So just over a week into the new year, new me plans and I’ve hit my first hurdle. And it’s a bit of a whopper! The whole family has been struck down with the dreaded C-word. Yep, Covid has hit – first the kids, then me. We’re lucky though – the kids are fine barring a loss of smell and taste (the eldest’s biggest gripe is that she was saving the crunchie from her selection box until last as it’s her favourite…and it was wasted as she couldn’t taste it. Life’s tough hey?) And the rest of us are just a bit achy and weary – fingers crossed it stays that way.

However, not the best of conditions to be embarking on my personal training plans. Not only can I not practice in the gym anymore, I now can’t actually leave the house. However, I’m not to be deterred! I know that because I do already exercise, it means that my body is better at tackling viruses and other nasties that come my way. And it also means that I have a better chance of recovering quicker, so now is not the time to throw the towel in and give up. It is even more reason to stick to my plans.

Ok, I may not be able to stick to my original plan, or even go out for a little run…but I can do something. And something is better nothing. I used to be a bit of an “all or nothing” person. Either full blown health freak and fitness fanatic, or totally fallen off the wagon. Think, I’ve had a bag of crisps, so may as well just have a takeaway for tea. Or, I haven’t the energy or time to do the run I’d planned, so instead I’ll do nothing and watch TV. This is the mindset I am determined to change. So whilst I need to rest up a bit, I will start to reintroduce some gentle exercise at home.

There are loads of workouts you can do in your own front room – Joe Wicks being the most well known at the moment (great for the body and eyes mind) but there’s loads of others. I’m a personal fan of the 7 minute workout and also I have just invested in some resistance bands. I’m just working out where to fasten them so as not to twang myself in the nose! And the fact that I can count on one hand the number of full press-ups I can do means my body weight is plenty enough resistance – not sure if that says more about my arm strength or my weight…but either way, I don’t need the gym. It’s just about finding different viable options. And I guess this is what I believe personal training should be all about – fitting around your personal circumstances and working for you and your situation, whatever that may be.

So, really this is just a trial run for adapting to tricky circumstances and overcoming the various hurdles which will always come along. Ok, so this one’s a bit extreme, but if I can adapt and leap over this one, surely the next one won’t be as bad…will it???? 😬