"Amidst the chaos of daily life, I find solace in the simplicity of nature.
Hello! My name is Alice Thomson and I am a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner, Health Coach and founder of ‘Enliven with Alice Thomson’ — a brand dedicated to making healthy living simple.
My coaching is grounded in science — using the evidence-based pillars of Lifestyle Medicine I help women embrace activity outside, eat nourishing foods, get restorative sleep, manage their stress and enjoy connection.
My entire ethos is rooted in my deep love for movement in the outdoors! I am never happier than when I’m running along a forest trail, jumping over tree roots; swimming in an icy loch surrounded by wildlife; biking through a forest as the sun pokes through the trees; or hiking up a hillside with my dog leaping about ahead of me!
For me, time in nature is a balm for the pressures of modern industrial living. I am not perfect, nor immune to feelings of stress and overwhelm. Even as a Health Coach now, I still remember five years ago when I was caught in the grip of burnout. It was the usual story — I was taking on too much, not asking for help, ignoring the warning signs, spinning all the plates and as it happens — I dropped them. That humbling experience taught me one invaluable lesson: the importance of carving out regular time for myself. Time to rest, reset, and find my own version of ‘balance.’
In my life now I try to think of the three main buckets I want to fill up every week — business, family and self. Some weeks all the buckets are pretty even, some weeks one has been ignored and is looking decidedly empty — all of that is very normal! The important thing is recognising this and paying more attention to the empty bucket the next week. Something I didn’t do previously!
I truly believe that time spent being physically active in nature is a one stop shop for filling up your ‘self-bucket’. A brisk walk in the outdoors energises you, makes you more creative, calms your senses, reduces symptoms of anxiety, connects you to source, improves your sleep and gets things in perspective; plus regular physical activity helps to prevent a whole slew of chronic diseases and lengthens your lifespan. What’s not to love?!
Whilst I understand that my version of ‘self-care’ will not necessarily look like yours — where I find solace in trail running you may find it in beach walks, painting or playing music — the important thing is that you make time for it.
I am now working in a role I love — helping women to see that their ‘self-bucket’ being empty is not a badge of honour – it simply means you can’t thrive in other areas of your life. This has led me to create coaching and events for outdoor-loving women to connect regularly, support each other, collaborate and (of course) get active in the beautiful Scottish countryside!
If this resonates with you, why not come hike up a hill with us sometime?!
See you outside!
Alice x
You can find out more about Enliven with Alice on her website at https://www.enlivenwithalicethomson.com/ or follow her on Instagram at @enlivenwithalice
Sunday Inspiration
Favourite Recipe
Better than Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup by EmtheNutritionist
“I have been making a lot of this soup by @emthenutritiounist”. Find the full recipe on her Instagram Account.
Serves 2, 400kcal & 20g protein including croutons
500g on-the-vine tomatoes
1 large red pepper, in chunks and deseeded
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
1 small bulb garlic, halved horizontally
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
optional: 1/2 mild red chilli (deseeded)
A pinch of dried rosemary
400ml chicken stock (I used 1 stock cube and water)
80g cottage cheese
Fresh basil
For the sourdough croutons
* 2 slices sourdough bread, cubed
* 20g grated parmesan
* 1 tsp honey
* 1 tsp olive oil
Full Recipe on Instagram
Favourite Quote
Favourite Song
