New Year, Same Old Me?

I am so out of the habit of writing blog posts!

Anyway we are now well into 2025 and I feel like I’ve actually started pretty positively.

At the start of the year I set my intentions. I want to lose weight, not just for aesthetics but for health and performance, my ultimate goal is to still be able to move freely in 20 odd years time and feel good.

So as part of that I need to train and eat better, but I want to realistic. I like food and i don’t want to be deprived so I’m working on eating well – being sensible, prioritising protein but not being restrictive. I’m also setting aims for how much training I can do but focusing on balance, so not just all out, a balance of cardio and strength but also Pilates.

As part of my training I’ve also had my knees looked at, they’ve been causing issues for a while and I need to make adjustments to get them better, including taking options where there’s pain and not trying to push through – if that means adjusting expectations that’s ok, otherwise they won’t get better. there probably a lot worse than I initially thought they were so this needs to be a priority.

So as well as committing to re-habing my knees I’m committing to doing some holistic things. For instance I’ve done a few Soundbaths already which are a great way to relax and take some time for you. I’ve also tried a heat and ice class which again is just a nice relaxing bit of time to recover and clear your mind and relax.

Progress is going to take time, doing these things once or twice won’t do anything but consistently over the next 12 months will help me see positive changes. I’m making all these changes doable and enjoyable and including things that will make me feel recharged (like ensuring I get to bed on time) so that i don’t give up in a few days time.

Peace

My knee is a lot better (rest helps who knew!) and my cough, whilst still lingering, has improved. So my plan to spend the back end of 2024 creating good habits and finding my groove is going pretty well.

I think in the past, unless I was at the size / shape I wanted and doing lots I felt like I wasn’t in the right place, but actually I can say that, whilst no where near perfect, I’m eating reasonably well and I’m being active. The habits are coming and I’m feeling pretty good and I know that from that the weight loss will eventually follow.

It’s all a process and I need to get things in place bit by bit if I want to feel good whilst I’m losing weight. I don’t want to sacrifice enjoying things for the sake of getting to my goals a bit quicker.

One thing I have decided is that I only want to do things that I enjoy and make me feel good. I’ve given up forcing myself to aim for goals I think I should aim for and am looking to do more pilates and classes which are maybe less manic but more focused on technique and strength. I also accept that as I’m older and my knees are not what they once were, I am going to struggle with some things – that’s ok – I can work with that.

I feel like my mindset has shifted a bit and that in itself has made me feel better about myself even though I am not yet where I’d like to be and I think that’s a pretty good thing.

Post Tunisia

I’ve been back from Tunisa for a couple of weeks. I did nothing whilst I was away (there wasn’t a gym so I used it as a break) but I tried to jump straight back into training and eating well upon my return.

My knee had other ideas though! I don’t know what I’ve done but I had a huge bruise one day and then it swelled and I can’t really bend it. It’s started to affect my back too- honestly it’s so tight!

I’ve had to take a few days off – it needs to heal so I don’t make it worse. So I’m trying to eat well and do other things to keep healthy – getting outside, some Pilates (Tower Pilates and lengthening your back – hello!) and I’ve booked a Cupping Session for Sunday.

I feel frustrated about this set back but it’s also given me time to really reassess how I want my training to look, my goals etc. I have a plan for the next 12 weeks with weight loss and habit forming being my goals.

Oooops

I fell off the rails a bit this weekend and did nothing.

It’s tough when you have a couple of days that don’t go to plan to get yourself back into a positive mindset and moving again.

However, I’ve got one week until I go away again and I want to feel good going into my holiday, so I’m planning on getting back to training and eating well this week.

Almost immediately it made me feel better (albeit a bit hungry1) and I went to the gym at lunch time for 30 minutes of weights with a BlokFit class tonight (something new again, which i believe is circuit based, but I’ve done the strength class and enjoyed it so hoping I’ll like this one too).

Just a reminder to myself that a bad day is only an issue if you let it affect all the subsequent days too!

Small Changes

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve found myself getting back into a bit of a routine with exercise. That’s not to say I’ve done everything I planned of course, but I’ve been to a couple of strength classes ata new studio, a couple of Tower Pilates classes and I’ve been going to the gym to do some weights sessions regularly.

More than that, I’ve felt like I’ve been trying harder. Not just going to the gym and doing the minimum to tick it off, I feel like I’ve actually tried to push myself.

Partly, I feel like going to some new places has helped, because it’s been different and made me focus more. Also I think the Tower Pilates has helped, because I really feel the small controlled movements and it’s reminded me that doing things properly is more important than just volume of training.

My diet feels better too, again not perfect, but I feel like I’m eating more controlled and sensibly and more to my actual needs (instead of mindlessly comfort eating).

Do I see the effcts yet? Honestly, no, although I have lost half a stone over the last 9 weeks, so I know things are changing.

