Blending strength, flexibility and recovery.


I'm not just a personal fitness and class fitness trainer, I practice what I preach, because I love to exercise, I believe that is why I am successful with my clients, because I really believe in what I do.

Over the years as I have gained more knowledge and experience, aged and noticed the differences in my body and results, I have changed the way that I train. Not drastically, because I was always very much 'by the book' anyway, but I have added in the things that will aid me to recover quicker, will improve my results and also enable me to be even better than I was before.

As a runner, some would say I was addicted to running, I would say that too, but for a prolonged period of time that was my main focus, particularly when I stopped kickboxing competitions, I wasn't so worried about my flexibility and running completely ruins that. So, thinking about this, RUNNNING RUINS YOUR FLEXIBILITY! How can running solely be good for your body? Well, the fact is, it can't.

I have always been a believer in cross-training (Not to be confused with cross-fit I am not a believer in that) doing more than just one discipline, even as a runner I still did resistance training and HIIT. But what I didn't do is the exercise to aid recovery.

This was me.......'YOGA! That's for girls! I hate yoga!' Oh yes, I actually said this years ago when I was young and stupid. I was just not open to any form of body movement except that which I deemed hardcore.

And then I tried yoga, and I found it so difficult that I slated it even more. I got beaten by body movement and my ego could not cope with it, that's the truth of it. 

LIFE moved on, I got into a better head space, I had learned that if I pushed my body too much I would get injured, then I couldn't exercise. I stopped running for a year to get my 3rd dan because you can't kick people in the head and run a lot due to above mentioned flexibility issues. I trained 5 daus a week at kickboxing and stretched every day. I didn't get injured, I stayed fit, my muscles lengthened and I became stronger.

ALL of these lessons coming at me, and then I got injured again recently, a suspected torn meniscus. I retired from marathon running, primarily because of the risk on your heart after years of endurance events, but also because I have nothing to prove anymore. 

I now run once a week. It's enough. I do it off road in great expensive shoes and I get my little kick out of it, a little off the lead scenery adventure.

And then I started doing more and more yoga and stretching which I found hard, but I persisted, felt better, and then finally got the yoga bug! 

I am currently doing a 30-day yoga challenge for the charity 'MIND' and I think I will continue with daily yoga practice even after the challenge is over. 

So, how do I now keep fit and healthy? Knowing what I have learned over the years.

Running once a week off road.

Mini trampoline twice a week, low impact cardio.

Kickboxing workouts in my gym twice a week.

Resistance workouts twice a week.

Yoga every day, even for just 10 minutes.

Low impact aerobics (the class that I take)

HIIT once a week (Insanity Max 30)

THIS has 'ALL THE THINGS' I need to be fit, strong, flexible and uninjured. This is my plan for life.


What have you learned over the years about yourself, your work and your hobbies? 

Have you changed the way you do things?
 

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