My story

For many years I was unhealthy. I ate food with low nutritional value and had an inactive lifestyle.

This resulted in poor digestion, bad skin and being overweight.

I realised I needed to make sustainable changes. Just by getting up and moving around and changing my basic eating habits, I now maintain a lifestyle of being healthier and happier.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Laozi

I'm a jet engine engineer and have been for over 20 years. I have a busy life and very active schedule. All this looking after myself is something that I fit in around real life. It can be done!

I've had chondromalacia patella (damaged cartilage in my knees) since I was at high school. I was not allowed to take part in any sport for a long time while I was having treatment. It's not a particularly serious condition, but as a youngster and having so much pain, not being able to join in with anything active with my friends and classmates, it was pretty demoralising. I got into a habit of not exercising at all.

Eventually I needed to have surgery on my knee. I also had been having treatment for a painful wrist and my doctors decided to operate on tendonitis in my wrist and my knee at the same time. With one hand and one leg needing recovery and intensive physiotherapy, this led to a long period of inactivity and during this time I put weight on.

I now know that I am in a high risk category for type 2 diabetes. In the last few years, many close relatives have been diagnosed with diabetes.

An unhealthy lifestyle, inactivity and being overweight all increase the risk of diabetes so I knew I needed to change my lifestyle to reduce the risk of me getting it as well. I actually felt that I was doing ok, I wasn't obese and had no serious medical problems, but the risk was always going to be there unless I took action to reduce that risk.

I realised I need to be much more careful with my body. Just by making some basic changes, I lost weight without really trying. I've never been on a diet or counted calories. My skin cleared up after suffering many years of acne. I have more energy, I'm fit and healthy and enjoy whatever I'm doing. I have fun and laugh a lot.

I made a conscious decision to begin eating healthily around 2006 and around this time I started exercising and moving myself a lot more. In taking care of my body, it makes me feel so much better, not only physically but emotionally as well. I realise that it's a cliché but life is a journey not a destination and now I'm really enjoying the ride.

I've been practicing yoga since 2002, but not regularly to start with. I have tried joining a gym several times and found that I just couldn't make it worth the expense. There are so many other ways to move without attending (and paying for) a gym. Now, I look and feel much younger than I did many years ago! As a yoga teacher I can also help others with their personal yoga practice, something I really enjoy. I trained with Yoga London and am registered with Yoga Alliance.

After studying for 3 years at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition

I became a CNHC Registered Nutritional Therapist and

BANT Registered Nutritionist.

Putting the yoga instruction and nutritional therapy together, I'm a wellness coach. I'm writing my blog to share the things I have done to improve my life. If it helps you as well, I'm delighted! I coach people on a personal basis as well, helping to fit Smart Steps into real lives.

I hope you enjoy reading my pages and maybe find them useful. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you!