My Fitness Journey

DannyHooper

So a lot has changed for me in the last 6 months even before this worldwide pandemic.
Firstly I resigned from my job after working there for 21 years, that certainly took some guts at last! That’s another story!
I decided to take a little time out and go on a trip to South Africa in hunt of the Great White! 6 weeks and had the most amazing trip, Cape Town, Safari, out on the sea, but no Great Whites shark!
I arrived back into the UK and wasn't too sure on my next move, one things that I did know is that I wanted to make some positive changes, one of those being changes to my health, wellbeing and fitness.
So I started when I arrived back, weighing 89KG and as heavy as I've ever been, I love my food and certainly enjoyed what was on offer in SA. But my challenge to myself is that I wanted to discover my abs!
I was never very well disciplined and I think this was also one of the main drivers in this scheme, to show myself I could be for once, to stick to something that I set out to do over the long-term.
I kicked this off with a challenge, to run 10K every day for 30 days, I'd never done anything like this before, well maybe I'd tried but I hadn't stuck to it! I stuck to the plan, losing a few KG and feeling fitter along with it. I was loving the way I felt and wanted to continue with this progress, so I started to road cycle and run more, pretty much every day, being consistent and disciplined with myself.
Along with this my eating habits changed, I wasn't eating as much of the rubbish I once did, I still had the odd "Treat" but this is what I started to see this as. I wasn't wanting to undo all of the hard work that I had put in already. Not to say I didn't still have the odd bad day with the feeling guilty, but I accepted it and moved on, it wasn't starting again from the start is how I used to see it, just a little blip.
Another thing was my alcohol consumption, drinking high sugar alcoholic drinks was never good for me, since SA I have quit alcohol all together, this wasn't just a weight loss and fitness thing but also a mental thing, this is a different story but this has certainly helped to shed the weight.
I have managed to keep this progress going, being disciplined consistent, which is certainly the crucial part! I still eat the things I like, but in moderation, being more mindful and truthful to myself about what I'm putting in my body, do more exercise, consume less calories, put yourself in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight, its basic math and science, but you have to be honest with yourself.
I’m now at 77KG (1.8 stones lighter), feeling happier and more confident in myself, and this isn't a diet it's a mental shift, it's living a healthier and more active lifestyle, and this has become a big part of my identity, a hidden side to myself.
It's important to surround yourself with positive people, those who can help to elevate and inspire you, in both your personal life and your online feeds, be it Instagram or Facebook, and accept that you are going to have bad days, if you do forgive yourself and move on, everyone goes through this at some time.
I’m not a writer and I have never really put myself out there like this before so I hope that anyone reading this gets something out of this, and good luck :-)