Finding Mojo

September 1, 2021by Fiona O'Donnell

This may sound like I’m looking for a lost fish or maybe even a dog, but sadly it isn’t so. Two days after run camp finished, my mojo stood up, walked out of the room and never came home. I moped for a few days, waiting to feel the draw of my new runners. My swim bag sat forlornly at the front door waiting for the tiniest sign that it was getting an outing. Even my laptop lay, untouched on my desk, crying out for an update or two. It was all to no avail. Mojo was missing and I soon realised I had to do something about it.

Steps I Took To Find My Mojo

The last few weeks, I have felt like I was trying to juggle cats – and I have the scratches to prove it. I knew something had to be done before I crashed through my glass ceiling. Here are the steps I took to wind everything down before I went in search of my missing mojo.

  1. I took a week off social media and my blog. I made an executive decision to step away so that I wasn’t feeling guilty about neglecting work.
  2. Still busy, I categorised everything on my “To Do” list in order of time limitations and importance. When I looked at it in this way, I realised that I was actually under very little pressure for time. However, a job that remains undone still hangs over my head, so I set time aside to action them.
  3. I set short, medium and long term goals regarding training and work targets. I kept my movement and ‘training’ in the first week to mobility and core.

    Gluts and Core at Inchydoney
    Glutes and Core
  4. Ten minutes was allocated morning and evening for meditation – This totally saved me. Having 10 full minutes where I wasn’t scheduling anything for work, training, cleaning etc was utter bliss. Actively ensuring that I didn’t use those 10 minutes to organise the rest of my day in my head was a huge challenge, but so wonderfully worthwhile.
  5. I removed the pressure of training. If I felt like a run, I did it. But I cleared my training schedule completely and focussed on just walking the dogs and staying mobile.

    Mobility and Gluts at Inchydoney
    Glut and core work
  6. I turned my focus on nutrition. Firstly, I added in probiotics. Second, I took a huge tub of homemade vegetable and lentil soup out of the freezer and I baked 6 salmon darns. I cooked up a huge vegetarian lasagne to ensure my veg intake was high for the week. I also made 6 egg pancake mix (higher protein, less flour). This ensured that for a few days at least, I had food in the fridge ready to go and I wasn’t eating out or buying junk.

    Leeks, Spinach and Black EyedBeans
    Bringing ALL the greens to my weekly diet
  7. I cut out alcohol. I don’t drink large volumes regularly. Of course I occasionally have a night out, but it doesn’t happen every week. I do enjoy a glass of wine during the week with my dinner sometimes. This was removed and replaced with sparkling water.
  8. At the end of this clean, lean week I slipped into my account for the Elevate Video Series and I chose some of the earlier workouts to do at home every day. These only took 12 minutes each so I wasn’t under pressure to spend over an hour training. These were also great for my head as I felt like I hadn’t switched off completely.
  9. Finally, I roped in some friends. Meeting for a walk, a coffee or a chat to make plans for the summer was literally the best therapy. Distance yourself from negativity and really work hard at only allowing yourself to give time to the things that really matter.

The Results

For the first time in weeks, I felt as though I had some headspace. I could make a clear decision without feeling like I was taking on more stress. Without really trying, I also lost half a kilo. I know from experience that this was down to my efforts to increase my vegetable intake. It was a welcome surprise which has motivated me to keep up my healthy eating. Finally, I feel stronger – physically and mentally. Here I am this morning, cleaning up after pancakes and strawberries, planning my holiday packing list and gearing up to move another few boxes into our new house.

Suddenly, there it was, standing right in front of me. It had a tan and a bar of ‘rock’ from the airport. My mojo hadn’t gone missing. It had just taken a little break. Maybe this was my body’s way of telling me to take some time out too. Based on this very clever discovery, I have booked a week in the sun. Smart, eh? I have also taken the time to select some yoga sessions from Jess Hatchett’s ( my absolute queen of yoga) you tube channel and a few of the tougher sessions from the Properly Built you tube. This way, I will get my workouts done while balancing rest and recovery in the sun.

So that’s it folks. Those are the steps I took to bring myself back to me! I didn’t have to drag my mojo home kicking and screaming as anticipated. I just needed to make some space for it and let it come home on its own.

Be kind to yourself and be kind to others, you never know what is going on with them. xx

Fiona O'Donnell