A Year Of Challenges

Here we go ……….on day 1 of 365 Days to Strength

I am aware I am not consistent with strength training YET it is so important – and especially for those later years of life which I am in. I will post about benefits of strength training in another blog post.

I know that consistently eating well and exercising – even minimal exercise – makes me feel AMAZING and on top of the world.

I have dipped in and out of strength work – so now I need to properly be consistent with it. At least 2 times a week.

It’s great to have a goal  to aim for so my goals for this challenge are:

• To do a full press up as I have only ever been able to do a box one – and even then I don’t fully get my chest to the floor.
• To be able to easily squat to the floor – and get back up lol
• To get up from the floor easily as I struggle – I cannot even get up by resting one hand on a bended knee like many do as just don’t have strength. I don’t think it my legs that are the problem as only earlier this year a PT I saw for a couple of times was quite surprised how strong my legs were – I think its my core, upper body and general flexibility
• To (maybe) do a Spartan next year (really lol – but I am kind of drawn to doing one)

It is the day to day consistency of a healthy lifestyle that improves overall and ongoing wellbeing and longevity. Of course there may be days when things “slip” but it’s about not staying in that place – don’t unpack your bag and stay there Eileen.

I am back “on it”

• Planning my food
• Planning my fitness/training
• Planning my rest time – equally important

I KNOW consistency and following a plan works because

• On 12 Sept 2021 I did my 10k charity run in Brighton and felt AMAZING. When that ended I felt like I could conquer the world. I felt I could literally achieve anything.
• It was a few weeks before that I did the Battersea 10k run – I will be doing a video about that experience!  –
• A few weeks before Battersea I was in Brighton on a short break and tested myself and did a 10k run then – so I did 3 10k runs in 3 months! I’m amazed I managed it BUT I did loads of training even on days I didn’t want to
• Following Brighton 10k I thought I would do a 10k in Battersea Park – just for fun you know lol – and while running I wondered if I could push it to 11k. My thoughts were if I could do 10k then surely I could push onto 11k. And I did – but it wasn’t easy – so that was 3 10k runs PLUS an 11k run in 4 months!!!! From not long before that doing ZERO running

This is me just at the finish line of the 10k charity run in Brighton – I was VERY happy to see the finish line

Brighton Marathon April 2023

I decided recently I needed a running goal – so decided I would do the Brighton Marathon in April 2023, and again in memory of my sister Kathy, who died of pancreatic cancer in May 2013. She was just 56 years of age. I am starting a 30 week training programme in late July/early August so that should give me the consistency and time needed to improve on running. I am a slow runner but that doesn’t bother me. I am moving and pushing myself and that what matters to me.

I am not even sure I am capable of doing a marathon – but this training will show if I can do it. My thoughts around this were……..do the training and see how it goes. It might be that I get to a certain mileage and not able to do more. And that will be fine. Whatever I get to will be more than I am at now. So its improvement. I could of course get through the training and that is where my focus will be.

Improving week on week.

Strength training and running go well together so a good combo.

Here’s my reminder to myself about consistency – as I started off with couch to 5k and wasn’t sure I could even do that!

Don’t doubt – just follow the plan

 

What are YOUR plans/goals for the coming year.

Don’t wait until January 1st – start today. 

Chat soon, Eileen

Did you know…….

• I have a monthly newsletter you can sign up for. Just go to the Home page here, scroll down and you can sign up there
• I have a Facebook Page – Living Well Ageing Well – where I am often doing Lives and will be doing some after training runs. I also do follow along facial massage there too. You can follow me on Living Well Ageing Well – just go to that page and click the follow
• I am on Instagram 
• My Tropic Skincare shop can be found here – and please contact me with any skincare issues (regardless if you are using Tropic or not)