Feeling a bit stuck with your workout routine and want to get excited about it again? We feel you! Over the years we have both gone through phases of different workout routines, trying various things to see what worked and what didn’t. Recently, we’ve found a nice balance and have started to love our workout routines. The key? Variety and a holistic approach. In this episode, we discuss our wellness journeys and the steps you can take to build a workout routine that you LOVE. We talk about biomotor skills, your wellness ‘why’, nutrition, learning when to rest and more.If you like this episode, please share and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Episode Resources: Masterclass

Journalling is something that has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Whether it’s bullet journalling, morning pages or gratitude journals, there are so many ways people are using notebooks to explore their mind and feelings and we LOVE it. Journaling is such a powerful tool as it allows ourselves to think and almost have a conversation with ourselves. But we also know that it can be pretty daunting. A blank notebook staring back at you, a fresh pen not having used a single bit of ink. It seems that not many people tell you how to start, they just tell you to journal. The reason for this is that there is no real way to journal. It’s one of those things that looks completely different for everyone. In this episode, we discuss our different habits with journaling and how we have found it to be useful in our lives. We also discuss the different ways you can incorporate journaling into your life, without it becoming a chore or something that overwhelms you. If you like this episode, subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We love hearing your thoughts! Episode Resources: Bullet JournalHow to Start Journalling 

What lessons did you learn this week? How have they altered your perspective? Would you do anything differently in the future as a result? Reflecting on the events that happen in your life is an important part of growth. By looking at the things that challenged or excited us, we can start to learn more about ourselves and the world. This week we are doing things a little differently. We are sitting down to talk about the lessons we learned this week and how they changed our perspectives. Polly dives into her story about pushing through fear and overcoming obstacles (literally), whilst James discusses what he learned about the benefits of transparency in his business. If you like this episode, let us know over on Instagram @takeitfurtherpodcast, as we love creating more of the content that you want to see. 

Often we live in the past or the future. Worrying about things we’ve done that we can’t change OR about the things we need to do. Where we’re moving to next,when the bigger pay packet will come etc.We say ‘when I have this much money I’ll be happy’ or ‘When I get this promotion I’ll be able to slow down’ or  ‘Once I reach this next milestone I’ll be able to do fun things again’. We do this as if happiness is something that can be saved up and experienced at a later date. Famous author Eckhart Tolle once wrote in his book ‘The Power of Now’ “Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.” By saving up our happiness and saying we’ll slow down later, we end up becoming bystanders to our lives. We miss out on the present moment and rob ourselves of being happy right here, right now. In this episode, we discuss our issues with struggling to stay present and share a few tips on how to practice being more present in your daily life. If you enjoy this episode, subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, as we love hearing your feedback! Episode Resources: The Power of Now 

We often try to dampen our true selves out of fear of being shamed or cut out of a particular circle. Yet, the funny thing is that when we are ourselves, we attract the right people who love us for us. In this fun episode, we want to encourage you to be proud of your differences and embrace who you are and all of your little quirks. A wise man once said that you can’t be fully happy unless you’re fully yourself. Read that again. When we hide parts of ourselves to fit in or lie about certain things, it hurts. You’re effectively telling yourself that the real you isn’t good enough. Would you tell a friend they’re not good enough? Never! So stop telling yourself that. Embrace your weird side and the right people will find you and love you for who you are. Be different with pride and never forget how special you are. If you like this episode, subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We love hearing your thoughts!

If you were to notice yourself only overthinking about how great your life is, you probably wouldn't want to stop over thinking. It would be amazing. So we can guess that it’s constant negative thoughts popping into your brain that you don’t want.So why do we overthink so much? And why is it negative? The first thing is that we are overstimulated. We need our phones by us 24/7 and have forgotten what it’s like to hear our thoughts. The second is that we love control. Although there is little in this life we control, we think that if we overthink and ‘prepare’ ourselves for the worst, it will make it better if it does happen. Truth is, we’re just letting ourselves suffer. Also, studies show we are hardwired to think of the worst outcome. Go back to caveman days, we had to constantly think with survival in mind, we could get eaten by a sabertooth tiger! We haven’t developed that much since then, so it’s no wonder we still overthink. How do we start to calm our mind and not overthink so much? Listen to this episode where we outline 5 tips you can start implementing to help you stop overthinking. If you like this episode, please subscribe and share with your friends!Chapters: 00:00: Introduction 01:50: Catastrophising 03:42: Mindset Bias 05:03: Why Do We Overthink?10:33: Separating The Self13:33: Tools to Stop Overthinking 17:06: Practising Gratitude20:00: Reduce Stimulation 23:42: Imperfection is Key28:00: Conclusion

