How to focus on being happy and balanced
Saltee takes a dive into the life of Anabel Dorman, former professional dancer, and Aerial dancing teacher, now teaching Pilates, yoga and working as a PT.
Anabel is so Saltee and a real inspiration over recent weeks as we’ve been in lockdown. We asked her to give us a lowdown on how she stays Saltee and juggles fitness, lifestyle, staying focused and her family.
She has had a truly Saltee global life – originally from Mexico and moved Barcelona when she was a teenager, Anabel eventually moved to London 5 years ago, where she lives with her family.
Keeping a healthy mind and body has been essential to Anabel. These are difficult and unsure times so it’s good to keep focused on those things that makes us feel better, inside and out. But with children and work, how do we fit this all in?
“As a mum I am always juggling to fit all my classes and clients around my kids’ life, but now with the lockdown I’ve re-discovered the online training. I really like face to face classes, but online training is giving my business a new vibe, I can really feel everyone much more relaxed because they are practicing in their safe place, where everyone feels comfortable and the no rush feeling is just great.
We are currently teaching several classes a day. Some to big companies, others to smaller groups. We do early sessions to kick the day off all together and prepare the body for long periods of sitting in front of a computer. We do online PT sessions for our regular clients and we film videos for social media.
All this in between dealing with the house and home school. At this point everything feels right and our routine is making us feel we are succeeding and achieving in our happy bubble, endorphins are definitely doing the magic in our house during this crazy time.”
Balancing fitness with your everyday life can be tricky. Anabel has found a great way to merge the two and get the kids involved. Not only is it fun but beneficial to everyone’s health and happiness.
“Finding new activities to do with my kids is challenging but thanks to the aerial rigging we have in the garden, every time we feel trapped, we head outside to train. Sometimes simply swinging on the equipment is enough to feel better.”
And what about work life? It’s been hard for some to separate the two over the last couple months. Working from home can make it harder to know when to put the laptop down but setting yourself some strict work hours and stick to them to help. Make sure you also take a break in between for a breather.
“Luckily my job is something I really enjoy and I never feel overwhelmed, and if that happens I just put my trainers on and go for a run. Running is my meditation time and yoga is my daily treat.”
Whatever might be drawing you outside; fitness, a break from work in the garden, the children, make sure you’re protecting your skin. Even on those days where it’s a little cloudy. Saltee provides ultra-high UVA and UVB protection. Suncare with skincare benefits so you’re also getting that much needed boost of hydration. Anabel swears by Saltee. SPF30 Body Active Sun Lotion is perfect for those who are staying active outdoors. It also includes natural essential oils which work to soothe and calm tired and aching muscles.
“Now the weather is better I really like to be outside and having the right sun protection is key. In the past applying suncream can be a nightmare because you end all sticky and if you are exercising and sweating at the same time isn’t ideal. But Saltee has a great texture and is absorbed so easily, especially when I need to apply it to my kids it’s such a relief, pish posh and it’s done.”
Keeping on top of your diet is also something Anabel has been focusing on. Although it’s great to treat yourself every now and then, it’s important to fuel your body properly, especially if you’ve upped your fitness regime during this time.
“Because of all the exercise I do during the day I need to keep my body well-hydrated, I love to drink herbal and green teas. My diet is high in protein, being vegetarian these days it’s so easy, you can find great substitutes of meat, plenty of veggies, fruits and of course nuts my favourite snack. A juicy apple and a spoonful of peanut butter is the highlight of my day!”
What can seem like such an overwhelming and uncertain time can often cause thoughts to wander. Anabel suggests trying out meditation to help keep a focused mind. Sometimes taking time out to just relax and clear your thoughts means you can refresh your headspace and try and focus better on the positives.
“Another way to relax for me is reading followed by a 10 min still meditation. A great app to learn to meditate if you are not familiar with this practice is “Headspace” and if reading is not for you, or you are a very active person like me, just reading two pages helps you go to sleep. “Headway books” is a great app that takes all the main ideas and sums up the book for you and you can listen to it while you are on the move too.”
I have never been a bath person, I spend more time filling it with water than the time I can stay still in it, so for me a long shower alternating cold and hot water to stimulate good circulation before going to bed is mandatory to relax the muscles and absorb the benefits of all the exercise I did during the day.”
Head over to Anabel’s Instagram for daily motivation and fitness @anabeldorman
We’re all spending a little more time than usual out in the sun whilst we’re at home. Ensure you have Saltee by your side to protect your skin and it’s great for the whole family. Here’s to active Saltee days as we work through this challenging time.
