A friend asked me recently how I stay motivated to eat healthily and exercise on a regular basis, I simply replied that "I'm lucky!" I'm lucky because I realised many years ago that I have two versions of myself. I know which one I want to be and being consistent with these habits ensures that's the case.
Today we want to give a huge shout out to our Fitter 365 member Vicki Agnew. If you picked up the latest copy of Women's Running mag you may have seen her smiling face beaming back at you from the front cover, we want to share a bit about her pretty inspirational journey as we know others will relate to her story. Congratulations Vicki, you're a real inspiration and we're delighted to have you as a member. Over to Vicki..
In my last blog I wrote about the highs and lows of running a half marathon (check it out here). As much as I had a fantastic time and feel proud of what I achieved, I also made some big blunders by not sleeping enough, not eating properly and ignoring some niggling injuries. I firmly believe I'd never have made it to the starting line had I not implemented some really cool stuff prior to the race that made me a stronger runner. Here I share five things that supported my running goals.
At the same time all the Facebook updates appeared last month about winning or losing out on a space in the London marathon I was greeted with a Facebook memory about completing my Royal Parks Half Marathon. I never made it to running a marathon as the experience left me with a pair of knackered knees and some of other health issues that stopped me from running for a couple of years. I consider it a blessing now as I dread to think where I’d be if my body had allowed me to run a marathon, I often joke with Matt that I simply can't be trusted once those trainers are on.
I’m a member of a group on Facebook called Did You Run Today? (DYRT) As the name suggests it’s full of enthusiastic runners who share their running stories, log their routes and ‘got soaked in the rain’ photos. It’s nice to see the support given to beginners just starting out confused about footwear or tracking devices as the old timers dive in with lots of helpful tips and advice. There’s families running together and even the dogs are getting involved. The group has a fantastic energy and super friendly atmosphere that serves to motivate and support it’s members on their running journey, but what if you didn’t run today?
When was the last time you shaved 3 minutes off your 5k run time? Are you adding weights to your barbell every week? Is your recovery improving enough to allow shorter rest in your interval training? An effective training programme should get you faster, stronger and fitter. You should see and feel results.