In this day and age, everything is within reach. Whatever we want we can buy it, ship it, eat it, all within a fraction of the time it used to take. This is great as we have so many options BUT it can lead to burnout. A couple of weeks ago, we were on a climbing trip in a nearby town and we noticed that on Sunday all of the shops were closed. At first we were a little aggravated as we wanted to grab a coffee before our climb, but then it made us think. ‘Wow, this is actually pretty cool’. We hadn’t seen a town closed on a Sunday for quite some time. We’ve become so used to everything being open all of the time that it was a shock to think we’d have to wait until Monday to get a drink. This got us thinking about our lives and how constant they are. We had a debate among the group about what it would be like to take Sundays back. To have them as a day of rest and to stop consuming for just one day a week. That was when the idea of ‘Simple Sundays’ was born. As a group, we made a pact that each Sunday going forward we wouldn't consume and would make an effort to get out in nature and connect with loved ones. To strip it back to the basics and have one real day of rest. In this episode, we talk about what Simple Sundays entail and why we are excited to start doing them! If you like it, subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We love hearing your thoughts!

Comparison is rife in the world today. With social media, we are constantly shown what we should look like or be doing with our lives. Comparison itself is normal. We need to compare things for it to make sense in our mind. E.g. Comparing your strong foot with your weaker foot to decide which one are you going to pass the ball with. The problem is when comparison meets insecurity and we start to compare elements of ourselves to others that we think define our worth e.g. money, success, how we look. It’s a hard mould to fit. Social media helps us promote our strengths and hide our flaws, whilst secretly being insecure. Consumerism feeds on our need to compare. As Jordan Peterson said in his book 12 Rules for Life, you can’t just compare as you have nothing to reach for. When you say ‘I will never look like that’ or ‘that person is way more successful than me’, you end up throwing yourself a pity party with no resolution. You can’t get better from just feeling bad about yourself. The other issue is that we are comparing ourselves to a fraction of someone else’s life. You may say you want the life of X rockstar but what you don’t see is his struggle with addiction and the fact he hasn’t spoken to his mother in 10 years. You only see the highlight. So how do we get out of the cycle of comparison and live more happily? We discuss our top tips in this episode, as well as some affirmations you can tell yourself each day to build up your confidence. If you like this episode, please subscribe and share with all of your friends! We are so grateful to have you here and can’t wait to continue building this community. Episode Resources: 

How do you perceive the events that happen in your life? According to science, our brains are hardwired to be biased towards negativity. This means that, unless we choose to focus on the good, we get easily swayed into thinking negatively about ourselves, other people and the world. There are negative things out there BUT we do have a choice. We can choose to focus on the good things and flip our perceptions to something more positive. Pink car syndrome is a great way to explain this. Do you ever find yourself in a car thinking 'wow I haven't seen a pink car in ages', then suddenly you see them everywhere? This is because you have alerted your mind to it and now it is focused on finding them. The same is true for situations and people. When you focus on the negative, you tend to find a lot of it. The good thing is that is also works for positive. If you choose to seek out positive people, kind acts and other things, you will start to see more of them too. If we can lower our emotional response to situations that are say a 2/10, it allows us to build up mental strength for when those 10/10 situations arise. Listen to the episode to learn more about which negative perceptions are common and how we can start to flip the switch and live a happier life. Chapters: 00:00: Intro 00:49: Pink Car Syndrome03:15: How Negative Perceptions Can Affect Your Relationships08:34: Examples of Negative Perceptions 09:50: Why You Should Judge Situations As Singular Events10:30: 3 Types of Unhealthy Perceptions12:03: You Can Choose to See The Good12:41: How to Flip Your Perceptions18:30: Conclusion References: Pink Car Syndrome VideoAmy Morin - Ted Talk

Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic approach, usually used in conjunction with or as part of a treatment plan for people suffering from anxiety, depression, substance abuse, relationship issues and many more. It uses literature to help you improve your life by providing information, support, and guidance in the form of reading books and stories. Reading has been shown to be able to help people understand the issues they are experiencing, amplify the effects of other treatment, normalise experiences with mental health concerns and care, and offer hope for positive change. Often fiction based, these stories reach your subconscious and can help you navigate difficult emotions . The beauty of bibliotherapy is that it is a lifelong companion and anyone can pick up a book and start reaping the benefits.  Chapters:00:00: Introduction 00:49: What is bibliotherapy? 01:41: What is bibliotherapy good for?   03:22: Why is it so good?03:43: How can you start using bibliotherapy?05:20: ConclusionResources:Breathe Magazine A Guide to BibliotherapyBibliotherapy Book RecommendationsA-Z of Books for Bibliotherapy

You may express affection to your significant other regularly, but do you truly take the time to make sure you're communicating it the way your partner wants to receive it? Even the deepest love can sometimes get lost in translation when two partners speak different love languages.We recently learned about the 5 Love Languages and how it is super important to learn the language of your partner in order to truly be able to show them you care. In this episode, we take you through all 5, how to find your own, the importance of communicating them, and how we are using them in our own relationship. 01:41 - Problems with not knowing love languages 03:15 - The 5 Love Languages 07:26 - James thinks he has Covid (it turned out he actually did)08:10 - Love languages don’t have to match up09:26 - Your partner is not responsible for knowing your love language 11:28 - Take the testResources:www.5lovelanguages.com

How many times have you tried your absolute best to not eat that cookie, to not pick up your phone or to say no to going out with the girls or guys? Unfortunately, for most of us, willpower is massively overrated.  It is not, and should not, be the answer to changing your bad habits or adapting your lifestyle. And there's good reason. In this episode, we chat all about the 'monkey in your mind', and how your instinctual, irresistible urges could actually be caused by a little chimp sitting in the limbic part of your brain. Using advice given in Dr Steve Peters 'The Chimp Paradox', we discuss how you can manage your chimp and set up your environment to give you the best chance at success. 00:35 - James' favourite chocolate. 02:40 - We fall off the wagon04:01 - The Chimp Paradox04:20 - Frontal, Parietal and Limbic parts of the brain05:20 - Why your chimp gives you urges08:22 - We feel bad for not having willpower09:20 - A vicious cycle of reward 10:50 - Accepting you don't have the best willpower12:20 - Other factors that reinforce urges/habits14:20 - Polly's instinctual need for validation through social media16:01 - Why can't you just not eat the cookie?16:58 - Changing your environment to set yourself up for success19:49 - We're animals and need to accept that20:50 - Recognise when to listen to your chimp21:30 - Accept your a victim to your habit22:49 - Change your reward system / Reward your good habits26:01 - Show yourself compassionResources:The Chimp Paradox by Dr. Steve Peters

These past two years have been pretty chaotic. It's safe to say that a lot of us are a little shuck up and looking for new ways of living. To be honest, we're not the biggest believers that a single book can change your life or help you find your one unique purpose. If you have mental health issues, self esteem problems or are just feeling a little lost, it is going to take a lot more than just reading a couple of books. However, we do believe reading the right texts can push you in the right direction.In this week's mini-sode, we take you through 5 of our favourite Self Help books that we think you need to be reading in 2022, giving you a little bit of detail on each so you can decide which you think you need to be reading first! 01:30 - Atomic Habits by James Clear02:34 - Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty04:10 - Mindset by Carol S. Dweck05:04 - The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiana06:02 - 101 Essays to Change the Way You Think by Brianna WiestLet us know if you have read any of them and what you thought! 

Do you know what you love to do? How you want to spend your time? It seems like a pretty simple question, but it's one that stumps a lot of us!  Often this is because we have been prioritising other people and other things. Whether that be our children, our family, friends, our financial situation etc etc and not prioritising ourselves. It feels selfish to think about what you want but it's integral to living a fulfilling life. In this episode, we invite you to look at your life a little differently. To think about how to spend your time wisely rather than trying to answer the question of what your one life purpose is. We invite you to self-reflect and think deeply about what you love to do and start taking action to inject more of it into your daily life. This is not just about career, this is about your ENTIRE life. What do you want to do? Who do you want to spend it with? Which things do you want to learn? Where do you want to explore? How do you want to show up for the important people in your life? These are all questions we should be asking ourselves often, as a sort of 'check in' to make sure we're using our time on earth as we want to, not how we feel we have to. Whether you have a spare 10 minutes or 10 hours in your week, you have the power to start spending that time doing the things you love. So grab a notebook, a cup of tea and tune into this episode now!------- We love hearing what you think of the episodes and your biggest takeaways! Write us a review on Apple Podcasts or send us a message over on Instagram @takeitfurtherpodcast.Chapters:00:00: Intro00:51: We All Get Lost Sometimes 04:35: Why We Don't Know What We Love 07:55: A New Perspective on Life Purpose10:44: How To Find What You Love To Do16:22: Why You Should Keep Death Close17:58: Fitting What You Love Into Your Life24:44: ConclusionResources:The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ckThe 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose

