Welcome to this week’s Newsletter.

Thank you so much for all your lovely emails and messages over the last few weeks, I really appreciate it and I am so grateful JTP is full of such wonderfully supportive and kind people … thank you.

Well, we find ourselves at the end of November and that can only mean one thing … Christmas is fast approaching. Have you got your tree up yet? Have you done your Christmas shopping? Are you in the middle of preparing? You know it will be upon us in a blink of an eye … lots of lovely Christmas carols to be sung, possibly grandchildren in Christmas nativity productions in schools … these are definitely the best bits. Do you still send cards? I know this is getting a bit lost in traditions as people send Christmas messages via email or text now. I quite enjoy writing a Christmas card, but must admit I don’t send as many as I used to do, I tend to keep them to people I don’t see very often, family and close friends. Plus, do you send an updated account of your year to people who you don’t see throughout the year? Lots of people do this too … well, whatever your choices I’m guessing it’s time to start kicking things off.

All Face-to-Face Classes are running as usual, and Jenny and Mary continue to cover the Old Woodhouse classes.

I have decided to give my body another week of recovery before teaching Live Online Classes, so I have selected a set of recordings from the Archives and timetabled them for your easy access — you simply have to go to your day of choice on the timetable and click the button — no scrolling, no searching, just a click of the button. 

I thank you for your patience, and in true Terminator style, say I’ll be back!

My 3Cs

When we get to the end of the year, December is upon us and everyone starts to get wrapped up (see what I did there …) with Christmas and all that brings, so our self-care can go out of the window. So in order to give you a bit of motivation I am relaunching my 3Cs workouts (3Cs stands for my Complete Care Commitment programme). The programme has 6 specific workouts to take you through December. These are all recordings that aren’t currently on the JTP Zone website, and all have a specific focus:

• Workout 1 — Upper Body focus
• Workout 2 — Legs and lower body focus
• Workout 3 — Gluteals focus
• Workout 4 — The Core focus
• Workout 5 — Relaxation
• Workout 6 — The Whole Body

If you are a member of the JTP Zone there is a button to click on the Home page, giving you full access to all the 6 workouts. 

However, if you aren’t a member you can purchase these workouts as a ‘stand alone’ programme for £30 and the links will be sent directly to you. Just reply to this Newsletter for more details if you’d like this.

This week’s Your Whole Self ties nicely in with the Complete Care Commitment programme mentioned above, in that when December hits, we can all get a bit lost and taking care of ourselves moves further down the list. So I am focusing on how 5 minutes, being present, can help you not to lose yourself in December.
 

December… a magical month where time seems to speed up, to do lists grow legs, and suddenly we’re all knee deep in wrapping paper, snacks meant for guests, and trying to untangle the tree lights that you know were stored perfectly last year! 

On the one hand, it’s wonderful as it can be a month full of giving, but on the other it can be rushing, preparing and trying not to forget anything or anybody. But here’s the thing we often forget — in the middle of all the planning, prepping and doing for everyone else, I’m here to remind you that we still need to show up for ourselves.

But this doesn’t mean finding an extra hour a day, if you can do that it’s great, but it’s more about continuing to value yourself and staying with healthy, mindful routines. 

December is not the month for big changes and adding elaborate routines into your timetable. December should be the month for small acts of being present for yourself. Something that you can fit into your day, making it a priority, making you a priority, and making this an act that is non-negotiable.  If you are struggling to find 30 minutes for a workout, then five minutes is more powerful than you think.

Most of us can find five minutes, and this can be enough.

• Five minutes to move your spine — see this week’s Exercise of the Week
• Five minutes to breathe deeply
• Five minutes to step back from the whirlwind and reconnect with your body, your thoughts and your sanity
• Five minutes of mindful movement or stillness can shift your whole day. 

Five minutes can be the reset button we forget exists.

Your recorded classes are still going to be there waiting — and even if you only do the first five minutes, that still counts. It still nourishes you. It still pulls you back into the present moment.

It’s more about presence than presents. This time of year encourages us to give, whether it be gifts, time, energy, effort, organisation, emotional … the list continues. 

But the truth is, the greatest gift you can give is to yourself, and the ripple effect of this to the people you love — is your presence. Not the version of you who is frazzled, depleted or running on festive fumes, but the version who feels grounded and connected because she took a few moments for herself.

When you take five minutes to breathe, stretch, move, or simply sit and stare into space (highly recommended), you’re topping up your inner battery. And that’s what helps you show up in a calmer, kinder, more present way for everything else December asks of you.

It’s easy to think I’ll get back to myself after Christmas, but why wait for January, you deserve pockets of ease and care now.
 

Five minutes today.
Five minutes tomorrow.
Five minutes to say
I am here too.

So your reflection point for this week is — where can I gift myself five minutes of presence this week?

Have a good week everyone — keep looking, moving and feeling good.

With love and support,

Jane xxx