I'm eagerly anticipating the winner.
The mouth-watering Goulash soup and brown sugar balsamic glazed pulled pork seems to have done it for me.
Although I could easily be swayed by the chicken and mango risotto...
But before I know it, I'm running late thanks to another gripping episode of Come Dine With Me...
I'm running out the door with my laptop bag, piles of work folders, body composition analysis "stuff", t shirts, kit, coffee...you name it.
And just like the 47% of people surveyed by the British Heart Foundation about how they feel when running for the bus...
I'm out of breath!
But perhaps the most worrying statistics is that 1 in 5 Brits can only manage to run 100m (and I don't mean "running" as in how Usain Bolt would).
Why does this matter?
Well, if you're out of breath after jogging 100m, what else is this stopping you from doing?
- Have the energy to play with your kids?
- Perform in your job?
- Be productive with your time?
- Perform everyday tasks with ease, like shopping and carrying bags?
And the ability to do this stuff is taken-for-granted.
Just like our health is.
It's often swept under the carpet until that ONE moment that makes you STOP and THINK.
- You're tired all of the time
- Can't sleep
- Realise your clothes don't fit as well as they used to
- Catch yourself in the mirror holding a bit more fat around the stomach that you thought (me last week...)
- See an unflattering picture of yourself and compare it to how you looked before
- Start comparing yourself to your friends and family
- Out of breath when moving the washing machine. <<< which I'll go on to explain now...
Do you think you could move your washing machine over and over again keeping your stomach strong, back straight, and without pulling a muscle?
I asked this question to my client, Heather, who replied with a confused "I don't know"...
Even though she had just deadlifted 60 kg <<< the equivalent to...
A washing machine!
What I'm leading up to is this:
Health and fitness means something different for everyone.
Be it free from disease, getting a flat stomach, enjoying social events, feeling confident in your favourite clothes...or lifting a washing machine.
But I think we can all agree that having more energy to do everyday tasks and being more productive can have a MASSIVE positive impact on our lives.
And exercise and nutrition CAN help us achieve this.
Whether it's optimising our diet and food choices to help us recover, get better sleep, perform better in our exercise, and lose weight.
OR
By trying new types of exercise that we didn't know we'd enjoy that improve our fitness and everyday strength!
So, whether you like running, cycling, walking, lifting weights, or moving washing machines...
Do what you enjoy.
And make it a habit.
Once you get these "small wins" you can THEN start to compromise and try new things.
This way, you're adapting your exercise and nutrition programme for you, your preferences, and your lifestyle.
^^^ Which almost certainly guarantees you'll stick to it once and for all so you "stop stopping"...
Wow! That was a ramble but hopefully there's a message somewhere in there (if you look hard enough) that you find helpful...
Even if it's that you need to see if you can move your washing machine and restrain yourself from watch one of them gripping Come Dine With Me episodes all the way through even if it makes you late...
Speak soon,
Matt