Sometimes you reach a point where you know some things need to change.  In February 2016 I realised that it was time to audit my life after experiencing the devastation of raging fires in northern Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area, a back injury and turning 30 years old.  I started journalling my thoughts and actions, quickly realising that I felt completely unharmonious between my intentions and actions.  Furthermore, I knew that my body wasn’t healthy.  I looked fit and was running strongly on paper, but underneath this there were old habits that were holding me back.  Crunch point.

Today I want to share the 11 steps that I have taken so far to re-find my feet:

1. Beginning the ‘Internal Work’

When I visited a new doctor at the start of the year she looked me up & down and said, ‘Hanny, you need to find your femininity’.  I had not a clue what she meant but when I was handed the name of a performance psychologist in town I new she must be serious.  For sure, I was experiencing a nasty back injury & was feeling a little directionless but by no means did I really feel I needed to ‘chat’.  However, when I began to audit my life I realised there were (and always will be) a number of areas for self-improvement.  At this time these included: a lack of feminine hormones; a constant need to be busy; quick to react to stress; physical niggles; adapting to a growing leadership role in my business; increasingly large sporting goals; and a concern about nourishing nutrition (or lack thereof). 

This year, I have worked with Jeremy, a performance psychologist, on my ‘internal self’.  It has been one of the more difficult and yet rewarding experiences I have ever had.  It has opened my eyes to the extraordinary power of our minds, emotions and actions stemming from deeper, mindful intentions & values.  I have found greater purpose in my relationships, running, and business, as well as an understanding of femininity & self-compassion.  And this journey is just beginning…

2. Loving the ‘External Self’

As I started the ‘internal work’, I realised that I was often neglecting my ‘external self’.  In fact, I almost felt disassociated from my body.  One day, Jeremy asked me what I did for self-compassion.  I racked my brains before proudly jumping to the notion of massage.  “I get massages!’  He looked me squarely in the eyes and replied, ‘for self-compassion or for recovery from training & sport?’  I had never realised there was a difference.  

Though self-exploration and monitoring my actions I am slowly developing an awareness that self-compassion starts with accepting who I am and how I look & feel.  I started by exploring small ways to nurture myself.  Here are some of the actions I have taken, although I know there are many more to foster:

• Relaxation & mindfulness
• Listening (& I mean really listening) without judgement to what my body is saying both in regards to training but also to its needs for ‘down time’, sleep etc.
• Removing toxins by filtering water, using natural beauty & cleaning products, choosing organic when possible etc.
• Dressing in clothes I am comfortable in and that suit my internal mood - playful, feminine etc.

3. Learning through listening

I love to learn but was becoming frustrated that I wasn’t investing in formal learning.  Through the encouragement of my friends I began exploring the beautiful world of podcasts.  I was hooked!  And because I loved listening to podcasts so much I began exploring ways to have more time to listen to podcasts.  This lead to getting back on the bike, running more on my own and using rare times in the car to unwind with a great episode playing.  Learning doesn’t need to be formal and what I am learning through other peoples’ stories has not only increased my motivation but also made me feel more connected to society.  I am now in the process of launching my own podcast through which I hope to share my community’s stories.  I honestly believe stories are the gold through which we can learn to enrich our own lives.  Here are my current favourite podcast series:

• The Rich Roll Podcast with Rich Roll
• Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais
• Conversations with Richard Fidler

4. Understanding through writing

I wish I could find more time for writing but journaling has become the key to unlocking my understanding.  When my head is full or I feel like I am becoming stale, I pick up a pen and start writing.  I am always amazed at what my mind has stored up that I was unaware of, and the insights that I shed when I write without judgment.  Don’t get me wrong, there is also a lot of garbage that gets written too!  Writing allows your mind to let go of the unnecessary thoughts, release subconscious mulling, and then act on the ideas that spark your imagination, creativity & passion.

5. Acceptance through meditation

Wow, never thought I would admit that I love to meditate!  I started in this world with a need to relax.  Using free YouTube videos & the encouragement from Jeremy, I started practicing whole-body relaxation before I went to sleep.  This certainly enhanced the quality of my sleep but I also found that I had a clearer mind the next morning.  From here I began to explore more and more YouTube videos: Guided meditation; Chakra Meditation; Hypnosis etc.  It really is an interesting world.  I try to put thoughts of religious association aside and just observe what happens when you willingly have a go.  I have also begun practicing self-guided meditation, especially when I am lying quietly in bed at night.

