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.

Have you ever considered sitting?

Bloganuary writing prompt

What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

View all responses

So, I came on to write a blog post and saw this question and felt compelled to answer.

Now I’d always say something fitness related here. My hobbies tend to revolve around running, the gym, classes. If I’m not there I’d normally say spending time with people. Whether it’s drinks or food or a walk. Or maybe even travelling, in the last year I’ve really caught the bug.

But do you know what I really value now, time with nothing planned. Those days where you aren’t booked up or working through a huge jobs list. Those days where you can just chill, watch rubbish TV, read, nap, essentially just be.

It’s like there’s a stigma to answering the ‘what are you doing this weekend’ with ‘no plans’. Yes, if every weekends like that you’ll get a bit down, but life is pretty full on so the odd ‘nothing’ day isn’t a bad way of spending your time.

When do you train?

Are you more of a night or morning person?

When do you prefer training – morning or night time?

I always preferred mornings, I hate waking up but once you up and moving it feels genuinely great to be done before most people’s alarms have gone off. Knowing you don’t still have to train later is nice if your day gets busy and stressful and it gives you a boxer kind of energy (once you get past the first few weeks when you might experience a mid morning slump!).

But getting up is hard and I have to admit that now I don’t have to to teach I struggle so evening sessions happen more often. They are good for clearing the stress from the day and giving you a chance to shake off anything that’s maybe put you in a bad mood. It eats into your evening though so I’m not totally keen. I’m not really a night owl.

I also really like training at lunch time. I’m lucky I have access to a gym in my building at work, so I can pop down, train and get back up to the office in my lunch break. That breaks up the day and gets me away from my desk, although it’s really hard to get it done when you’re having a busy day and it becomes easy to put it off.

When’s your favourite time to train?

I want you to know

What’s something you believe everyone should know.

If you want to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit.

If you make your diet up of fast food and processed food you might not feel your best, but as long as the calories within in it equates to less than you burn for a consistent period of time you will lose weight.

Weight loss and optimum health aren’t one and the same so you don’t need to stress because you ate a load of chocolate last night, the food in itself isn’t going to detail progress.

3 Wishes

You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?

1) To be 10kg lighter?

So would you actually want this? On face value it would be great, to immediately be the size you would ideally like to be. But, without the process and learning the healthy habits to maintain this new weight how long would you be able to maintain it for? One of the things about losing weight in a sensible managed way is that you learn good habits and that helps you keep the weight off.

2) To not want to eat chocolate and all the good stuff?

If we didn’t love the taste of chocolate or whatever food we crave wouldn’t it be easier to manage out diet? Well yes, but then we’d lose the enjoyment of eating those foods and having the really good deserts when out. What we might gain in one respect would be lost in others.

3) To be able to run fast?

To suddenly be able to run a distance in a great time sounds great. But part of getting to the point where you hit your time goal or get a PB is putting in the work and feeling the sense of achievement when you then hit that goal. Just being able to do it easily might be nice but you’d lose that goal that pushes you to keep improving and try and work past stumbling blocks.

My point? As much as we might think it would be great if we could skip the hard bits of the process when it comes to our diets and fitness and just get to the goal point, very often it’s the process itself that teaches us the habits we need to learn and provides the most satisfaction and sense of achievement. The things we think might make our life easier if they just came naturally might also remove some of the joy from things. As much as I might still be tempted to ask the genie for 3 wishes would it be in my best interest?

When to let go

What principles define how you live?

Know your worth but equally know when it’s worth fighting and when to let go.

Recently I discovered my contribution to a project was being attributed to someone else. Hurt was my initial reaction, then I was pissed off, then I realised that as unfair as it is – I did a lot of the work and not only was that was not acknowledged but someone else took the credit – it actually doesn’t impact me going forward.

I could object, highlight the fact, argue my point but I actually wouldn’t benefit from it beyond feeling I was in the right. It would be different if it impacted on my future or my income but actually it doesn’t.

So really, it’s not worth it. Some things in life are worth standing up for and others worth more for just letting go for your own sanity.

Hard

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

I think the hardest goal I ever set myself was to run a marathon.

Back in 2014 after running my first ever 10km event, which was in itself a massive challenge seeing as a year before I couldn’t run a kilometre, I decided to sign up for a marathon.

That was in May and in October I ran my first ever half before crossing my one and only marathon finishing line in May 2015.

What was harder than the day itself for me was the training. Training for a half is one thing but I don’t think I realised how much time marathon training takes up. It takes over your life a little.

Beyond time, you need to adjust your diet, deal with niggles and injuries and tiredness and generally always feeling emotional.

I think now, I’d only do another one if it was London, like a bucket list one, because for me it takes up so much time and energy you have to really want to do it.

One Thing

What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

The idea behind this is that every day you should always start the day knowing what your one thing is.

That’s not to say that you can’t or won’t do other things but if you know what your ‘absolute must do priority’ is then it gives you a focus to get that thing done.

That way even if you don’t get some stuff you’d have liked to have got done completed you have made progress in the area of your life that was most relevant that day.

Sometimes life gets overwhelming and our to do lists can be never ending. The benefit to adjusting your thinking to this must do, could do, don’t need to do yet type of priority system is that you reduce the overwhelm and makes things a bit clearer as to what you need to do day by day.

4 Things I’ve Learnt

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I couldn’t pick one so here’s four instead:

1) ‘Go grab life’. Last week Nicky Newman, someone I never met but followed on Instagram passed away from stage 4 breast cancer. For 5 years after diagnosis she campaigned for breast cancer treatment and care with this message. None of us know how long we will be around or what will happen in the future and you can’t wait until the right time to try things or go places. Essentially do things that make you happy, big or small.

2) Pay attention to people’s actions not words. It doesn’t really matter if someone says all the right things if what they do doesn’t align with this.

3) You don’t always have to be kind / helpful / nice. This one’s hard because I’ve always tried to be these things, including when people don’t reciprocate, but honestly some people who consistently just behave like idiots do not deserve your energy.

4) Just because they use big words doesn’t mean they know what they’re talking about. OK this is less advice and more something I’ve learnt. Over the years I’ve realised that often all those words and bluster just hides the fact people don’t really know what they’re doing and equally plenty of people who are experts in their field are maybe just a bit rougher round the edges when it comes to communication. Same as in the gym when you first enter the weights room and are intimidated by all the super confident people who seem like experts and as time goes on and you learn correct technique you look at them and think hmmm … your really going to hurt yourself one day!

Gym Energy

What things give you energy?

Before training….

1) Pre Workout – a supplement that boosts your energy and could help you with a more sustained and focused workout. Usually contain caffeine but also ingredients like beta-alanine, creatine, BCAAs, and B vitamins. Costs can vary.

2) Coffee – if you just need a caffeine fix this is a cheaper version of a pre workout and easy to grab wherever you are.

3) Eat two hours before- A mix of carbs and protein a couple of hours before should give you enough energy to feel good for training.

4) A banana with peanut butter – 30 minutes beforehand can give you an energy boost

5) Water – If you’re dehydrated that will contribute to an energy slump.

6) Sleep – Less of a quick fix but being well rested will help your energy levels.