Back to work with Davina and Garmin

Today sees me returning to work after 15 weeks isolating at home. It’s been a very long time to be sitting at home and a great amount of time to allow me to get so much done. You’d think so, right?

Wrong. I don’t know what I’ve been doing, but it doesn’t add up to much. I don’t know what you’re like but for me it seems the less I do, the less I get done. I started off with great intentions. I was working out at home and doing little fitness videos for Instagram but then I hurt my back and that took four weeks to heal and after that I just sort of lost my mojo! Anyone else?

On top of that, we had lovely weather all through May so my excuse was that I wanted to take advantage of the sunshine whilst I could and so I spent a very long time sitting out on my balcony (and doing a little bit of gardening). Then when the weather changed and it rained all through the first three weeks in June, I thought I would use that time to get the house organised, the wardrobes cleared out, the cupboards tidied. However, each wet day just found me listening to music or watching old movies, because that’s what you do on rainy days, right?

Admittedly, I really did get into my ‘gardening’ this year, which I have been loving. (I only have a balcony so it is all containers, but they have really flourished thanks to Richard Jackson’s incredible compost, as well as his fabulous Flower Power.

Everyone that I have ‘Zoomed’ from my balcony has commented on how good my Geraniums, Lavender, Pinks, Begonias etc. are looking.

 

By the way,  if you still aren’t sorted with fabulous plants and flowers for the garden this summer then check out the gardening section of our website. All delivered direct to your door. Simple.

So here I am returning to QVC today, full of the excitement of having some routine back in my life yet apprehensive about suddenly being around other people. By all accounts though, the systems that have been put in place at work are excellent and everyone is being very mindful and considerate and there are sanitation stations everywhere and even the directors are keeping a beady eye on how far apart we are from our guests, so I know I’ll be well looked after. Still feeling apprehensive about it though.

Yesterday I had the weirdest throwback to that last day of the summer holidays before you return to school. I felt like I should be laying out my new uniform with my new shirt and trousers and school shoes (I loved that bit when I was younger) and packing my new school bag with my brand new pencil case with all my new pencils and pens and my ruler. Who remembers that feeling? I loved all the new stuff but was apprehensive about the actual return to school itself. Well that’s sort of how I’m feeling now, but more excited than anything else. To be back at Q and being able to talk to you all again and to see my colleagues (though far fewer of them than before, as all those who can work from home are doing so).

More than anything though, I have had a sudden reawakening in me for the need to get back into my fitness, which I am really glad about. I don’t want to fall off the wagon again though, so I am looking for some help this time.

Fortunately, we have a great Today’s Special Value coming up on Saturday 27th June (launching on Friday 26th June) from Garmin. It’s the Garmin Vivoactive Smartwatch with GPS & Wi-Fi. It is the perfect choice for keeping track of all your activity and it even has a ‘body battery’ that lets you know when your body has the most energy and therefore when is good for you to get active! It has so many features I actually can’t really do them all justice here, so I am just going to list all the technical details here so you can see for yourself. It’s also available on interest-free instalments, by the way!

 

I will be on-air with it at midnight on Friday night, 26th June. I would recommend getting in early for this one. (I just had my birthday a few days ago and if this had been a Today’s Special Value before my birthday I would have asked for this as a birthday gift from the family!) It’s going to be perfect to get me motivated again and not only get me going but keep me going especially as it has 20 pre-loaded sports apps and a heart rate monitor and a pulse-ox monitor too!

Here are all the details for you to check out for yourself:

Garmin Vivoactive 4S Smartwatch with GPS & Wi-Fi

Tune into your body, and tone up with a smartwatch that can track it all and help you reach your health and fitness goals.

BODY BATTERY ENERGY MONITORING

See your body’s energy levels throughout the day so you can find the best times for activity and rest.

PULSE OX SENSOR

The Pulse Ox sensor gauges your blood oxygen saturation during the day and as you sleep to show how well your body is absorbing oxygen.

STRESS TRACKING

Find out if you’re having a calm, balanced or stressful day. Relax reminders will even prompt you to do a short breathing activity when you’re feeling stressed.

MENSTRUAL CYCLE TRACKING

Use the Garmin Connect app to track your cycle, log physical and emotional symptoms and learn about training and nutrition during each phase of your cycle. Even get cycle tracking information on your wrist.

HYDRATION TRACKING

Log your daily fluid intake as a reminder to stay hydrated. You can even have an auto goal for hydration that adjusts based on how much sweat you lose during activities.

RESPIRATION TRACKING

See how you’re breathing throughout the day, during sleep and during breathwork and yoga activities.

ADVANCED SLEEP MONITORING

Get a full picture of how you’re sleeping, with a breakdown of your light, deep and REM sleep stages as well as Pulse Ox and respiration data.

WRIST-BASED HEART RATE

The watch constantly samples your heart rate and will alert you if it stays too high or too low while you’re at rest. It also helps gauge how hard you work during activities. Even underwater.

MINDFUL BREATHING

When you want to relax or focus, you can start a breathwork activity, and this watch will track your stress and respiration to help you get a better understanding of how you’re breathing.