6. Plant-Powered Nutrition

I also never thought that I would admit to exploring a 100% plant-based diet.  I have been a vegetarian for 17 years now with the occasional salt & pepper calamari in there, but I honestly have never enjoyed any form of animal meat or fish.  When I audited my life I realised that I had some shockingly unbalanced habits when it came to diet and I know these have stemmed from struggles with disordered & restrictive eating in my blacker past.  These included an absolute love affair with cheese.  Whilst I was eating enough in an energy sense, I didn’t feel good.  I felt heavy after lunch and the skin on the back of my arms and legs were covered in Keratosis, a dry skin condition that looked like a constant bout of goose bumps caused by excessive keratin build up.  The more I researched, the more I was pointed to the ill-effects of dairy and how it can cause Keratosis.  Furthermore, I knew that my mother is lactose intolerant.  

Removing dairy from my diet has changed everything!  Not only has the Keratosis almost completely disappeared but my mind is clearer, my moods are more constant, my hormonal cycle is regular for the first time ever and I feel energised beyond measure.  It has also opened up a whole new plethora of amazing foods that I have barely experienced and a need to be more creative with preparing meals.  None of it has been hard, but rather it has just required a willingness to shift my thinking and crack some old habits.

7. Simplifying Stuff

The flow on of changing my diet and removing toxins from my lifestyle lead to a realisation that I have a lot of ‘stuff’.  I am just beginning to think about how I can master the art of living simpler.  I would love to set a radical goal of spending at least one night a week in our van for the entire summer (and maybe winter too!).  I am also about to embark on a big ‘culling’ session around home.  When I do need to buy something, I will be looking for lasting quality and where & how it was made, rather than the price.  Buy once.

8. Intention & Values not Goals

I no longer have strict goals and for now I am not planning any races.  When I started feeling richer in other areas of my life I found that the drive to set goals had diminished.  I am not saying the need for goals is gone completely, but perhaps setting goals had been a way to plug holes in a leaky lifestyle?  I now feel filled with purpose and a motivation to just live & be wilder.  I am driven by intentions that bubble up from a deeper place within me.  And because of this I am playing… hard!  I don’t think I have every felt so fit and I have big dreams that I am working towards.  That is far more exciting for now than any goal I could set myself.

9. Learning the Art of Presence

I am a shocker for trying to plan, plan, plan.  But isn’t there a saying, ‘life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans’?  That was me in a nutshell.  I am now trying to not get too far ahead of myself because I also think my planning brain kicked in when I was fearful, nervous or struggling to slow down.  I also read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  Whilst heavy and often a little too ‘out there’ for me, I found the concept of intentionally trying to be present in what I am doing highly invigorating.  When I am on a run I am on a run.  When I am listening to a podcast I am listening to a podcast.  When I am making a cup of tea I am focusing on this task.  When it is time to go to bed I am literally going to bed to rest.  Being more present has reduced stress and increased space in my life for creativity & enjoyment.

10. Recognising the importance of Patience

Not my greatest strength!  It was Jeremy who said to me, ‘Han, I think you need to learn the art of patience’.  With all this energy and enthusiasm I am constantly looking for how I can give back more and more. But Rome was not built in a day, nor are dreams, or health, or lives.  Patience may end up being my most difficult obstacle.  Lucky I like a challenge!

11. Measuring health by the health of my hormones

This is a personal note to end on but a lack of regular menstrual cycles has been my biggest fear in life.  I had seen so many specialists and been put on so many supplements and drugs over the years to solve this issue.  However, the deep internal work, the decluttering, the planting my feet in nutrition that nurtures… this has been what has allowed my body to embrace its femininity.  I have learnt that the greatest measure of my body’s own health is the health of my hormones.  So, over medals, business, records and more, I think finding health in my hormones is the accomplishment I am most proud of in 2016.

For 2017 I am setting my intention to consolidate 2016.  I want to learn more and find routines in what I embarked on this year.  Underlying this is a desire to ‘Be Wilder’ - in my actions, intentions and thoughts.  Getting uncomfortable every now and then will be at the heart of this too.

It is with great excitement that I wish you all a wonderful start to 2017 and I hope that this coming year can provide an opportunity for you to find health, vitality & wild adventures too.