New Continental Hotel, Millbay Road, Plymouth, PL1 3LD

Tel: 01752 276798

Inside & Out…

How many times, when we see someone that looks fit, thin or strong, someone who wears their clothes well and who can shop in any high street store do we stop and think WOW! Their life must be perfect..!?

But what is ‘perfect’? What kind of ‘perfection’ is it that we are striving for?

As we are in the middle of Mental Health Awareness Week 2019, we wanted to highlight that sometimes, just sometimes our outsides don’t always match our insides.  And sometimes, just sometimes, we are just sensitive people living in a broken world. A world by where how many likes on our profile picture or how many times we are told we look pretty or handsome or thin today can confuse us because…

…if people say our outsides look ok – why is it we don’t we feel ok on the inside?

Here at Club Continental we care about your inside as much as we do your physical appearance … your ‘outside!

You matter to us. How you feel – that matters to us.

We know that being strong with a six pack on the outside, won’t naturally mean you don’t have days, weeks or perhaps even months that you wont feel ‘weak’ on the inside.

As people we think (wrongly in most cases!) that other people will feel more comfortable, more relieved if we don’t tell them the truth! When they say ‘you look well’ or ask how you are, we say ‘OK’.  Sometimes to make them feel better; sometimes because that’s our script – the script we stick to be it true or not!

Each year, thanks to the work that many amazing organisations and individuals do around Mental Health and well-being, we are making progress as a society. Many staff and members within our Club community are talking more openly about issues that affect their mental well-being. It could be stress, addiction, bullying, relationships, health conditions, money worries…and everything else in-between.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is body image. How we think and feel about our bodies, about our outsides!

It’s a great time for everybody to show their support and take a minute to think about our mental health – but also those we work with, our friends and our families.

As an independent gym, hurtling towards our 30 year Birthday – being older and wiser we have learnt that putting in a little extra time to talk, to chat and to just be still for a moment, is just as important as working up a sweat.

We all know that working out is great for our body and mind; that exercise helps positive changes in our brains; it reduces tension and stress whilst boosting mental energy through endorphins.

But what about ‘Working Up’ a conversation with someone you know who might be strengthened by your chat?

Going to the gym is often about our outsides.  But here at Club Continental we want to highlight and support people to improve, grow and see their internal strength too.

Join us #workupaconversation as well as a work-out.  Take note of how people may feel on the inside, as well as how they look on the outside.

Thanks for listening, here’s to talking and may we always #workupaconversation!

Mental Wellbeing & A Wedding…

You can’t Plan For The Pressure…

There has probably never been before a time when there has been so much exceptional pressure placed on couples when they are planning their “perfect day”. Trying hard to be all things to all people, always hearing voices that are louder than your own.

Knowing in your heart, that when you decided on forever, when you found your very own love story, the hashtag you would use on the day was the furthest thing from your mind … or heart!

When something is your choice; when you are doing it for you, understanding why you feel so giddy, lost and low is tangling! You can’t find the end of the rope to sort yourself out; because the colour of the bows, the dietary requirements and where Gran will sit all seem to take over!

That is unless we stop – for just one minute – and own the moment!

We thought today would be the perfect day to talk weddings and mental well-being. It is after all #weddingwednesday during #mentalhealthawarnessweek!

Just like our physical health, we can have ‘good mental health’ days and we can have ‘poor mental health’ days – and neither last forever.

We have to take care of ourselves and be mindful of every moment, especially during times of pressure. Many couples I know say that it took someone to actually remind them of why they were getting married, to allow them to take a breath.

The flippant language used like: ‘bridezilla’ and ‘wedding mad’ really aren’t helpful…

People are not their behaviours; but their behaviours are often the outcome of how they feel in all the places we can’t see.  Like their soul, their minds and their hearts.

Our ability to cope with pressure, when we want something to be the very best it can be because we won’t be doing it again, gives a certain kind of weight like not much else.

First there’s the planning pressure; the where and when – who’s family wins! The financial pressure; how do we set a budget – where do we get the budget! The family politics; who’s in the wedding party and who isn’t – the fallout of any decision!  The food, the wine, the hashtag, the photographer, the flowers, the first dance…evenings don’t feel long enough for all the thinking and planning there is to be done.

People have a certain kind of expectation that because you have chosen to say ‘I do’; because you have found ’the one’ – everything else is smooth sailing. That it’s’just a day’ and that all that matters is love. So then that makes you feel even more guilty! You ask yourself why are you finding it so hard. Why is all the confrontation and difficult conversations making you feel so emotional? And how come it is so impossible to please everyone?

