Beginning a new fitness journey

The plan was very simple, nothing too excessive, something achievable considering my general fitness had been in decline for some time.

This simple plan included early morning workouts using the Freeletics App and a 5k run every day with a 'T' in it! My "T for Training" routine as I call it.

The idea being that my workouts would gradually build as my fitness improved while my 5k runs would remain the same distance, but using the Nike Run Club App to chart how/if my pace was improving.

Things certainly started out as planned, I began with a full body workout on the App to build general fitness (before focusing on upper/lower/core strength) and the first 5k run went pretty well, considering the temperature was minus figures with steady snow fall. Admittedly, it wasn't a great pace, and I didn't run the whole distance, but the fact that I got out there and did it is an achievement in itself.

I've never been a morning person, definitely more of a night owl. Trying to be both is utterly exhausting, but I was managing it for a little while. In truth, I wasn't really pushing myself too hard on the workouts, doing just enough to get the heart rate up. Meanwhile, the runs were going really well, my second 5k absolutely smashed the first and unlocked several achievements on the NRC app. Confidence was building just as much as the fitness levels. Or at least it was for the first 2 weeks, then it all fell apart.

When you already have a bad sleep pattern, it only takes a little something to throw everything off balance, and that little thing was my one year-old daughter. We had only recently begun to enjoy peaceful nights after a very bad first 9 months, which resulted in a tough period of sleep training, but ultimately it worked and improved all of our lives considerably.

Then, following her jabs a couple of weeks ago, she develops her first ever full-blown cold! As you might imagine, a one year-old plus the symptoms of a cold does not equal fun times!

Late nights, early mornings, a lot of broken sleep in between, all those things blurring together aren't very conducive to a good training regime. Before you know it, you're the only one in the household that doesn't have a cold, meaning you get even less sleep.

Now, this could be seen as a cop out, that I don't really want to do it. But the thing is, I do want to do it, I just don't need to do it. I have a pretty positive body image and know that even though I'd like to improve my fitness, I'm OK with how it is.

I also have this magical thing called "perspective" . I know that in the grand scheme of things, whether I do it this month or next, it doesn't make a great deal of difference. As long as its making a positive difference for myself, and it isn't adversely affecting those around me, it's all good!

It's very similar to the way that we work with our clients. Yes, we'll look deep into the finer details of a project but we never lose sight of the bigger picture, ensuring the best, most suitable outcome for all.

Now, we're starting a fresh new month and it's back to my 'Days with T for Training' routine in my bid to "Get fit in Feb" … or March, or 2021… whichever works best in the long run. Always in it for the long run, or 5k at the very least!