Taking a break to go away on holiday is always a welcome treat. Away from requirements to work, cook, clean, tidy, and many of the grown-up responsibilities that take up time day to day. The challenge on a break is to try not to have a break from everything.
I had 2 holidays in June, each of which was a week long, with a normal working week separating them. My intention was to work out as usual during the first holiday, and work out a little during the second one. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t manage to meet either plan, and instead did 2 workouts on the first holiday and none on the second. Routine and discipline are certainly easier in your usual day to day life and surroundings. However, the good news is that on the first trip, I didn’t put on any weight at all, and the second provided a very small increase, which was less than I expected.
Since the holidays, I’ve been back onto my workout plan, though I have added some variation into my workouts in the last month. I still do the weights workout as before, but have included some additional moves in my routine. Magazines and online browsing have provided new workouts to try, and some have felt particularly good and therefore have become a permanent feature in my exercise. In addition, I have also been doing a new workout as part of my rotation. It consists of 20 minutes hard work on the stationary bike, and then 10 minutes of kettlebell swings, with 10 swings per minute, then the remainder of the minute to rest. This exercise routine has also felt like a welcome addition to what I do, bringing a little more HIIT exercise to my schedule, and also feeling like it’s conditioning my body by burning fat and also working the core muscles.
This journey so far has brought a lot of satisfaction, along with challenges. I have made it to 13.5 stone (189lbs), which I’m happy with. Certainly more body fat to lose, and therefore more weight will fall off. I don’t have a target for my weight, so will see where I end up over time. With the satisfaction of making progress has come the desire to share what I have learnt, how easy yet challenging the journey is, and how anybody can make a change with a few small adjustments and a bit of commitment. This desire to share resulted in this series of posts on my website, but has now moved me onto new pursuits. After thoughts over the last few months, some research, and support from my wife, I have taken up a course to become a certified Personal Trainer, with the plan to undertake it as the next step in my career path. The journey to certification will be a challenge, and no doubt the work after I have the certificate will be harder still, but this is the right way to steer life to find further fulfillment.
Future updates will now include not only a view on my progress on my own fitness journey, but also on my education.
