Off to the Aegean Sea!

Well, I’m packing and jumping into the Aegean Sea headfirst with as much luggage as I can cram into my weightless case because traveling light is not my thing, cases have wheels so let them do their job and take the strain. After years of traveling for a living – I wore the crown passed to me by Judith Chalmers when she decided swilling out your smalls in a bidet had lost its allure – I know how to pack, I’m a professional, and with little sleep I can be camera ready from hitting the tarmac in record time.

We all have strange things we pack, for years I’d take an electrical extension lead, because in lower grade hotels around the world mirrors and plugs were rarely near enough to each other for a Turner Blow Dry, Incense sticks for stinky rooms and two pairs of rugby socks for infested ones. My little trick is one pair to protect my feet and legs the other for hands and arms. In the Amazon with my pyjamas tucked into them, a nett around my head and heavy-duty bug spray over my pillow this rouse saved me from a fate worse than death. A Swiss army penknife (hunter edition) traveling steam kettle for clothes, Yorkshire Teabags, Branston Pickle to disguise unappealing food and resistance bands for moments of downtime.

In the magazine this week we’re talking about resistance exercises to maintain flexibility, tone, and strength. Resistance bands are light as a feather yet can be used in so many ways. I was first introduced to them when skiing, I snapped clean the anterior cruciate ligament in my knee. Yes, that hurts and the words of the surgeon who put me back together still ring in my ears, he said, “I can do fifty percent of the job, but you must do the rest, unless you want to walk with a limp and have a weak knee for the rest of your life.” Well, that wasn’t going to happen, so I slavishly applied myself to rehab, and resistance bands were very much part of that toning my hamstrings and quads which in turn strengthened and protecting my knee including his excellent work. Now my knee is as good as new with full flexibility and stability and outside of a brief scare, you’d never know I’d had such an accident.

I often talk about fitting exercise into our everyday life so this little tip you may like if you are a driver. When sitting in a traffic jam, at lights, or just waiting for someone, sit up straight place your hands at the correct ten to two position on the steering wheel then push in with your palms as hard as you can towards the horn, immediately you’ll feel your biceps and pectorals contract and engage, hold for 4, release then start again.

Never miss an opportunity to keep everything perky!!

Have a good week,

Love,

Anthea X