Do I feel better though? Yes I think I do. I’m away this weekend and then I’ve got 2 weeks before my beach holiday so I’m going to keep pushing in this manner and see where I get to.

I’m Back

Well I haven’t written a blog post in ages!

This being fundamentally a fitness blog I’ve kind of lost my way with it as I quit teaching fitness classes and subsequently lost my fitness mojo too.

After years of having the regimented timetable of classes (which essentially means you have to exercise regardless of how you feel) the loss of structure made me feel a bit adrift.  That’s not to say I haven’t trained, I’ve still lited sporadically, started attending some new classes which I really enjoyed and have run a half marathon and 10k. It’s just not quite the intensity I’m used to, and that, combined with illness and hormonal changes I’ve put on weight and generally lost a lot of confidence.It feels like I’ve not quite managed to gte that spark back.

I signed up for a challenge in October with the aim of getting myself out of that funk, but realised it was too soon and that made me even more demotivated. So I’ve had a total rethink.

I’ve split my goals up into several chunks over the next 16 months or so (obviously subject to change) and will be focusing on different things one block at a time, to give myself more structure and make it all seem much less overwhelming.

For the next 10 weeks I’m focusing on the basics. Rebuilding some strength with some basic lifts and overload in the gym, working on my diet to lose some weight and trying some different things to get myself out of a rut.

Last week I tried a Tower Pilates class (the tower looks scary but it was actually good fun and I really felt like I’d worked afterwards) and I’ve signed up to a block of sessions at that pilates studio.  I’ve also signed up for a trial of Class Pass and have booked in  a few different classes over the next couple of weeks.

Hoping that by breaking my goals and training into periodic chunks I’ll start to feel the difference and feel good again.

One month on …

A month without a blog post. It’s been a busy month and something had to give. So what have I done since my last post?

Well I visited France, tried Eurostar for the first time (a fan) and last week I ran a half marathon.

Did I feel ready to run? No. Honestly I don’t think I’d prepared enough and I knew it would be hard but wow.

It was hotter than the weather forecast predicted and my knee, even strapped up, didn’t hold out for that long.

For the first 6/7km I thought I was going to be pleased with my time but then the knee really started to hurt. So much so that when the 10km race and half split at 8.5km I really almost turned to finish at 10km.

A very last minute switch back the the half and i limped my way up multiple hills (Birmingham is hilly) and battled cramp right at the end (same point in the race as last year) to eventually get to the end.

Whilst I was really disappointed in myself in terms of time and how I did, I finished it – even when I really didn’t want to and that in itself is a win.

This week I’ve got back to it with a couple of Bootcamps, a strength class and some gym sessions and one small attempt at a run. My knee is still a massive issue but we move.

This week’s mission? Eat less!

Step Back

I got back from Italy 5 days ago, and this week ahs kicked my but.

I was on the go the whole time I was away, so for ten days I was up early (most days by 6am) and walking around for 8 plus hours a day.

It tried to get straight back into my routine, work, classes, running and by Tuesday I hit a wall. I felt so tired it felt like I was actually ill, and although I’ve tried to push through it I realised this morning that actually I need to listen to my body and just ease back in more gently. I have things coming up I want to be prepared for but equally if I don’t listen to my body and end up burning myself out I won’t be ready anyway.

Three big weeks coming up so this weekend is an easy one to get myself ready!

What makes you laugh?

People who think when it comes to fitness and diets the way that works for them is the only way and that if it isn’t ‘optimal’ it’s no good.

The thing is we’re all different, different jobs, lives, bodies, appetites, minds. So whilst something may have worked or not worked for you, that doesn’t mean it will or won’t work for someone else.

Equally, whilst something might be ideal, it isn’t always going to be practical or sustainable. I mean if we did absolutely everything that was optimal we’d never have time or energy or money to do anything away from health and fitness. So in reality you need to pick the things that are most going to benefit you.

To see someone else doing something different from you and assume it’s not going to be as effective or beneficial is short sighted.

Equally going to a PT who suggests all their clients do exactly the same thing in terms of diet and training is probably not going to be effective, as again it doesn’t take into account people’s differences.

For me the confident assertions people make online when they feel like their way is better as if they are experts tends to show their lack of knowledge more than those they comment on.

Patience

This week has been a reminder to not try and do everything.

I’ve done a fair bit this week but still feel like I didn’t do as much as I’d have liked. I’m reminding myself though, that I need to listen to my body. Thursday for instance, I was knackered. I’d done a tough Bootcamp and a step class on Wednesday and on Thursday I was fatigued and hungry.

If I’d have tried to push through and do something Thursday I’d have probably ended up even more fatigued today and eventually my body would have forced me to stop. As it was it felt harder at Bootcamp today!

I think I need to realise that it will probably always feel like we could do more, but being sensible, building up and sticking with it will be loads more effective than going hell for leather now and burning out quickly.