OK, so really this is a few days/a month too early as the year has not ended, but this post is more about getting YOU thinking about the great things you have achieved this year, as it’s very easy to roll one day after the next and only see the things that aren’t going to plan/haven’t worked.
When you spend a minute and look back, you can get a better balance!
Whilst I could go more in depth with things, even if you remember 2 or 3 crucial things that made your year better, then job done! Here are a couple of mine……….
So 2012, for me…..
Started pretty crap for a number of personal reasons, but one main one was my first “real” injury in 38 years, which resulted in surgery to repair a ruptured bicep tendon in November 2011. This meant 4 months of no use/exercise for it. Anyone who has had an injury which causes such a “disturbance” in regular activity levels, will know how strange this is, not just physically, but mentally, and how things play over in your mind.
I put all these plans into place during the rest/rehab stage of how I was going to get back into “functional resistance” training when better, build the arm up better and stronger (6 million dollar man style!) and not take my training for granted as it can sometimes happen. I’ll come back to this shortly…….
The year started great, with the online 19 Day Body programme, where we had LOADS signup, commit, take action, and get some AMAZING results ……in just 19 days! Have a look here! This programme is challenging both physically and mentally, but then for 19days you wouldn’t expect it to be easy right?! We ran this 4 times in total with LOADS taking part, and learning LOT’s about themselves, eating habits, how hard they can actually push themselves, and getting a great body too!
I’m in the middle of editing this plan and relaunching in January 2013 – get ready!
February was my birthday and our family holiday to Jamaica which was great. It’s awesome getting some sunshine in during the darker, colder months and this break was great. While I was there I made use of the air con gym and did a couple of steady weights workouts, and although strength was obviously down, it all felt good! Bring on the return from holiday and the training…..!
Once home I started to plan my workouts….this worked well on paper, but each time I undertook a workout, I don’t know why, but the drive and focus wasn’t there, and often a workout would be 20mins of “not a lot”. I’m saying this as being a Personal Trainer, many people often think we are like machines when it comes to working out, fitting in 6 workouts a week, and smashing them out like clockwork. Nope!! We too can often lack motivation, drive, focus etc as this shows!
Well a few days turned into a few weeks and I was doing sod all! I’d have the plan to workout, but it then either never happened, or like the above, would be 15-20mins or random crap. I think some of it was down to being a lot less stronger than prior to the injury, and frustration of this. Whatever it was, I had now gone about 4 months without working out very much.
This was playing on my mind, and was affecting my energy, mood and mental balance. Something needed to happen.
It’s a real pain in the arse, as I cant remember what it was that sparked me into action, but I found a change in focus and training.
Back in 2006/2007 I did a couple of seasons of Duathlons – Run, Bike and Run, and really enjoyed them. I really don’t know why I stopped, I think I used the excuse of 2nd child and not enough time to focus the training……see, I told you even us Trainers are human!
Anyhow, late March I decided I was gonna go back to Duathlons. If kicking my arse with weights workout’s wasn’t happening, lets try running and biking again!
Back in 2006/7 I wouldn’t think twice about going out and doing a 10k run etc, but that was 5 years ago…..I hadn’t run more than a mile or so in the past year! So I started with a few steady 2-3 mile runs. – Holy crap that hurt! Lungs would burn, breathing rate was up, and legs felt heavy and like lead! This wasn’t how I remember it being!!!
Still, when I’m into something……I’m into it and I slowly kept the running of a few miles, some intervals going.
I then looked on the Wiggle site and booked a Sportive event. These are a great, non competitive bike ride, all around the country, fully marked en route, with food stop offs at intervals. I decided to book one near me, for 66 miles! At the moment, 10 miles was enough!!
Call me statto, but I actually keep a log of all my training runs, rides, with times, distance, heart rates etc. Looking back at my times from 2006/2007 I was a fair way off those figures, so this ride in 8 weeks time was gonna be interesting.
While I was at it, (I told you when I get into something, I get into it!!) I got onto various Triathlon sites and started looking at Duathlon events. I found some and went ahead and booked a number of events in between September and November! The bank account took a whacking, but my theory was, while I’ve got the bug, strike now! If I’ve booked the events I’ll have to train for them.
This turned out to be the best decision I could have made!
Coming into the mid year point, I created a “TribeFit” group on my forum, which was a closed group, providing nutrition plans, recipe books, workouts, articles and an area for people to chat, discuss problems, training, goals etc. This is crucial to stay focussed as out of sight, is out of mind!
