I MAKE CHOICES BASED NOT JUST ON HOW I LOOK BUT HOW I FEEL
Bridget Woods Kramer, 65, is one of London’s leading yoga teachers. She lives in Cornwall, with her two children, Hannah, 27 and Ben, 25.
Morning stretches and walks by the sea
Every morning I stretch while still in bed. I am a great believer in doing what you can, which is something I learnt looking after my husband when he was sick and I became the main breadwinner. He had Parkinson’s and a brain tumour but died two years ago from a heart attack. It aged me a lot but I don’t regret it.
Trying to get someone better and realising I couldn’t was the hardest thing I have ever had to cope with and I miss him every day. Now, if I think, “Oh, I have to find the perfect time to do two hours of yoga,” I know it will never happen, so I work what I can into my life. Later on I’ll do some downward facing dog, hip openers and backbends and then some inversions
(upside down poses) in the afternoon; they’re a great pick-me-up.
In the Eighties I was a fitness instructor and used to diet and run a lot, and gave up everything from coffee to alcohol. But it was like a battle with my body and I struggled with my weight. In my 40s, I gave it all up and focused on yoga and walking outside for an hour a day (I am lucky to live by the sea) and my body balanced out. I don’t worry about my weight now, which has stabilised into what is the right size for me. With yoga, the twisting, turning and deep breathing massages the organs and calms the nervous system and that makes me feel better about my body and make healthier choices. I also meditate every morning for 20 minutes, which calms the mind.
Focus on what makes you feel good and the rest will follow
After years in the health industry, I realised a lot of people had eating disorders under the name of veganism or intolerances, and so on. Now I make choices based not just on how I look but how I feel. I used to be vegetarian in my 20s and 30s and I’d take my own herbal tea bags for dinner with friends. I was the most boring person.
Then at 38, after I had my daughter, I went to a Sikh Ayurvedic (Indian traditional medicine) doctor and he said: ‘‘You are so depleted from your lifestyle.” He put me on liquid liver to replenish my B vitamin stores and within days I felt incredible. I don’t take that now but I listen to what my body wants. I eat a lot of plantbased meals but if I want chicken I have it. Ditto eggs and fish. In summer I eat a lot of raw food, but in winter I go for warmer foods such as lentils and brown rice and nourishing hearty stews.
Typical day’s eating
● First thing: Glass of warm water with lemon or cider vinegar.
● Breakfast: Rye toast with mashed avocado or chopped banana, a little honey and seeds.
● Lunch: Poached eggs on toast or a lentil and vegetable soup.
● Afternoon snack: Fresh beetroot and carrot or an all-green vegetable juice. It helps me focus instantly and it’s a quick hit of vitamins. I also snack on nuts, dried papaya, dark chocolate with ginger, melons or pears.
● Dinner: If I’m teaching, rice, tofu and ginger stir fry or soup from Wagamama’s. Or vegetables, sweet potato and organic chicken or salmon a couple of times a week.
Bridget Woods Kramer teaches at Triyoga, Camden Town. On January 1 she will do a special two-hour class from 4-6pm with live music