Having started running in 2013 to try and help me with some issues I was having with my mental health, I ended up with an injury and enforced break in 2014. In May of that year I kicked out my then-partner of 12 years and started doing basic HIIT routines at home. I lost a little bit of weight and got bitten by the fitness bug, but failed to take it further.
Then, in April 2016 after a period of bad life luck, I lost my oldest cat unexpectedly. Feeling bereft I spent three days sat in my pants weeping. By the end of day 3 I decided to pull myself together, to be strong. Mentally I was a wreck, so knew that I would have to be physically strong instead. I called a local free weights gym and went over for an induction session.
As of 2024, I have run several marathons, I'm a national medal winner for patterns (tul) in ITF taekwon-do, I strength train at least 3 days a week and I’ve competed in a handful of powerlifting competitions.
In addition to these regular sports, I have spent time learning to pole dance, play netball and generally move as much as possible. As an unexpected side effect my mental health is better than it’s ever been and I’m well equipped to deal with everything life throws at me. Never underestimate the power of strong!
After ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ about running for charity (in light of my crazy decision to run Edinburgh Marathon this May) I’d decided that I wouldn’t. The pressure of raising money for a good cause on top of the dedication to training for several hours a week, not to mention all the regular work / kids… read full entry »
I had the misfortune of falling ill with the flu just after Christmas. Bed-bound with a hacking cough, snot, sore throat, raging fever giving me hallucinations, shivers and full body aches: you name it, I felt it. However, I’d anticipated that once the core symptoms had disappeared I’d be back in the gym or pounding… read full entry »
Today officially marks the start of training for my first marathon in Edinburgh at the end of May 2019. I’ve entered a marathon before, and predictably had to pull out after zero training, which basically sums up my running ‘career’. I have historically failed to train for any race, winging it on the day. I… read full entry »
After having taken part in the BTF British Taekwon-Do Championships in June of this year, I wasn’t sure if I’d compete again despite coming away with a bronze medal for patterns (Yul-Gok tul). Despite enjoying my twice weekly taekwon-do lessons, I found the experience of competing quite overwhelming; putting myself out there caused my anxiety… read full entry »
I haven’t been feeling great this week. Nothing physical, it’s all in my head; although knowing that rarely makes it any easier. I’ve just ended a bad cycle (menstrual, not bike) and my mental health was in the toilet on Monday. I skipped the gym, I avoided responsibilities, I ate my weight in chocolate and… read full entry »
Content warnings: sexual abuse, eating disorders, loss during pregnancy I wanted to create a witty or poignant title for this post, but nothing I came up with seemed adequate. So here we have it: Food. For many of us, our relationships with food are complicated. From birth what we put in our mouth is mired… read full entry »
I generally consume at least 150g protein per day, as per the maintenance macros on my diet template. That can mean a lot of chicken if I’m feeling lazy. However, variety is the spice of life, so I try and break it up with other high protein foods. Here are 5 ‘high protein’ labelled foods… read full entry »
“What?!” I hear you exclaim. “Of course you should exercise if you want to lose weight!” Bzzzt, wrong. Here are ten reasons why you shouldn’t exercise for weight loss (and what you should do instead): Exercising for weight loss turns it into a chore By choosing exercise purely as a means to reach a weight… read full entry »
I often find myself getting nervous before races, even courses I’ve run before, including at distances as short as 5km and 10km. However, you can imagine my surprise (and annoyance) when the week before my Storm the Fort endurance festival half marathon I started getting MEGA NERVES. I put the nerves down to feeling under the… read full entry »
The shops are full of mince pies and Christmas sweets and have been since early September. I project outraged feelings of “commercialist nightmare!” and “Christmas should be celebrated in December!”, but the reality is I’ve been thinking about what to ask Santa for since about May. So, what am I going to be grovelling for… read full entry »