking front crawl of course: I cannot do breast stroke, and when I did those 800m all those years ago it was backstroke, which is not very convenient in a busy pool.


Taking the Plunge: 

It was consequently with a lot of nerves that I went to the swimming class at my local pool. But, luckily I need not have worried, as the instructor was extremely tactful and helpful, I was lucky enough to have a whole lane to myself, and none of the other participants even seemed to notice how bad I was, which was a huge relief. He built up slowly, explaining patiently to me how to breathe.

Today we went back to the pool for a dip, so I could put what I have learned into action. I am frustrated that I have no stamina for swimming (one length and I am gasping!), but I am pleased to report that I can do front crawl largely with my face in the water.

Imagine...

All it took was one session, a good pair of goggles, the love and support of my nearest and dearest, and some gritty determination to swim 'properly', and now I have begun my journey to being a better swimmer. Ok, so I don't think I'll be entering any endurance races, but that was never my goal.

It is silly really how long I put this off- I was so afraid of starting that I did nothing, and now I don't know what all my fear was about.

Am I the only one?

I'd love to hear from you if you have broken through a barrier on your fitness journey- what was it for you, and how did you overcome it?

My Kit: 

In case you are wondering, these are my goggles. I'm going to use my blog to share reviews of the kit I use, so it makes sense to start here with these. 

They are 'Kaiman Lady Clear Lens' by Aqua Sphere. I bought them on Amazon (I've put a link below), and they cost me £8.32, which was a fantastic bargain as far as I am concerned. They fit snugly around the face and have a good shape to match the contours of your eye socket, and good seals to stop the water getting in. The strap has notches on to stop them sliding undone, but there is also a lever for quick release should you need it. The verdict: highly recommended, gold star!

You can click here to buy them on Amazon.  

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, which I intend to be a space for me to reflect on the process of becoming a fitness instructor, to share some of the trials and tribulations as I aim to be the fittest I can be, and to connect with other bloggers with similar interests. 

Keeping fit is great fun, but also challenging by its very nature. Of course there is the volume of work needed, but there is also the problem of how to best manage your fitness- how do you know what is really benefitting you? When should you have a rest day? Is it easier to work out by yourself or with others? What is it best to eat...? So many questions! 

I am studying for my 'Exercise to Music' qualification, but I am not planning to leave my education there. 

I really enjoy participating in exercises classes: aerobics, spin, circuits, both Yoga & Pilates; I like to go for a jog, and I am really trying to improve my swimming so that I feel I can work out in the pool- I sense a whole post in the near future on my struggles there! If I get the chance to try a few yoga moves or have a jog in the great outdoors then not much will stop me!

Last summer I was lucky enough to try kayaking (which is very popular where I live), and I loved it, so this is something I am hoping to do more of in the future. 

Warrior 2 on top of the World. I really felt like a warrior up here, but I was so disappointed when I saw in the photo that my back leg seems bent- I though for sure it was straight. Something to work on...

So, are you trying to get fit? Do you have an interest in nutrition? Do you teach exercise classes? Do you have advice? What are your goals?

Whether it's a lucky pair of trainers or a favourite brand of protein shake, I'm interested, and I'd love to hear from you. Don't be shy, leave me a comment.

<:-) Pixie x