Browsing Archive: December, 2013

Losing weight, getting fit and other New Year resolutions....

Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Sunday, December 29, 2013,

Lots of people decide to lose weight and get fit in New Year, to work off all that holiday indulgence. But then they don't keep it up and lose all the benefit of that initial enthusiasm. What you need is something that's manageable and sustainable, that it doesn't feel all too much, all too soon.

If I'd gone to a regular gym, I'm sure I wouldn't have stuck with it - I'm not the type to be able to just use an exercise machine, while watching mindless pap on tv, or listening to whatever music, ...
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Guilt-free festive feasting and afterwards

Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Tuesday, December 24, 2013,

Rarely do I give dietary advice... but today it seems appropriate:) I have every intention of stuffing myself to the gills with the lovingly cooked food prepared by my almost-in-laws tomorrow! IMO the best thing is to eat healthily most of the time, then enjoy those occasional lapses and festive feastings as they come round.... particularly if someone else is doing the cooking! :)

Normally, I prepare loads of fresh veggies with spices and freeze around 16-20 portions of mixed veg in ice cre...
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Avoiding difficult situations

Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Sunday, December 22, 2013,

Through tai chi practise, you learn not only how to become a calmer person yourself, but also how to avoid becoming involved in difficult situations. Since you are calm, without ego, without anything to prove, then walking away becomes not only easier, but the default option.

For instance, today I went down to the park to practise and there was a group of around 5 youths on bikes making strange remarks to passers-by. Now, I could have thought that it's my right to practise in the park, and jus...
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Patience, perserverence and ego

Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Sunday, December 15, 2013,

How long should you practise? Well, there's several answers to this, to my mind:

Practising a little every day is essential - on your own, to struggle with the new stuff, is helpful for embedding it. Especially if you are getting it wrong on your own, since that means you are learning how to learn. Never worry about getting stuff wrong, it's the practise itself that's important - everything will come right in the end if you keep on trying.

Practising in a group is also essential, whether you d...
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Kids and tai chi

Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Friday, December 13, 2013,

Teaching kids is much more full on than teaching adults. It may look easy, but if you aren't prepared and in authority, it can all go horribly wrong fairly swiftly....

First thing is to establish that you are the instructor, not the friend. I remember going for interview as a teacher and being asked how I felt about children. As they told me afterwards, they were trying to weed out those people who thought children were sweet little angels! Luckily there are ways to establish yourself in this ...
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tai chi in the park

Posted by Fiona Anderson. on Saturday, December 7, 2013,

Many people can be nervous about practising in the park on their own, due to self-consciousness. But, really, don't worry - especially in London people ignore you most of the time. This is great, as it means you have space to practise and can be out among the trees enjoying nature, which is the best way to do tai chi.

Normally I like to practise in Hyde Park, when I'm in Central London, but recently I've taken to practising in Green Park, as it's on the Jubilee Line back from one of my clien...
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