Training is awesome in the favorable months, when the weather is suitable for you. The winter can be quite difficult though if you’re not prepared.
My first winter was tough as because I was busy with other things I didn’t give much thought to the kind of gear I’d need.  Then I got a cold and felt pretty awful.  More so because I felt this could have been prevented if I’d have taken some basic steps…so I took to the stores and got myself the proper clothing.  This was easier than choosing the right footwear as I felt there was a real good stock of different items that made sense in what they were offering.
So I invested in some more expensive items and also tried out some cheaper ones…giving me some choice with what I had and also for me to rotate whilst getting some things laundered.
I’ve also found that allowing time for proper warm ups and cooling down to be important – especially if running outside and coming from and returning to, a warm apartment.
Also I’ve found out the hard way that surfaces can be more slippery than they first look!

Vacations are my weak spot when it comes to training.  Not that I want to just stop completely when I’m away…but my focus gets taken with where I am and those around me and my good intentions can get a little lost.  Learning this was important.  Nathan a guy I’d been training with for a short time, mentioned he was planning a vacation soon.
So we spoke about how much time off should you allow yourself when you’re away.  We realized that with a little discipline and forward planning you can fit in both quite easily.  A little forward planning could allow you to combine some sightseeing with a rigorous walk, for instance…if the route and terrain were carefully researched before.
Swimming could be added to the plan quite easily – thereby allowing you to share your time with family and friends whilst not giving up on your goals.  Maybe planning a group sport for those with you could give you another chance to add some extra training time in.  In that way you too are also getting a break from your normal routine, without giving up altogether, going backwards and feeling more guilty. What’s more you may introduce yourself and those with you to another form of exercise that you could all continue when you return. Happy Days!

My feet are something I never really gave much thought to before.  But after really hurting a nail (not very pleasant to mention I know) and seeing how much it hurt like hell…let’s just say I took a swift look at the kind of running shoes I was going to pick from now on.
Again I was back to the gym situation – so much to choose from and yet how to know which would be best?
The shop assistants really vary in the kind of advice they want to give.  Some places you can tell, just want to steer you towards the most expensive ones…yet when you ask about the differences are pretty lame with coming up with reasons as to why you should add the extra bucks.
I was getting pretty fed up to be honest with it all…especially as I usually just like to go and buy just what I need and get out of the place.
Yet it was in one of the stores….that I spoke to a guy who really knew his stuff and wanted to help.  He focused on giving me tips like…looking out for the type of terrain you would be training on…what kind of impact you’d been putting on the shoe…your frame / weight, etc….and how durable you’d need the shoes to be.  I guess all basic stuff.   Yet when you select your running shoes with this in mind…and go through what you don’t want…(instead of assistants just focusing on why you need this and that) you can really narrow it down…and get something that is great for you. I’ve been really happy with all my purchases to date when using this basic way of narrowing my searches down.

Choosing a personal training instructor was a decision I made after having an injury on my leg……funny enough the injury was not fitness related and not really serious – yet impacted on my training.  Should I want it I had a ready-made excuse to cut back on my regime.  The pain was quite intense and I’d been told to rest. It was weird though.  Being told to rest made me want to move about more.  The more my leg ached..the more I wanted it to get it fixed quickly and get back training. I wanted to build back its strength and not go backwards after all my hard work.
So I got myself a trainer – Dan Huntingdon to help me with this.  The moment I spoke to Dan I knew he got it straight away.  Training with him was hard and fun all at the same time.  He got me doing small things at first and seemed to get where I was at.  I found this really helpful – not only as I’d hurt my leg, but also because after training for a while I wanted  to get a view on how I was doing.  Dan’s matter of fact style really worked for me.  Not easy to take sometimes – but I gained a lot from him.  As my injury and the pain started to subside I knew that this was something that I wanted to continue with and I did.  Having a trainer run alongside you – makes you up your game for sure.  Having new ways of approaching your training and getting the results is pretty addictive.  Even if you only want to hire their help for certain times….maybe an upcoming marathon…or if you’ve got a little bored…or maybe an injury….I think it’s really worth it.  Dan Huntingdon you are a inspiration and really helped me get over something fast that could possibly have put me back to square one again.

Supplements are something you will see around in all kind of places….even the health food stores have them….which makes you think then, that they must be good.

I was listening to the radio in the car one day and they were saying  that even young kids at school now think about taking supplements to boost their performance.