Struggling to keep up with your New Years resolutions? Wanting to adopt some new habits but not sure how to stick with them? Habit stacking could be your answer! James Clear, the author of ‘Atomic Habits’ believes that big changes in your life are a result of small changes you make each day that add up. One of the ways he proposes you become 1% better each day is to use the idea of ‘habit stacking’. Habit stacking is where you add on a new habit to one that is already formed. For example, if you make a coffee in the morning and you want to start journaling more, you  can ‘stack’ that habit so now when you make a coffee you sit down and write a page in your journal. The reason this is so effective is that the neurons in your brain have already formed connections for your coffee habit, so it’s easier to tack on another habit to those existing pathways, rather than trying to form a completely new habit at a random point in the day. By using this method, over time you can completely transform your habits and change your life, without having to go on any crazy fad diets or going cold turkey with your technology. Everyone has the ability to change, we just have to work WITH our mind and set ourselves up for success, rather than overloading and burning ourselves out.  We love hearing what you think of the episodes! Write us a review on Apple Podcasts or send us a message over on Instagram @takeitfurtherpodcast.Chapters: 00:00: Intro01:19: Why We Fail at Forming New Habits  02:26: Atomic Habits  05:23: What is Habit Stacking 07:20: The Habit Stacking Formula09:24: Conclusion Resources:Atomic Habits James Clear Website 

Feeling a little overwhelmed with what you’re seeing online lately? Digital minimalism could be a good antidote! In this episode, we discuss the idea of digital minimalism, why you need solitude and how to have a better relationship with technology. Have a listen and let us know what you think over on Instagram @takeitfurtherpodcast or email us [email protected]: 00:00: Intro02:45: It’s Not Your Fault 06:00: What is Digital Minimalism? 12:00: Polly’s Struggle With Social15:20: Self-Worth and Social Media18:53: Solitude Deprivation  23:09: Are Your Thoughts Your Own?27:00: Conclusion Resources: Digital MinimalismThe Social Dilemma

Welcome to the first ever TifTip! In today's episode Polly talks about the art of talking to strangers and why you should try it. Have a listen and let us know what you think over on Instagram @takeitfurtherpodcast or email us [email protected]: 00:00: Intro00:41: Stranger Danger 01:38: My Experience With A Stranger 02:35: Studies  03:13: Talk To Strangers by David Topus 04:22: Challenging You To Talk To Strangers 04:51: Conclusion Resources: Talk To Strangers BookKio Stark on How To Talk To Strangers - TED Talk

We all talk to our friends, colleagues and family but do we really build connection? In this episode, we explore the importance of open communication in relationships and how liberating it can feel to live honestly. We also offer up some little tips to help you express what you may be holding back from your partner, friend or even colleagues. Chapters: 00:00: Intro04:16: Do You Hold Things In?  05:40: Issues Of Non-Communication 07:57: How Fear Makes Us Miss Out 11:20: You Have To Ask What You Want 13:14: What Is Open Communication? 16:13: Vulnerability Is A Strength 18:53: Deep Conversations Are Reviving 19:32: How Do You Start Being More Honest? 24:00: Don’t Be Scared Of Silence 24:30: Conclusion 

Do you think your abilities and intelligence are fixed or ever changing? Do you believe you’re either naturally good at something or not? These are some of the differences between a ‘Fixed’ and ‘Growth’ mindset, developed by Dr Carol S. Dweck. Many of us stay in what is known as the Fixed mindset and hold ourselves back from what we can achieve in life. We don’t think we can get better and so we may choose to give up instead of persevering.In this episode, we discuss the differences between the Fixed and Growth mindset, and the stages you can go through to start adopting a Growth mindset and become better. Ready to begin? Chapters:0:00: Intro1:05: What Are The Fixed and Growth Mindsets?4:29: Differences Between The Fixed and Growth Mindsets  6:56: CEO Disease 10:04: The Power Of ‘Yet’12:12: 4 Stages Of Growth Mindset 15:50: Conclusion Resources:Mindset by Dr Carol S. Dweck Video: Developing A Growth Mindset

