Those weeks when you seem to go backwards

We all have those weeks, those bad skates.

But I don't think my tough Russian coach believes in such nonsense as "a bad skate". I distinctly remember saying to Coach A recently that I was "having a bad skate today" and was met with the simple, ever-so-serious response: "Why?"

It's a fair question when you think about it. Why? The ice is still ice, your boots and feet haven't been altered overnight, so it must all be in the head, right? So although it's definitely not as simple as "Well, don't have a bad skate then" (which was the next thing Coach A said to me, haha!) - it's surely worth a word with yourself about whether you can get your head out of that mindset.

Think I've needed a few of those words myself this past week.

So with that in mind, I'm sharing this video of my program practice from about a month ago. It's not great - pretty poor show, in fact, but even this is better than I've been coming anywhere close to this week, so I'm trying to remind myself of what I was capable of just a few weeks ago, and kick my own butt into gear ready for my next lesson!!

10 reasons you should take up figure skating

People often think of figure skating or ice skating either as a fun activity for children/teens or as something there's no point in taking up seriously if you didn't begin aged five.

Here are 10 reasons to take up skating as an adult - share this with your non-skating friends and encourage them to try something new!

1) Fun

If nothing else, skating is fun. Huge bags of fun.

And the better you get at skating, the more fun you can have with it.

Say no more.

2) Friendships

As an adult, it can become very difficult to make new friends, and many of us have found ourselves in a situation where friends have moved away, got married, lost touch etc. 

Taking up a new activity is a great way to make new, lasting friendships with great people. It also means you can start skating alone, because you'll quickly find skating buddies to keep you company on the rink.

3) Health and Fitness

Trust me, when you start to love your new sport, nothing will stand in your way to get fit and eat more healthily, and you'll look and feel great for it.

Not even chocolate tempts me, most of the time ;-)

Additionally, scientists say regular exercise makes immune cells more active and ready to fight off  infection. People who regularly exercise take fewer sick days than couch potatoes.

If you can, why aren't you?

The title of this one says it all, really. This is the question I've been forced to ask myself, and I'd encourage every other adult skater to figure out if they need to be asking themselves the same.

I don't know about you, but I think a great coach is one who not only teaches you the physical elements of skating (or any other sport), but also motivates you and/or gives you a metaphorical kick up the bum when needed (on a regular basis, in my case!).

Can you really improve flexibility as an adult?

Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece and not to be taken as any kind of medical advice. Always see a professional if you're planning to change your workout routine, or it's at your own risk!

The truth is, you don't have to be flexible, strong or fit to be a figure skater, but it certainly helps. When I started skating three years ago I was none of the above. People have always assumed I'm fit because I'm slim, but the two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. I'm just lucky to have ridiculously good metabolism (though even that's starting to struggle more with age).

As I'm sure was the case with many others out there, I quickly began to realise getting in some sort of shape was going to be necessary the more my skating progressed. It's not so much of an issue when you spend

It's all in the name: no excuses

I'm very aware that I haven't posted for quite a while. This is mainly due to life getting in the way - between work, freelance work, family stuff, friend stuff and, of course, skating, there isn't a lot of time left over for posting.

However, I read a really interesting article on another blog today that I wanted to share with