Because I enjoy it!!

To anyone that knows me they must think I am the most enthusiastic gym monkey and healthiest freak around when actually to myself I am quite the opposite. It’s so easy to beat yourself up about what you eat and how you look especially with so much pressure on both men and women these days. From a young age I’ve been involved with sport, i guess thats the one thing i feel confident doing. Im not the thickest kid on the block but i’m no academic, i never was gifted in music although i tried 8 instruments, i wasn’t into the arts the stage just isn’t for me but i am luckily quite practically talented when it comes to sport. 

I have played Hockey, Tennis, Football, Rugby, Netball, Swimming, Athletics, Horse Riding, Dance, Rounders, Cross-country all at a very high level but unfortunately this has led me to have terrible joints at my young age of 20. I’m now a self confessed gym bunny. Many people would say, what are you complaining about I would love to be sporty; and its true i am very lucky to have been part of some amazing sports teams and now own a hefty collection of medals and trophies; and its this which adds the pressure.

Everyone knows me as the “sporty” one who loves rabbit food and is just health crazy. IF ONLY THEY KNEW. I am probably one of the largest out of my friends, which doesn’t seem fair as i cane the gym 5-7 times a week; push my body to the absolute extremes, wake up at 6:30am on holiday to do hill sprints in 20 degree heat all to get a “good” body. There they are eating sandwiches and pasta whilst lay in bed and they are the size of a match stick. You could blame it on genes or they are simply blessed with a metabolism of a race horse. The truth is is i’m guilty of the secret eat. When i come in late from a friends and everyone is in bed i’ll sit in the kitchen and demolish everything I can until i feel sick (as long as its before midnight) and keep telling myself: i’ll start tomorrow. 

Honestly, it’s not rocket science, i’m sure there are hundreds of people out there like me; love exercise, eat healthy 90% of the time, still hate themselves, eat secretly, feel guilty and repeat. You can read magazines and all the stories in the media but there really is no realistic quick fix. 3 meals a day, lots of water, exercise blah blah blahhhh. Which i do, OF COURSE.

Next week i’m going to try an experiment. One week eating healthy-ish, working out, my normal routine. Then the week after i’m going to take a week off from the gym, and eat a very strict diet and see which one i lose more weight. I know its not all about the scales but it is hard to see when you are trying so hard and putting on weight but not really seeing a difference when really your naughty little muscle fibres are actually getting bigger and stronger. I am blessed to have gained a lot of knowledge about diet and nutrition through all my sports and i am very educated in it; which makes me think why am I not the person i want to be. If you ever feel like this just keep telling yourself:

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying. 

 

R “Thunder” x

 

Me, Myself & I “Thunder”

There I am, the one in the Orange Jacket, enjoying a coffee in the sunshine in my first week back at University after the Summer. I am a 20yr old student, now in 2nd Year at university in Oxford. Looking back I was probably quite content here. After losing nearly 2 stone over the 4 month break i was probably in the best shape i’ve ever been but it’s not always been like that.  
For as long as I can remember my fiends have always called me “thunder thighs”, which is true. I do have very large thighs which have a story of their own. When i was 11 i took up athletics competitively full time. Not through school but through a full time trainer; an ex common wealth athlete, who took on a small group us to pass on his knowledge and talent. I quickly realised i had a talent and was consistently winning my competitions both for multi and single events. I continued to train for a further 5years; moving through 3 different clubs and 2 trainers. I finally reached my peak when i was 16, acing my personal bests. Training was 6 times a week, which involved a regular McDonalds every Tuesday and Thursday at the nearby drive-through, much to my mothers dismay. On 22nd June 2009 all my dreams came crashing down. I was representing England in the Long Jump and had to jump 5.07 to qualify, i had done it in practice many times before and was confident this would be the day i would be going to the European Championships abroad. 

Two no-jumps and 1 poor jump later, i missed out on the 7 potential places by 1cm; any athlete can understand how devastating it feels, especially in a discipline such as long-jump where board placement is so crucial. From that moment on, I have never stepped on a track since. 

This was and still is the biggest mistake of my life to date.

This is one of my favourite pictures from all the years. As you can imagine after training 6 times a week as well as being in school full time and school sports i was tiny but as soon as i stopped the weight piled on. My eating habits remained and my fitness was reduced significantly. As the change didn’t happen over night it wasn’t until my clothes didn’t start to fit me that i noticed. Along with this i was still growing and moved to boarding school where they were “generous” with food. Easter 2011 I went on a 4 week family holiday and came back 1 ½ stone lighter. I practically starved myself and ran on the beach everyday, i was sick and it was not maintainable. Within 6 months the weight had come back, plus some more. I lost a bit in my 1st semester of Uni but in the 2nd Semester i reached the heaviest i’d ever been; i was miserable and self conscious. My clothes didn’t fit, i didn’t want to go out, i would eat in private and i did nothing about it. In the summer of 2013 I went on 2 family holidays and travelled around Europe for 1 month. I lost all the weight and probably became the fitest I have ever been in my life; but it wasn’t easy.

I said to myself I would never go back there; why did i put myself through all that pain and handwork for nothing. Its now coming to the end of January 2014 and although i have probably put on 6lbs I am now at a flatline. I train 5-7 times a week and eat healthy for 80% of my day.

I am now at a weight plato that i can’t seem to move away from. Im going to try new nutrition techniques and increase my cardio to see if i can drop the pounds back to where i feel happy and confident.

Although many will think ‘oh, i’d love to look like you’ everyone has their own insecurities and goals which we must respect. I am happy and healthy and most of all grateful for both of these qualities but every day it is the first and last thing i think about. 

My aim is to improve every day, inspire and help others, share my passion for exercise but most of all premote health and well-being.

If you don’t have health – You don’t have anything.

R “Thunder” x

 

Each morning we…

Each morning we are born again. What we do today, is what matters most – Buddah