June soon came around and I was ready for the Sportive ride. I’d done a few 40mile rides and all was good. They gave a Gold, Silver, Bronze time for anyone looking to challenge themselves. I think Gold was sub 3hours 50. I thought that would be quite a good challenge to take on. (Yeah right…..never having ridden that far to date!) Well, long story short, it was great but challenging and I managed 3hours 38 – so was very pleased with my efforts!
Maybe this bike and run stuff was coming back to me?!!
Training continued through our crap Summer and we had a break to my parents in South France, where it was HOT!
I did a couple of runs there, and although the times weren’t bad (6miles, quite hilly, but VERY hot) I was dead at the end! It was the first real time I’d trained in the heat, as, our Spring, Summer pretty much sucked, as I’m sure you remember?!!
This ended up coming back to bite me on the butt……!!
Back in 2006/2007, I did the London Duathlon around Richmond Park, and really enjoyed it. Being at the end of my season, I was geared up then through the other events and did pretty well, even beating a mate of mine who had completed 2 IronMan triathlons!
Well, this year was a little different! I still don’t know what went wrong, definitely the heat was a factor, and possibly the night before’s meal (errrr Pizza Express as was my daughters 8th birthday party) but you can read what happened here!
Hmmm, thankfully I’d booked another event the week after, so I had little time to sit and cry!!!
Around this last quarter of the year, I shut down my free forum, and moved the WHOLE forum over for exclusive TribeFit use. This was a big move and decision as it was very popular, but I just wanted to provide a better base for those who REALLY wanted to take their health and fitness seriously, and by giving them the whole forum, TribeFit was reborn!
October – and by this time, training was going quite well, and Jodie, my wife who has previously done a couple of short triathlons decided that next year she might do some more. I took this as a great opportunity to pass on my trusty road bike, and upgrade my own!!!! ha ha!! Well, I got myself a new ride, and prepared for my next event
End of October took a great sunny trip to Cyprus with the rest of the family, and made the most of the holiday – no exercise, plenty of food out and alcohol…..hey that’s what holiday’s are for, and don’t let anyone say otherwise!
Back into November and one final duathlon Sunday just gone. It was a short one, 2 mile run, 10 mile bike and 1 mile run, and off the back of the holiday, suffice to say I wasn’t at my peak fitness!!! With an 8am start and plenty of frost still about I set off on a quick paced run. The run went well, as did the bike, and the final run I set off pretty quick. At one point my subconcious mind kicked in and told me to slow down, I was knackered! No way I thoguht! This is the last event of 2012 and psuhed on, including a final burst in the last 100m!
I was really chuffed to finish with some PB’s on this one!
2 miles – 12:47
10 mile bike – 26:42
1 mile run – 6:09
So this year on the exercise front started off crap.
I lacked any direction, motivation and didn’t enjoy what I was doing. However, I re-evaluated, tried something else and found what worked for me. THIS IS what you need to do. PT’s, friends etc can all give advice, but at the end of the day, it’s got to be up to you, as you’re the one who will be implementing the decision and hopefully continuing with it!
After a year off of any resistance training, and throwing myself into running and biking, I’m going to be sitting down over the next month and writing a weekly training plan which will have 2 strength sessions in, alongside my biking and running. Either way, this year, I’m really pleased with how the exercise front has turned out.
On a business side, I’m MORE than happy with how 19 Day Body worked for people, how TribeFit is fitting into peoples lives and look forward to continuing these and improving them for 2013.
PT has continued to go really well, again changing peoples habits and bodies, along with a great change in decor at my gym!
My Bootcamp sessions have continued to grow, and we regularly get 20+ attending each week, and again, results are awesome!
Family life has seen my “young” girls move to 8 and 5 years old, with new schools for both, and they continue to grow physically, grow more beautiful, become funnier, cause more stress, become more intelligent all in one!
Next month is my lovely wife’s birthday, and we’ll be going up to London for the day/night to see the Xmas lights, and go for a lovely meal out a top restaurant.
Christmas will be spent with extended family, and a great time had. The only thing booked so far for 2013, is some Winter Sun in Dubai in February, but I’ll shortly be adding more to the calendar of events, to make sure I have something to aim for, and for something to yet again be further proud of.
When you stop for a moment and assess, there’s plenty to be proud about – don’t judge everything on a day, or week, go BIG picture.
How’s your year, and what have YOU been proud of?