Keeping Fit

Blog 15 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…

For anyone who knows me they will know my life revolves around exercise. In normal circumstances I would train with my guide runner on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Due to social distancing combined with the athletics track and gym being closed this is not possible at the moment. Having my weekly structure disrupted has caused me to slack a little with regards to keeping fit. This week I have only worked out twice. When I do train I relish the adrenaline rush. It’s difficult to understand why my discipline has slipped. I have Fitbit scales and weigh myself every morning without fail. Each day my body weight and fat percentage increase. I’m sure I am not the only one.

I might be lacking my usual motivation, but I ensure as a minimum I get out for my daily exercise. An energetic 2 year old makes sure of that one. Before lockdown I only had 3 block routes that I could walk independently with a Guide Dog with the longest being 50 minutes. Riley soon communicated his boredom by starting to eat sticks and pine cones on our walks. This negative behaviour has encouraged me to learn new routes that are up to 90 minutes in length. Riley is happier with the longer walks, but I know he is missing travelling on public transport, going shopping and spending time in places.

Prior to my partner moving in I had an Orangery built in order to house his home gym. At the time I thought it was ridiculous. Now I am kind of grateful. I have access to a squat rack complete with Olympic bar and plates. There is also a bench and dumbbells. This means I can deadlift, clean, squat and press until my heart’s content. Whilst I am not training as intensely as usual I am still managing to increase the load gradually and creep towards the weights I was able to do before my knee injury.

I suspect one cause of my fat and weight gain is a result of the limited cardio I am able to do at present. I keep debating on buying an exercise bike. Riley walks at a swift pace, but it just isn’t quite enough. Once a week I go to a cricket pitch to do athletics drills and fartlek session. I have been used to running on the rugby and hockey pitches at Loughborough University where the surfaces are totally flat. The cricket pitch is kept in good condition yet being real grass has bumps here and there. It isn’t entirely ideal but it is better than nothing. It is nice to have the opportunity to partake in what I love, sprinting.

We are all living in an odd reality. Everyone has had to adapt. Nobody was prepared. All we can do is make the best of a tricky situation. There will be days that pass us by. I guess we are only human. There will be other days that are filled with productivity. Focus can be lost and found again. We just need to live day by day.

I am taking part in the 2.6 Challenge to help save our UK charities. If you enjoyed my blog post or are feeling generous please consider donating as little as £1 to support my chosen charities: The Norrie Disease Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Look UK, RNIB and Girl Guiding UK. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here

Thank you and stay safe x