One month of 2021 down… I always found January and February really tough when I lived in the UK but in Dubai they are the much-needed cooler months of the year.

What I got up to this month:

Volunteered for Thrift For Good – I’ve been volunteering with Thrift For Good since they opened and do a regular Tuesday night shift in the store. I really enjoy it – partly because it reminds me of my teenage Saturday job and because I always meet interesting people and often find a pre-loved bargain.

Started a new yoga teacher training – I’m taking a sequencing course with Sarah White and really enjoying it! Back when I taught for the gym we were given the daily sequences (to ensure consistency across locations) and for online teaching I’ve been keeping it simple. This chance to go deeper into effective sequencing has made me feel so refreshed in how I approach my classes. I got to teach a community class as part of the training and it was so fun to teach a group class again after 10 months! 

Walked more – I’ve been going on a daily walk and feeling really good for more outside time. Sometimes I take my headphones and listen to a podcast, other times I take nothing and just walk. I usually run during the cooler months but with all of the races cancelled I haven’t been as motivated to run but I’m finding walking makes me feel just as good.

Read two books – An American Marriage and Boy Parts. Starting my 2021 reads with two good (but very different) books. An American Marriage blew me away with the writing, it was so compelling and the exploration of racial justice in America and ideas around what “marriage” means both gave me a lot to think about. Boy Parts was a daring, at times shocking, and very funny debut novel – a pretty awful narrator often makes for a good read, I think?

Got the covid vaccine – well, the first dose at least. Harry and I got the SinoPharm vaccine in Dubai and it was a really smooth and easy process. Happy to be doing my bit for society and looking forward to getting our second dose in the next couple of weeks.

On The Blog:

Setting goals for 2021

Sustainable shopping in Dubai

Changing your career path – Part 1

Changing your career path – Part 2 

Goals For February:

Enjoy some downtime – I’m going on a trip to Fujairah with a friend at the end of February, my first proper break for almost 18 months and the first friend-trip I’ve done since Lauren and I went to Hong Kong in 2018(!).

Set up my yoga subscription – I started a private YouTube channel and I’ve been uploading some videos. YouTube and videos are very new to me so it’s definitely been a learning curve… I stopped teaching Zoom classes to my UK students at the end of 2020 as I was struggling to carve out the time so I’m excited to still be able to share my teaching with students in the UK and with those who can’t do live classes.

Run at least once – I want to do at least one run outside before it starts getting hotter here. I am sad to think that 2021 might be the first year since 2011 without doing a race (not that “racing” is an accurate description of my running at all).

– – –

How was your January? How many books are you aiming to read in 2021? I’d love some recommendations for gripping but readable novels!