children – ShakeUpFit

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Aaaahhh one of my favourite distractions for years. As a kid I would love to try and figure this out and never could. I’d ask my dad to help and all he used to do was take off all the pieces, rearrange them into their right colours and then put them back on haha

As a grown up this has a symbolism for me. Life is all about being as healthy and conscious as you can, being happy. Most of this site, these blog posts are dedicated to physical ways to do that. Cooking, eating, exercising, thinking but when do we focus on our minds? When do we do some workouts for our brain to keep it healthy?

Meditation is a great way to do that but so is playing with toys like this. There are countless studies to say when children use their imaginations and play with toys, colour in or generally have a way to play with just their minds they they are happier and more able to take on the world.

When was the last time you just picked up two toys and created a scene in your head using them and your imagination? Not a dirty one….. haha I still have all the action figures I had as a kid, spiderman, power rangers, transformers, they’re all in my loft. Maybe it’s time I got them out, dusted them off and messed around with them. I even used to make grappling hooks out of bent nails and string so they could obviously climb up and down the furniture in my room.

So for today, why not find a way to let out your inner child. Be silly. Let go. Have fun. Imagine.

Ciao for now x

Published by mbennardo in #ThrowbackThursdays, General, Therapy

Tags: action, children, figures, focus, fun, imagination, let the world wait, mental, mental health, mind, play, relax, toys

Anyone who knows me knows that I love jamming out to a song. I love to sing along and I love to dance and that's why I love my Zumba and Dance Fitness class that happen twice a week.

But, did you know that I also do yoga and I like to use it as time to gather my thoughts and to understand what's going on in my life and maybe see a new perspective on something that has been bothering me.

A lot of us understand the health benefits of yoga, but not a lot of people really consider it as something they should be introducing their child too. Yet starting yoga from a young age can help in so many ways. Today I want to show just a few of those and hopefully convince you why I believe so strongly in kids doing yoga:

It improves your posture and flexibility. For children whose bodies are still developing and growing it makes sure that they grow in the right way, in the right postures and with internal strength that will do them wonders all through later life
It can lower blood pressure, improve bone health, help with overall wellbeing and help get rid of impurities in the body.
Teach you how to use breath to relax, focus and sleep better and we all know how much growing children need to sleep!
Builds awareness. Awareness of your own body and of your surroundings. That can be very much estimated in adults and the power it can have on your wellbeing, the natural intuition of your body, where it is and what it is doing. Imagine the power it can have on a child growing through adolescence, through growth spurts that leave them uncoordinated or struggling to feel comfortable in their body.
Can be such a powerful tool in the fight against abuse, bullying and so many other scenarios where it is hard to work with a child. Being able to draw discussion, self reflection, focus, calming, breathing and strengthening in both body and mind can be an amazing feeling.

Those are just a handful. Listing all the benefits would take forever. My advice, if you have a child, get them signed up to a yoga class if you can. There are dozens of teachers like me that teach in schools, nurseries, we can set up private classes, birthday parties or a whole host of other venues.

If you're not sure where to start just drop me a line on here, give me a call on 07708 996 234. No question is too silly.

Enjoy

Ciao for now x

Published by mbennardo in Fitness, General