I guess if  I was  truthful when I was at High School  I would’ve thought about taking them to beat Brandon Dale who was just the best at any sport he tried.  He won everything!   Possibly peer envy would then have made me look at something that may have given me an extra edge.  I don’t know…but I can understand why people find them attractive…..a quick fix is always alluring.

So I asked about and found out that even the ones in the health stores have additives in…and whilst I was really drawn to what they said on the cover….I couldn’t really ignore that.

I’m still finding out more about them.  Yet I thought to myself how much did I want to achieve my goals?….how much was it about doing it?…. and how much was about doing it fast?

I had to really think to myself that if this is something I wanted to do for the rest of my life then maybe I needed to stop focusing on the fast.  I made the focused decision to slow things down and do it the (maybe) harder way.

Sure I wanted the results and I felt I was on the right track…so I was going to keep the bottles and powders away from me.

Even if I did come across Brandon Dale in my gym again (haha…).  Here’s hoping you’re at another one!

Eating well is a key to getting what you want from your training.  I always eat healthily…as I just enjoy that kind of food….fatty, fried food has never been for me.  Still I was getting pretty tired and achy after some of my intense sessions and I realized I needed to fix my diet too.  It was during a training session that I happened to mention this and ended up getting some great advice from a guy at the gym, Joseph Kynan Anthony who’d been training for quite a number of years.  In fact he said he started training back on 01-02-1977, and pretty much hasn’t missed a day of training since.

So far I’d been thinking I’d been doing right…but had to admit I thought I could do better and some advice would be beneficial.  I think guys never really like to directly ask for advice, but this time I was glad I did.  So here we are…some of the tips that had been serving him well for many years. Firstly pay attention to fats!  They’re something I think I was most guilty of ignoring when I started.  However there are a mixture of good and bad fats and I learned that I needed to eat more of basic foods with fats – butter, eggs, cheese and nuts.
Also that getting enough protein regularly in the day…every few hours even…would help the muscles recover and in that way I would feel less tired.  After all, he said training is as much about what you eat, as what you do.
Simple sugars though he said, were bad news and processed carbs also needed to be avoided as they create more work for the body to break down.  Water is so very important – before, during and after your training are a must as it helps the body recover faster.  I know I did the last two, but usually paid less attention to before training.  I seemed to have more stamina when I made sure I’d prepared my body better for training.  I’ll give you some more diet tips a little latter on.. ( maybe even share some of my preferred pre-training meals with you!)…just to get you started though…focus on these words of wisdom and you won’t go far wrong.  Thanks Joseph Kynan Anthony for the great advice!

Choosing a gym is quite hard.  I found it difficult to choose from the different places that I went to see.
I soon realized that the more places I was going to see the more confused I was getting.
It is sometimes hard for men to join their peers again at first – especially to start at something from almost scratch.
Still in the end I went to a small place a guy I was chatting to mentioned.  Thanks Daniel Jeffers for your tips!
It was just the right balance between being friendly and giving you enough personal space to train quietly.
Still, I also found that I had to really force myself to stick to my schedule in amongst my different priorities.
At first it was easier. I was really looking forward to going and I guess I pushed myself too hard at that time.
Settling down to a routine and building up gradually was more of a push for me.
I have to admit I missed some sessions in this time.  Then I ended up feeling bad for not going.
So that was something I had to kick my own ass about and get myself sorted.
In time I learned that maybe at first doing too much had made me more tired than I realized.
That by settling into a routine and doing just what was planned for me in the time was better.
I could just turn up, do my work and leave knowing that I was building up to where I wanted to be.
What’s more in that time I relaxed more, ate better and probably rested more and what do you know… this is the time I gained the best results.
Which then made me want to go more and more.
Funny how it goes isn’t it?
Maybe that’s the same for all of us.
I think us guys especially are maybe more impatient at wanting to see fast results – especially when comparing yourself to others around you.  I found I’ve
done best by plotting my achievements over time and letting that drive me more.

I was always interested in fitness growing up.  I kind of picked it up and dropped it depending on what other things were going on in my life at the time and I guess what my older brothers were doing at the time that looked cool.

This was not a new year fad this time though.  Choosing to start training was something I wanted to introduce properly to my life and continue it.  I was really wanting to change things and do it right. So this  was the time in which I committed….maybe that’s too strong a word – to getting really focused on  my fitness.