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.

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.

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!

New from me…

A little personal update today.

I’ve had a little reset. I decided a couple of weeks ago to stop teaching for a bit. When I turned up at 6am to teach a class that I’d checked was on the timetable to discover it actually wasn’t, to be met with a shrug, I decided it was time for a break.

With that I’ve been able to focus more on my own training, right now weights are light but I’m going to have the energy to start to push myself a bit more.

I’ve also had more time to cook and eat better foods. I’ve not really been tracking and I’ve eaten well, still having chocolate and cakes, but also eating proper food and cooking from scratch a lot more.

I’ve not weighed myself so no idea of the impact so far but I feel better in myself. I’ve not found myself craving junk or wanting to eat the contents of my cupboard of an evening. Without checking my weight my clothes feel a little looser.

I feel at a bit of a crossroads with what to do with my fitness next. I don’t want to keep setting restricting challenges but feel like I need to do something new.

Any ideas?

Project 40- Week 24

Honestly, I started 2023 with a number of goals quite clear in my head, and I knew exactly what I needed to do to get them done.

What I didn’t account for is that I would end up being ill almost constantly over the last 3 months. Now don’t get me wrong I’m in the grand scheme of things pretty healthy, there’s nothing terrible or life threatening wrong and I feel a bit of a drama queen at times. Nonetheless I’ve really struggled to get things done. A mixture of not being able to do much cardio due to breathing problems and generally not feeling up to training because of feeling ill and just generally, particularly in the last couple of weeks, just wanting to sleep all the time, has meant that I haven’t been able to train as I planned. Obviously that means I haven’t reached the goals I wanted to by this point in the year.

I’ve had to adjust my expectations on some goals which are related to time specific events and I’ve had to accept that some other goals will just take longer. It’s really frustrating though when you aren’t where you planned to be. I think more so because I know that this is genuinely beyond my control. Had I not done things because I just hadn’t I’d be less annoyed I think, but I feel stuck in a place where I really want to do things and my body is literally saying a very loud no.

Patience is not a virtue of mine but I’m currently trying to be reasonable with myself as to how I view my body and fitness at this moment.

Project 40- Week 22

The cough continues. To be honest it’s probably now the defining part of my personality, what’s Heather like? Oh well she coughs a lot.

Honestly it’s exhausting and I’ve started to try and train a bit more but I feel quit light headed and just have zero cardio capacity.

I’ve been given another steroid spray, some steroid tablets and an inhaler to try and clear whatever is causing it and I’m really hoping it starts to work quickly so I can get a few decent runs in ahead of next month. So far it’s basically made me feel worse but I’m optimistic!

I’m also hungry, like all the time. I think it maybe has something to do with not always being able to taste much, so i juts always want to eat more (and I like eating at the best of times anyway). I’m going to try and be more mindful in April because I feel like dropping a couple of pounds will assist the runs.

Really hopeful that within the month I’ll be ale to get back to moving more without always trying to tackle a cough – i feel like this would be a bigger win than running two half’s in May!

Project 40- Week 21

As we approach the end of the first quarter of the year, which quite frankly feels like it’s flown by, I feel a bit like I’ve massively underachieved.

In terms of training I’m way out from where I planned to be for my goals, in particular the two half marathons I’m doing in May. My goal had been not to just run them but actually enjoy running them, feel comfortable and in a position to push for a time rather than just get round.

As much as I’ve tried to keep on top of training, the never ending cough has just prevented me from running or at least doing so for any extended period of time. Most runs have been a mixture of running and walking (with coughing fits in between).

I’m readjusting my goals for these and looking to get in the best place I can (the cough does seem to be improving a little) and then enjoying them rather than thinking about times. In reality I do then have the second half of the year to then push for more performance based goals once (hopefully) I’m healthier.

Adjusting your expectations and not getting despondent is actually quite difficult. There’s so much out there about sticking to plans no matter what, pushing through, no pain no gain and so on, that sometimes it can feel like defeat to adjust goals to something more manageable.

I think that mind set is why a lot of people give up on new training plans and goals after a while. If it doesn’t work out perfectly straight away you can end up feeling like a failure or guilty and it’s almost easier to say maybe it’s not for me or I can’t so it.

From my point of view though, doing these half marathons will still be an achievement. It will still have positive effects on me (both physically, mentally) and I can always try again over the coming months to hit the milestones in terms of performance I originally wanted to.

For most of us, a not perfect change, is still going to be massively beneficial (albeit not quite as Instagram post worthy) and so sometimes we need to just modify things a bit and keep going.

Project 40- Week 19

My cough has still not gone.

I’ve had a clear X-ray and other things ruled out which is positive, overall I’m pretty healthy. I just. cannot. shift. the. cough.

It’s tiring, i have a constant headache, my ribs hurt, my throat is sore and whilst I know my lunges are clear I feel like I’m drowning and my breathing is terrible.

Starting to get a bit concerned about running the half marathons I’ve signed up for. I’m not running fit and training at the moment feels impossible, I can run for about 5 minutes before I feel breathless so getting any long runs in prior to May is starting to feel doubtful. My aim for these half’s hadn’t been time based but I wanted to get to the start line confident I could get round comfortably and actually enjoy it (as opposed to last May when getting round by any means necessary had been the baseline) and I’m annoyed with myself that I’m not going to get to that point in time because my body is not playing ball.

It’s not just that, I teach classes and at the moment I just can’t do it – I can’t do cardio for myself let alone talk, and think and focus on people and what they are doing at the same time as trying to stand upright whilst exercising.

I’ve got some more steroids to see if that helps shift some of the build up and hopefully make it possible to actually exercise but at the moment I’m just generally feeling sorry for myself, I know exactly what I’d say to a client in my position but self enforced rest is incredibly hard when you’re used to training most days!