Fitness and Manuka Honey
Each year on the first weekend of December we host the KC Collier Classic on the farm. This is a 5km, 10km and 21km fun-run through some of the routes on the farm that my Dad used to use when training for the 35 Marathons that he managed during his life. It still amazes me now to remember how he was able to come in from a day on the farm and still have the motivation to lace up the running shoes and trot out the door for a run to the “mailbox and back” (an undulating 12 km to the end of the road and back). The key to his drive was that he would simply lock-in an event or two in the calendar and then he’d make it social. That was the key, I think. Dad was such a social person, that as long as he was going to be getting away with friends for the event or train on the weekends, it was worth the effort. I love this unpretentious approach to fitness and think it's something that we can all take inspiration from regardless of the level we are participating in.
In Ryan Holiday's book about modern stoicism he finds a number of anecdotes supporting the importance of leisure to achieve stillness of the mind and the body. Winston Churchill was famous for his incredibly productive life writing over 40 books and 2500 speeches but he is less well known for his rather leisurely daily routine that included a few hours each day to take a gentle stroll on his estate or feed the ducks. Another British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, would fell trees by axe during recess in parliament as a means of maintaining physical fitness but also to clear the mind. The time spent at leisure restoring the mind and body provided the energy and clarity to lead and be productive.
We can all recognize the benefits of fitness to our health and wellbeing, but many fall into the trap of making the act of exercise competitive and egotistical. At Bee and Flow we believe that sport and fitness should bring us joy and provide a moment of focus on the present. Whether that’s focus on the ball at the tee or our breathing as we lean into our next yoga pose.
There are a number of recipes out there incorporating Honey into a balanced fitness diet. These Manuka Honey energy balls are a great pre-workout energy boost (link) and this Protein Smoothie with Manuka Honey (link) is a great way to recover. It can be hard to find the motivation to keep up the fitness plan over the winter months but exercise and vitamin D is proven to be an important immune support. Incorporating Manuka Honey into our training diet especially in the winter months or when we are a bit run-down after a tough training block, can be a sensible way of avoiding getting a nasty bug just before that event we are training for.
