Some mornings I wake up and I’m not immediately bouncing and ready to work out. I have to pull on that inner grit and determination I’ve developed over the years. I am not a person who will easily give up on things. I don’t like to admit defeat and I am highly driven when it comes to pushing myself to do better and better.
Over the past three years, this has translated itself into my own physical fitness and my wish to keep this body going for as long as I can.
Today I looked at my phone tracker and it displayed my Cardio Fitness. My average level is apparently ‘Excellent’. I am happy with that. However, I totally realise that it will only continue to be at that level, as long as I continue with all I am doing to keep it that way.
I have learned that any fitness journey, indeed any lifestyle journey, is only as successful as the determination and effort you are willing to put into it.
During the first lock down, I was really struggling with injury after injury, it was all related and all being exacerbated by my insistence in training in just the same way.
Eventually, though, I had to, not admit defeat, but admit that I needed help in finding a way to strengthen my body in a different way. I spent months undertaking hard hitting rehabilitation workouts, under the supervision of a sports therapist, to strengthen my core, my hips and my shoulders.
Over time I learned how to do press ups more efficiently, using narrow arms to strengthen my triceps and shoulders.
I mastered side planks to help strengthen my core, even getting to the stage of raising one leg as I did them.
Then came the dreaded yoga exercise ball. I have to admit that I developed a real love-hate relationship with that ball over the summer of 2020. Initially, I fell off it as often as I balanced on it, and often found myself either in fits of laughter, or in tears of sheer frustration. Eventually, however, I did actually master some of the moves I was being asked to do – learning how to pull the ball in with my feet, working my abs as I did so, and how to balance my feet on it in a plank, and then lift one and then the other arm from the ground. Phew!
For months I worked hard to heal my injuries and strengthen my muscles. But then came the autumn and following a horrible encounter with Shingles, I found the rehab plans long and gruelling and I felt my motivation waning.
As we went into yet another lockdown, I knew I needed to do something different. I wasn’t going to give up on my fitness, that wasn’t an option, but I needed a new approach. After much deliberation, I made the decision to sign up to the Joe Wick’s new fitness App.
The App includes planned workouts at different levels, live workouts and meal plans, it includes Joe being there, on the TV in my living room, on a daily basis, encouraging and constantly reminding me of good form and how to prevent injury. I knew my levels of strength and overall fitness were good again, so I decided to push myself as far as I could ~ I signed up to the Advanced Plan!
It’s tough! It’s challenging! And it’s fun! It is keeping me going!
The way I see it, we only have this one body and it’s ours to keep strong in which ever way is best for us.
The important thing is that we are determined to do something consistently, even when it seems hard, and if it’s not working, don’t give up, make a change.
