Things to do before I’m 40

I feel like I’m mainly using this blog as a way of trying to motivate myself to train. Most of my posts these days are about me feeling like I’m not making the most of Freeletics, not training enough, not seeing results etc etc

And here I am again.

Here in the UK the clocks have gone forward, the nights will be getting lighter and the weather warmer. Out go the carbs and the red wine, in comes salads and gin and tonics.

And today, Sunday, I’m at the end of a week off, ready to go back to work and I noticed that my Freeletics coach has just renewed for another year.

So in the spirit of using this blog as some kind of accountability, here’s where I’m at:

1. Switching up the diet again and focusing on fewer carbs, less calorific booze and more vegetables
2. I’ve been consisent with my running so I’m going to keep up with that and continue trying to run further, faster. I’m also going to research getting a new training programme for running as that tends to keep me on track
3. I’ve been consistently doing Freeletics twice a week. Needs to be three times minimum. Fridays have slipped so I’m bringing them back
4. Need to build strength again so I’ve started this Men’s Health Pushup Programme which is tougher than it looks.
5. Lots of water
6. Less sugar
7. Good sleep

I’m 40 in July. My goal is to have lost the lockdown belly and feel healthy and full of energy by then.

Let’s go.

7 Little Changes You Can Make Very Easily

Swap the latte for black Americano

Some lattes have as many as 300 calories, more if you’re adding sugar. Even if you go skinny, it still all adds up. Get your coffee hit with an elegant, cool black Americano. Virtually no calories and still delicious.

Ditch the fruit juice

For ages I’ve been drinking loads of fruit juice, primarily as a way of ticking off one or two of my five-a-day. But then I went to the dentist and he told me to cut down immediately. Fruit juice contains loads of sugar and many of the nutrients and vitamins have been squeezed out. Much better to eat proper fruit and veg throughout the day.

Get eight hours sleep minimum

It just makes you feel better. More energy, better mood, clearer mind. That’s it really.

Download coach.me

I use coach.me to try and build new habits. You can join pre-existing programmes or start your own, and you can pay for an actual coach (I don’t do this). For each habit you want to build, you can select the number of days you want to do that task each week and tick off when you do them. It has a really simple interface and I’ve changed a lot of my bad habits using it (including stopping smoking).

Cut out alcohol

I enjoy drinking and socialising too much to quit alcohol altogether, but I’ve been making a conscious effort in the past year to really cut down, and now try to only drink at the weekend. I’m also trying to stop drinking beer and move onto spirits and wine. The hardest thing for me is the impulse to reach for alcohol when I’ve had a hard day. Trying to replace that impulse with exercise.

Don’t snack

Alongside drinking, snacking is the main reason I put on weight. I’m now trying not to snack at all. I was never allowed to as a child, so it’s a bad habit that’s developed in recent years. If I do need to snack, I try and eat almonds, dried and fresh fruit and protein. 

Drink as much water as you possibly can

Joe Wicks recommends 3-4 litres a day, which I think is soooo much. I aim for 1.5-2 litres. And then I’m in the toilet a lot! When I exercise I drink more. It keeps you healthy and also reduces the craving for snacks.

8 Tips for How to Work Out While You Travel

I have to travel a lot with my job, and sometimes that it’s difficult to make time for exercise when you’re in an unfamiliar environment. This post focuses on Freeletics, because that’s my work-out of choice, but these tips can apply to pretty much any kind of exercise. I’ve also linked to some other articles I read while writing this post.

1. Don’t worry about not having the right kit with you

   The beauty of Freeletics, or any HIIT, is that you can pretty much do it anywhere. All you need is a bit of space in your hotel room or AirBnb. So if you don’t have room in your luggage for a yoga mat, fear not – a carpeted hotel room will do the trick (although beware of carpet-burn!)

   Of course, if you’re staying in a hotel, there might be a gym. I tend to try and get in there as early as possible while everyone else is still asleep – that way it’s quiet and you can concentrate.

   My only challenge is that it’s difficult to do pull-ups when travelling. Freeletics have a portable ‘No Excuses’ pull-up bar that you could take with you and fix on the bathroom door.

2. Block out time in your schedule

   Much like working out when you’re at home, I find it’s important to block out time in your schedule for Freeletics. I tend to work out either very early (before breakfast) or whenever I might have gaps in my schedule later in the day. When you’re out of a normal daily routine, I accept that I’ll probably be working out at a different time each day, but as long as I work out when is best before I do anything else that day, then I can relax knowing I’ve got it covered.

3. Use 2×2

   If you’re in an unusual place and can’t run or exercise outside, remember that you can always switch your Freeletics Bodyweight app to 2×2 and do all your exercises in your hotel room. Or you can always just re-order your workout days and do the workouts that don’t involve distance.