It’s OK to wobble…

There really isn’t another life event or occasion that has so much judgement and expectation. The unexpected and unprecedented pressure on our minds, on our body and our soul is overwhelming at times.

Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause. To be more than the planner of your wedding day. It’s about understanding that time you enjoy wasting  – ISN’T wasted time.  It’s odd, during times of stress or when we have pressure on our shoulders, those are the times we seem to drop the things we actually enjoy – to make more time for the things we don’t!

So amidst the planning and the preparing we need to remind ourselves every day; that we in this moment matter.

By giving ourselves this time, this care will give our wellbeing a boost. After all, you are about to start the biggest adventure and chapter of your life; you have to make sure your tank is full to be ready for the ride of your life.

For more information on Mental Health Awareness Week, visit their website and get involved, inspired and engaged.

The Mental Health Of A Road Warrior…

Navigating the motorways is one thing; but how do Road Warriors in the 21st century keep their mind and soul on a healthy path..?

In the lead up to Mental health Awareness Week 2019, we invited two of our most regular business travellers to share with us their tips and tricks. Telling us just how they keep their minds healthy and happy and their souls full of joy.

As an independent hotel, our guests’ and their experiences are always so important to us. Be they guests who are here as part of a tour; on a leisure break to our beautiful city or here for business. How they feel, matters.

We understand that for a business traveller there are many ‘bumps in the road’. They are away from their families a lot; they often miss milestones and celebrations. Family home-cooked meals are a thing of the past and although they may see lots of beautiful cities, they rarely get to experience them.

Brushing over the discomfort of travelling for a living seems to be a common theme for many business travellers. They love their jobs and are passionate about their product, service and customers. Like many people with high pressured jobs, they keep going because they love what they do.

But keeping going without complaint is one thing; but is it the best thing?

By ignoring and not identifying the challenges we are encountering, and how they might affect our health, can mean that we could easily become lost.

Prince Harry is a keen advocate for all things mental health and brings awareness to so many by talking about his experiences very openly. He talks at length about how scary it can feel to broach the subject: “People are scared to talk about it, but they should be scared about not talking about it,” he said at the annual Time To Talk Awareness Day.

Perhaps that has something to do with us skirting around the edges of our challenges. Be they around our jobs, our lives or both! Knowing it’s ok to find things hard – even when we love them – is part of the challenge.

We talk to some very open and honest business travellers about their routines to keep their body, and their mind, healthy. We would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to them, for taking the time and for their honesty.

Sam:

“It has taken me almost 7 years to find my dream job. I meet new and interesting people all the time and I have a product that I love to share. But I learnt very quickly that I would have to be mindful about certain things.

It sounds silly, but my first challenge was food! I had always been a comfortable size 12, but within just three months I was a tight 16! It’s not that I thought I was fat – but I just wasn’t comfortable in my own skin anymore!  

So I started to be better organised, taking healthy snacks rather than relying on petrol station food. I choose hotels that have restaurants and gyms. Now I pre-book a table before I get there; so I don’t get tempted to fly in fast food drive throughs!  I have also now re-gained my love of the gym.

I have a lot of alone time, I drive for about three hours most days, so quickly found pod-casts and when I can, I use the time to keep in contact with friends on my hands free.

The best advice came from a mentor of mine; he said if you keep your mind active, you will keep your heart alive. I am now learning Spanish whilst I drive too!”

Paddy:

“A Dad to three lively boys, being away from home at the beginning meant I could get a good nights sleep! After a while though, that wore off as I started to miss nativity plays and parents evenings. Now in their late teens I feel that I am actually better connected to them. In some ways better connected than some of my friends are with their children. Technology offers us countless ways to stay connected, and with great Wi-Fi we can even watch films together, play games and chat face-to-face even when I am miles away.

I don’t think working away is right for everyone, and I know that it took my wife many months to get used to the feeling of being alone.  But now we make it work. I love my family and I love my job and I am really aware of what we all need to be happy and connected.”

Like with many hotels, we always want to do what we can to better your experiences. We know that there are days when you feel frazzled and want to just check-in and lie-low; but then we also know that there are days when just having a good old chat – is exactly what the doctor ordered!

Whatever you need; if like Sam it’s a table for dinner and a warm swimming pool and cool gym; or like Paddy and his room with the best Wi-Fi. Just let us know. Let us help you wipe your thoughts from your minds and find a happy place whereby you can give yourself and your family exactly what you all need whilst being on the road.

Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week 2019 by visiting their website.