ANIMATED, ON-SCREEN WORKOUTS

Easy-to-follow, animated cardio, strength, yoga and pilates workouts come pre-loaded on the watch, and you can download more from the Garmin Connect app.

BUILT-IN SPORTS APPS

Track all the ways you move with more than 20 pre-loaded GPS and indoor sports apps — including walking, running, cycling, pool swimming, golf and more.

GARMIN COACH

Get a personal running coach on your wrist, for free, to help you train for your next 5K, 10K or half-marathon.

CUSTOM WORKOUTS

Build your own workouts in Garmin Connect, and download them to the watch. Stay connected.

SMART NOTIFICATIONS

Receive emails, texts and alerts right on your watch when paired with a compatible smartphone. You can even respond to texts if you have an Android phone.

MUSIC

Download songs plus playlists from your compatible music accounts (subscription may be required). Use wireless headphones (sold separately) for phone-free listening.

SAFETY AND TRACKING FEATURES

When your watch and phone are paired, your live location can be sent to your contacts manually or — during outdoor activities — automatically with built-in incident detection.

GARMIN PAY

Breeze through checkout lines and select transit systems with Garmin Pay contactless payment solution through participating providers.

CONNECT IQ STORE

Add personality to your watch by downloading apps, widgets, watch faces and more. It’s easy and — even better — it’s free.

Sticking with fitness, I will be on air on Monday 29th June with the truly fabulous Davina McCall. She and I will be having a one hour show together at 5 p.m. We all know Davina is super fit and has really worked hard on her fitness over the years so she is coming in to help all of us, me included, to get our fitness back on track and to find our mojo again, at home!

We will have a Big Deal for you from Davina that I am very excited about. It’s something I have been wanting to get for myself at home – it’s a fold-up fitness bike. Davina will be showing us all how we can incorporate it easily into our daily, at-home fitness routine and then fold it up and put it away so it doesn’t get in the way. Love it. I can already feel my fitness mojo making its way back!

Have you lost your oumph? Has your mojo gone missing? Well don’t worry, Garmin and Davina are here to help.

I look forward to having you all with me again after it’s been so long. See you then.

Until next time,

Miceal Xxx

15 Responses

  1. Oh Miceal it’s so lovely to hear from you and that you are able to come back to work 🤗Your flowers look great, I have ordered all my flowers from Qvc this year and they are doing very well! I only have a small garden and all my plants are in pots but it’s been a great comfort to me to be able to enjoy them. Like you I haven’t got any of my tidying and clearing out jobs done but I think it’s better to be happy and healthy 😊Am looking forward to seeing you and i’m sure you will be well looked after,everyone has missed you!! Debbie 🥰

  2. Hi Miceal, Thank you for sharing your blog. It’s nice to see you back at Qvc. Miss seeing you and the quest. Me and my husband will be tuning in to do some shopping and get some new deals. Welcome back Antoinette

  3. Hi Micheal, love the beard,so pleased you are back.I am still self isolating and also have found it difficult to motivate myself to get on with my long list of jobs to do.We will all get there! Stay safe.

  4. We have missed you Miceal. I thought you had left. Did you take any sneaky peeks at QVC in your lock down. I was the same and now have forgo, frightened to go out. But putting my toe in the water Monday. You look well with a good beard growth. Love your sense of humour. X

  5. Hi Miceal great to see you back at QVC. I am still stuck at home and and I have lost my motivation for now.
    Keep safe. x

  6. Hi Miceal, it’s great to see you back! I’m looking forward to tuning in to your upcoming shows, take care and stay safe X

  7. Switched on to watch the lovely Jenna Molton, as she’s known in our house, and there you were! Your delight at being back was palpable. Well done, I bet your first day back at school went like a flash. Remember to keep an eye on your equilibrium (literally as well as figuratively, given your vertigo!) and all will be well. Best, SheMag x

  8. Hi Miceal,
    Céad mile fáilte arais arís! (Welcome back again!)
    Great to see you back.
    I have always greatly admired you, your obvious love for your wonderful mum, your kindness and support of your brother some years ago, your openness and courage when you yourself became unwell unexpectedly subsequently, your gentle demeanour, your sense of humour and fun, your supreme professionalism and superb communication skills always. Need I say more! It all shines through.
    Choinningh do mhisneach! (Keep your courage!) This has become my mantra during these changed times and it has served me well.
    Kind regards,
    Máire

  9. Hi Miceal,
    So great to see you back on QVC, I have missed your uplifting bubbly and happy character. I hope your back is a lot better now and my blessings and good health to you and also to your Mum. You have had a rough couple of years haven’t you.
    As regards your beard, I personally don’t like full face beards and I think you suit a trimmed down version of a beard – you looked well the other day when you were on the Molton Brown hour with Jemma Forte.

    Keep well
    Elaine

  10. Hi Miceal Good to see you back on qvc . Iam also in lockdown still as Iam one of the vulnerable still shielding from work. Heading back to work beginning of August. Was great to heard you say about a flit as moving house as Iam from Northern Ireland & great you still remember us over here!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.