A fantastic day was had by all at the 17th Annual Personal Best Golf day held at Minchinhampton Golf Club. 28 players played in glorious October sunshine and all had great fun. Congratulations to all those who took part and made this such a memorable day, golf, friendships and community were the joint winners!

We hope to make next years Golf Day even bigger, so if you missed out this year and would like to join us next, please let me know and we will add you to our list.

Made it back from an amazing trip to Madagascar, mainly unscathed but a little saddle sore. You may not know this, but Madagascar is the fourth biggest island in the world; it’s as big as France! It’s also incredibly diverse and unspoiled, with an incredible cultural mix, fantastically varied landscape and some of the most unusual plant and animal species. The island is famous for its lemurs (found nowhere else on Earth) and for stately baobab trees, but there are also hundreds of types of colourful birds, chameleons and even turtles.
 
 With lots of hills and uneven terrain, this was a pretty tough trip at times, however my pre- trip training in Stroud and the Five Valleys was a perfect preparation. Spellbound by the extraordinary scenery and wildlife, indebted to the wonderful comradery of  fellow bikers and all the encouragement and support from friends and family back home and the mischievous Lemurs!

At time of writing this I have raised over £2500 for the Air Ambulance, and I thank you for all the support and interest this trip has generated.
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If anyone would still like to add to this total for this very worthwhile cause I would be most grateful. 
Www.justgiving.com /fundraising /geoff - boldero 

Recently. whilst waiting for a haircut, I struck up a conversation with a fellow customer in the barber queue. After the usual chit chat about the weather, we discussed health and fitness, goals and motivation. The conversation was cut short as my hair was about to be cut short, but before leaving the barbers, the gentleman took my card and promised to give me a call! True to his word, less than an hour later, he is on the phone and booked in 10 sessions of PT commencing January 4th, 2019! This was only the second week in October, and we have already had our first booking from a new client for New Year! This client knows that they require the commitment of booking sessions in advance and blocking out their diary, because when it comes to exercise, they realise that for most of the time, they lack the true motivation. Full credit to them for identifying and actioning this change.

Which raises the question, how do you motivate yourself?
Can you motivate yourself, or do you require an outside source to get you and keep you on track?
 
Before we move on, it is crucial that you understand fully, who you are and what works best for you! As we have already identified, the first thing you need to know about motivation and motivational techniques, is that one size does not fit all!
We have come to understand, that there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who are intrinsically motivated, meaning they are able to find the motivation with IN - themselves. If they need to exercise or change a lifestyle habit, they just get on and do it. 
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The second group are those who require some form of external motivation, whether that be from a trainer, coach, App or friend. These people are Extrinsically motivated.
 
Which one are you?
Or are you a bit of both?
 
Chances are, like the vast majority of the population, you are somewhere in-between the two! If this is the case and you wish to succeed, it’s imperative that you attempt to learn, understand and practice a bit of both. As circumstances, ‘influences’ and moods can vary on a day to day basis, being able to manage internal and external factors will help you steer a closer to your goals. In his ground-breaking book, The Chimp Paradox, Dr Steve Peters makes the case that motivation alone is not enough. He argues that motivation generally happens when there is a great reward to gain, or when we get to that point where change just must happen. But to feel motivated daily, is totally unrealistic, even for the most talented and dedicated individuals. What makes the difference for this group and will make the difference for you, is commitment. Committing to a plan and sticking to it, never giving up or giving in, even if you don’t feel like doing it day. This and this alone, will get you closer to achieving your goal.
 
“The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed. “Martina Navratilova

RECIPE - BEETROOT RISOTTO
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Autumn brings colder nights, root vegetables and another shift of direction in the kitchen! As our supermarkets stock the same food all year around, it’s easy to miss seasons and the culinary opportunities that they bring. As part of your change for change sake, why not try and cook one autumnal dish a week for the month of October? This simple beetroot risotto is easy and delicious, just what you need after a long week at work!
 
