Returning to the Gym - Beach body ambitions

Booking a holiday. It all sounds so idyllic. The sunnier climes, the salvation of the swimming pool following hours in 30+ degree heat, a chance to go on a summer clothing spending spree, the relaxation of sitting pool side reading books, and our guilty pleasure of playing as much crazy golf as possible.

What perhaps isn't contemplated with great detail is the preparation required to get ready for that holiday. It has already been a month since booking our 2018 summer holiday, and I can honestly say that I haven't done a single thing to get myself some of those bulging triceps, a set of calves that don't belong on a poorly fed chicken or a six pack that doesn't belong in the fridge. If only it was easy as picking these items off the shelf in the local supermarket.

Even as this is being written, I have postponed intentions to visit the gym this evening and taken to writing this post instead, whilst my Fiancé is in the kitchen doing a home workout to kick start her fitness regime.

The truth of it is, I envy the men and women who frequent the gym multiple times a week in their quest to have the bodies that belong on the cover of fitness magazines. I have in the past had a consistent level of sport and gym in my life that provided me with a body and feeling that I was happy with, albeit not one that anyone would of been particularly envious of.

I find it all too easy to come up with the excuses. I leave the house by 7am, not often home until 18.30 / 19.00 then cooking upon my return home. The weekends tend to fill up with visiting places, writing content and taking pictures for my blog, considering the dark nights make it difficult to take any good photos in the week. Since making the move to Nottingham, I am now an hour away from where I used to play football so that has become difficult to fit in too, especially as sometimes the opposition wouldn't turn up and driving all that way for nothing became too much of a pain.

What is even more laughable is that the gym that I pay a monthly amount to and haven't visit in 6 months is precisely 1.5 miles away.

So I am going to make a conscious change. In my day to day work, once a meeting has been booked in my diary it has to stay there and I commit to it -  this is the mentality I need to apply to my gym visits.

In truth I love sport. I am extremely competitive and that gets me going. Lifting weights and being stationary doesn't - so over the coming months I am determined to try new things such as yoga, find a local 6 a side football team (maybe a veterans team now I have turned 30)

Cutting out the bad foods and being more nutritionally conscious, I can cook really well and love healthy food, turning down chocolate (though will be a whole other challenge I am not quite willing to take on yet.) So my Nutri Bullet will be dusted off, after purchasing some of the great ranges from Aldi, such as the smoothie mixes, protein powders & ingredients to create my own snack bars to stave off those naughty cravings.

So over the coming months, I will document my efforts with the hope that by July / August I will have created and kept to a routine that I can enjoy a fully reap the rewards of. Watch this space.