You may already practice a bit of 'self-love', but how do you come to a place where you genuinely like what you see in the mirror instead of criticising it? It's a journey, that's for sure! In this episode we discuss body image insecurities, taking a more holistic approach to health and James' desire to get married at Hobbiton (if you know you know). Ready to get into it?  Chapters:0:00: Intro1:09: How Many People Dislike Their Bodies? 5:19: Do People Care About What You Look Like?7:37: You Have To Stop Hating Yourself10:00: Body Positivity Comes From Within16.50: A More Holistic Approach20:13: How To Start Loving Yourself30:10: ConclusionResources:The High Five HabitBody Image Blog 

Self-doubt is a common thing, but sometimes it can stop you from pursuing your goals or doing stuff that you love. In this candid conversation, we open up about a recent experience  that had James almost throwing in the towel on podcasting!  We hope it shows you that everyone experiences self-doubt, but it's the way we respond to it that really matters. Chapters:0:00: Intro1:17: James' Self Doubt Experience3:55: The Real Reason Behind It6:03: Don't Give Up10:25: How To Move Through Self Doubt12:21: Conclusion

Have you uncovered your core values? Could you answer the following question: Describe what you stand for in 5 words? If the answer is 'no', then you probably don't know what your values are yet. The good news is that they're already within you! In this episode, we chat about what values are, how to uncover your own and the dangers of making decisions that don't align with them. We provide you with a couple of great exercises to get you to start thinking about what you stand for and evaluate how you're spending your time. Once you start living your life by your values, everything feels clearer! Decisions are easier to make and you begin to move towards the life you want rather than away from it. So let's get into it!! Chapters:0:00: Intro1:34: What Are Values? 6:45: Different Types of Values7:14: Value vs Interest Based Decision Making8:44: Going Against Your Values11:46: How To Identify Your Values 13:24: Time Audit15:08: ConclusionQuestions: 1. What made you feel good? 2. What made you feel bad? 3. What made you feel valuable? 4. What made you feel bored? 5. What did someone else do that you admired? 6. What did someone else do that you disliked? Time Audit:  Write down your values at the top of a blank page. Over the next week, make a note of how you are spending your time e.g. Facetiming a friend, cooking, reading a book. Next to each one write which value it represents - where are the gaps? Resources:Think Like A MonkSimon Sinek Ted TalkCentr Core Values Blog

Welcome to the first episode of Take It Further! 🎉 Today we're talking about limiting beliefs. What they are, where they come from and how to change the story.The are two main types of limiting beliefs: cultural and self-instilled. Both are equally as prominent and hard to change BUT change is possible! In this episode we walk you through the different types of limiting beliefs, relay stories from our own experiences (including dancing donkeys and smelly fish), and provide you with exercises you can do at home to start identifying and changing your own limiting beliefs. Ready to dive in?  Chapters: 0:00: Intro 4:55: Cultural Limiting Beliefs6:43: Self-Instilled Limiting Beliefs 11:23: How To Identify Your Limiting Beliefs19:46: Living Your Life The Way You Want 22:26: Can We Change Our Limiting Beliefs?23:26: Taking Your Limiting Beliefs To Trial  27:05: ConclusionQuestions: 1. Is this limiting belief grounded in facts? 2. What evidence is there to support this belief?  3. Have I always thought this way? If not, can I remember a time where I consciously chose to believe this?  4. Is there any evidence that counteracts this belief?  5. How would I act if I believed the opposite of this? Is that someone i'd like to be?6. How would I react if this belief was held by my best friend? What advice would I give to them? 7. What are the damaging consequences of holding onto this belief? Will it alter the way I see my future playing out? Resources: The Code Of The Extraordinary MindJane National Geographic DocumentaryLimiting Beliefs Blog 

Living in this world is confusing and understanding who you are and what you want to do with your life can't just be achieved by reading a book (although we wish it could). Finding meaning and purpose in your life comes from looking within and starting a conversation with yourself. It's about getting to know your values, beliefs and what excites you. But how do you even begin to do 'the work'? We know that navigating the self-growth world can be pretty daunting, so we're here to guide you through it! Each week we'll be taking you on our own journey of self discovery, discussing the various tools and resources we're using to learn more about ourselves . We'll break down each topic, sharing what worked, what didn't, as well as providing practical exercises that you can do at home. So if you're ready to stop existing and start LIVING, come along for the ride and let's Take It Further together!