Serves four
You can serve this as you would a normal risotto, with grated pecorino or parmesan on the side. Alternatively, crumble Feta cheese on top, or stir in some mascarpone! To add another dimension to the dish, roast your beetroot with balsamic vinegar, olive oil with salt and pepper all wrapped in tin foil.
30g (1oz) butter
2 tbsp olive oil
400g (14oz) fresh beetroot, peeled and cubed
2 shallots finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
leaves from 2 sprigs thyme
900ml (1-pint 12fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
250g (9oz) risotto rice
125ml (4fl oz) dry vermouth
2 tbsp double cream (optional)
110g (4oz) pecorino, finely grated
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Feta cheese, to serve
 
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped beetroot, shallot, garlic and thyme leaves. Cook gently for three minutes until the onion has softened but not browned. Meanwhile heat the stock to simmering point. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat all the grains in the buttery mixture. Cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes until the grains begin to look translucent. Add the vermouth to the pan and allow it to bubble up and reduce slightly. Add a ladleful of the simmering stock and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, as the liquid is absorbed, stirring between each addition. You must stir constantly. Cook until the rice is tender but still has a little bite. It will take at least 20 minutes. Add the cream if you’re using it (it makes the dish richer and a paler colour), the pecorino and parsley.
 
Taste and adjust the seasoning then serve immediately with Feta cheese crumbled on top.
 

​Next week our colleague Geoff Boldero will be setting off on his Madagascan adventure as he undertakes an arduous 5-day cycle through the southern part of Madagascar to raise funds for the Air Ambulance. 

In 2008 Geoff took part in the Forest of Dean Half Marathon, a distance he had undertaken quite a few times before. However, on this occasion disaster struck and Geoff never made it to the finish line. “Medics have told me subsequently that I had an unusual breakdown of muscle tissue causing a massive chemical imbalance, which stopped my heart.” Fortunately for Geoff a fellow runner, who happened to be a consultant anaesthetist, was on hand to help keep Geoff alive and initiate his rescue! Geoff’s heart stopped beating for itself for 16 minutes and the fact he remained conscious is due to a host of other runners who took turn at CPR, thus keeping him alive. The St John’s Ambulance defibrillator was eventually deployed, and he was rushed to emergency care by the unique ability of the Air Ambulance. 

“I am of course ever grateful to all those different agents and I have given financial support appropriately, but I believe that at this 10th anniversary of the event I would like to make a special effort to raise funds for one of those for the Air Ambulance. Without their help I would not have made the recovery that I have. The organisation runs entirely upon charitable donations and I think this is a great opportunity to help the service continue and in so doing say thank you once again.”

If you would like to sponsor him, this is the link to his just giving page. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/geoff-boldero

If our mention of Woodchester Valley Vineyard has got your taste buds tingling, then you may fancy joining this Tour and Lunch organised by Mark at the Bell in Selsley  on Saturday 29th September -11.00am “Visit the vineyards of our fantastic local wine supplier Woodchester Valley Vineyard followed by a three-course lunch. Even if you have been before it is worth visiting again as this it a busy time at the vineyard as they are harvesting and making. It is also a chance to try some of their new wines including an award-winning Sauvignon Blanc. Award winning wine and food. Surely this is a perfect way to spend a Saturday!” £42 per person (£15 deposit required on booking) info@thebellinnselsley.com

No sooner are the children back to school and our thoughts and plans turn to Christmas! Well that’s what it feels like a times as we try to plan 3, 6 and 12 months ahead, but in doing so, we must not overlook what is going on right now! In our all too busy lives we are often guilty of rushing and not taking time, our summer holidays give us an opportunity to slow down, appreciate the good things in life and reset the balance. But with a few days back at work the pace accelerates and old habits creep back. In her rush to buy dinner, decorate, pick the boys up from school, swim 100 lengths and all the other tasks that my amazing wife completes on her day off, she happened upon a recipe from a well-known supermarket. It looked simple, quick and delicious until it came to cook the meal! A scenario that is common in many households, the ingredients are bought, the kids are in bed, but when you finally get around to cooking the dinner you read the small print; prepare at least 24 hours in advance! Our ‘squeeze it all in’ lives mean that mistakes like this are all too common. We read what we want to read and not see the whole picture, hear what we want to hear and never fully understand. Say what we want to say without really thinking! Fortunately, in our case, a quick search on Google introduced to us to the simple and delicious recipe below, which encourage you all to try.