4. Research local freeletics groups

   Sometimes when I’m travelling I research local Freeletics groups to see where they workout or if they have any meet-ups planned. Facebook is a good place to start with this. I joined the Freeletics Vancouver group on a recent trip. Working out with other people is always a good motivator, and it can be a great way to meet locals when away from home. The Freeletics website has a list of groups around the world.

5. Eat well while travelling

   It’s so tempting to rely on easy, quick foods that might feel familiar when you’re in a new place. I’m a sucker for pizza when I’m travelling. But you can eat healthy too. Start the day with fresh fruit and eggs at the hotel buffet and then opt for fresh meat, fish and salads and you can’t go wrong. It’s still possible to eat well, but also don’t beat yourself up if you have a lapse – especially if you’re on holiday! Here’s a handy post with some tips and tricks on how to eat well while travelling.

6. Make sure you get plenty of sleep

   If you’re travelling long distances, jet-lag can really take its toll. I find that I am much less likely to work out if I’m tired, so I try and make sure I get more than enough sleep. But if the jet-lag does kick in, exercise if often a good way of beating it.

7. Hire a bike, rather jumping in taxis

   Cycling is a great, cheap way to experience a new city, and keeps you fit too. Try hiring a bike rather than jumping in taxis. I did this in Copenhagen and it was brilliant. Although I wouldn’t want to try it in cities that weren’t so cycle-friendly!

8. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t fit it in

   If you’re away from home for work, sometimes your schedule is so packed that there simply isn’t time. Don’t beat yourself up. Even a few push-ups or burpees in the morning makes a difference (try this five-minute hotel room workout). Sometimes I use being away to try and beat PBs on all those quick exercises like 25 push-ups etc. And if you can’t do a full work-out, just cut yourself some slack and start again next week.

Freeletics also have a blog about exercising while travelling, and you should also check out the Freeletics sub-Reddit

Right, off to do 2xMetis in my hotel room 🙂

I completed Freeletics Hell Week and this is what happened…

That was tough. I’d had a month away from Freeletics and when I picked up where I left off, I realised I had one week left of the initial 15-week programme. So I didn’t feel like I was entering Hell Week at peak form. My diet hadn’t been great, I’d been drinking quite a bit and I hadn’t exercised for ages.

But I made a promise to myself to complete the week in the correct time (i.e. not leaving any gaps between days) and I bloody well did it!

Here are my observations on the rest of Hell Week:

• I read somewhere that your mind underestimates what your body can do. This is totally true. So many times throughout the week my mind was telling me that I couldn’t do any more, but if I just pushed my body one step further, pressed go on the next set, forced myself to do just 10 more burpees, it was amazing how much I could achieve. I really didn’t think I’d be able to do all the exercises back-to-back, but now it’s done it doesn’t feel so daunting. And now I look at next week and think ‘what a breeze’
• Sleep really helps. You can do so much more when you’ve had a good night’s sleep
• I don’t think I’ve ever drunk as much water as I have this week, and yet I seemed to always be thirsty. Maybe like 3 or 4 litres a day.
• My appetite was also huge. I tried to make sure I ate well this week.
• There were a lot of pull-ups in my workouts this week. I still can’t do the correct form, so replaced them all with Jumping Pull-ups. I’m getting stronger though
• It’s a clever trick of Freeletics to give you Hell Week at the end of Week 15. I saw my body transform more quickly that it has been, and I reckon if I’d stuck to good nutrition and done the programme in 15 weeks rather than 25 I think I’d have been submitting my transformation photos to Freeletics. But I still feel like I’ve got some more work to do.
• I like Krios. It’s a nice workout
• I hate 3x Metis Strength. Hate it.
• I really like working out in the open air rather than inside. Especially in summer.

I also downloaded the Freeletics Nutrition app this week and signed up for the Coach. But then I have to say that on looking at the recipes, I got an immediate refund. I just didn’t like the look of the programme, and have seen better and more tasty lean recipes elsewhere. Food is just too important to me. So I’m going to continue eating lean and healthy, but I don’t really want to have that level of control over what I eat. It’s enough to have a work-out routine. Sorry Freeletics. Not for me.

So there we go. 15 weeks down and where am I?

• I am much stronger, fitter and in much better shape than when I started
• My stamina and endurance has increased hugely
• Freeletics has had a positive effect on my mental health, reducing anxiety and giving me a cheap, enjoyable way of escaping work
• I have more self-esteem and more pride
• I have a better diet, drink less and look after my health in ways I never used to before.

Here’s to the next 15 weeks! Who knows where I’ll be then!