Accountability isn't to anyone else apart from yourself.

Sometimes, we get people that come to us and say that they want me to hold them to account. But if you can't be accountable to the person that looks back at you in the mirror, then being accountable to me isn't going to work. I think it's important to understand, like I have said before, that you have to take control of your own life.

My daily habits dictate my energy levels, my organisation dictates my daily habits, my structure dictates my organisation.

In the last blog, I talked about thinking where you want to be at the end of summer?

I think this is very important because we should all have long term and short term goals and aspirations for our health and fitness targets.

Simply, if you don't you'll be probably putting in half an effort, half commitment and realistically likely to get nowhere.

Instead have a long term goal with short term aspirations, knowing that with consistent daily habits you will be able to achieve these short term aspirations and build toward your long term goal or “your why ''.

This is a time that we all will likely have down time, time off and enjoy social activities. I think it's important to understand where you are in the year, to reflect and acknowledge what you need over the next few weeks. Is it time to take a step off the gas with your training and use this time to rest and recover both physically and mentally? Or do you need to keep going because you’ve had a busy time this year?

My answer to this question is always to think where do you want to be in 6 weeks. Do you want to come out the other end of the summer refreshed and ready for the rest of the year or are you “starting again” come the end of August?

Generally, when we feel fatigued, tired, have over consumed on calories or been off training, it's not easy to simply “break the cycle”. For some it might be, but others it may feel like starting again and the journey feeling difficult to overcome. But this is why your daily habits come into play as non-negotiables.

We can all get derailed with summer, the better weather, BBQs, beers in the garden, this happens and is normal for it to happen.

But don't let it impact your training. Plan around that. If you work Monday - Friday and want a pint on a Friday night, then get your sessions in at the start of the week when there are less distractions. Prioritise these session knowing fine well you’ll likely want to overindulge at the weekend.

I am looking forward to a trip to Germany to sample the atmosphere of Euro 2024. But how can I, and you stay on top of things when we are on holiday?

Don't wait for a trip to the Doctors and a dodgy blood test to start making changes to your lifestyle. The risk if you do is that by then it might be really hard, or impossible to make a difference.

My why is to live as long a life as possible but make sure that when I am living that life I can do things that allow me to live my life to the fullest. To be full of energy, to get the best out of the quality years that I want. To be able to run after grandchildren, to be able to climb Ben Nevis or do any physical activity that I choose, to be a leader in my life, serve myself first and then serve others to the best of my ability.

I have never looked at food as fuel, and never will, but I recognised that by improving the quality of my food that in turn my goals were easier to achieve. I am much more mindful of what I am consuming and how that affects me.

I am a prime example of someone that is injured but not in pain. That for me is one of the biggest wins when it comes to exercise, getting stronger and improving my health.

From the first lockdown live to now, the difference in my health, my mind and body has been incredible. When we reopened after lockdown my absolute priority was to keep training. I knew I couldn't go back to the old ways.

But what you have to do is enjoy what you are doing. The process. Believe in it first and foremost, and commit to it. But if you don't enjoy it, the chances are that at the first hurdle or lack of motivation there’s a risk that some will potentially give up on their journey.

Training volume and commitment to exercise for a specific goal like HYROX is important. But what did I do next?

In this blog I share the training programme I went through to get ready for the HYROX event I completed in March 2024.

On Sunday March 4th, I competed The Hyrox Challenge at The Hydro in Glasgow.

We’ve got you covered.

Vegetables are a critical part of your exercise journey.

Mother nature’s remedy.