I had quite a different year, last year with regards to training and physical fitness. Triathlon took a backseat after I began training for a teeny (non-speaking) role in Wonder Woman. The training was intense, to say the least! Due to the jobs aesthetic requirements I’d often start the day with 45 minutes to an hour fasted cardio on my turbo trainer before being picked up and taken to the studios to begin a mammoth day. We’d start with a couple of hours in the gym, hard metabolic training mixed with a hefty amount of lifting thanks to the guys at Gym Jones. Then it would be on to 3 to 4 hours of stunt training – something that was hugely mentally demanding as well as physically, I’m not the most coordinated of people when it comes to learning routines! The last part of the day would involve heading out to the stables for an hour or two of riding. All of that on an extremely limited food intake. I mean, despite being so tired I can’t even explain, it was just the dream existence (Dan is definitely shaking his head right now remembering having to deal with me having carb deprivation related strops).

So, January the 4th and I started the year with a bang! This continued until the end of April at which point I came back from Italy, packed the car up and headed back to Italy for two weeks of tri training. I think what I actually needed at this point, was a week or two off but it was just how it worked out and I wasn’t about to miss tri camp with my faves.

When we arrived home, despite feeling the most relaxed I’d felt in a long while, thanks to this place, I was totally burnt out and I lost most of my training motivation. Don’t get me wrong, I did continue training throughout the latter part of the year but it definitely felt like I ended the year still feeling a little lost. I love having a programme when it comes to training and not having anyone to answer to can actually be pretty demotivating for me. I’m also a fan of big scary goals, small goals just seem inconsequential to me and therefore I kind of forget about them.

2016 also saw me become a little fed up with the luxury boutique ‘studios’ of London, for a while I’ll admit to blindly paying £20 a class without really thinking about it but it no longer sits very well with me, or my bank account. Fitness shouldn’t be seen as some exclusive club that only the wealthy can be accepted into, it’s for everyone, end of. If I’m honest, I also found that a lot of the workouts on offer were similar to ones that I had programmed for myself years before, aka nothing new! All of the above isn’t to say that I won’t forever love that Lagree burn, or that I don’t find the Foundry one of my absolute favourite places to workout for both the supportive atmosphere and the quality of sessions – It’s just not financially sustainable for someone like me that finds something she likes and then gets obsessed with it and wants to repeat it, every single day.

Anyway, it’s now 2017 and the realisation has hit me that I have to pull my finger out, put on my big girl pants and take some responsibility for the fact that I’m not happy with my current level of fitness or my activity levels. So, this year I want to play rebel and just get back to basics. My aim is to be consistent (this years buzzword) as I focus more on triathlon based endurance training with a heavy emphasis on listening to my body and giving it what it needs, as opposed to endless group workouts that ok, might do the job but that aren’t tailored to me and my specific needs at all.

So, how’s it going so far? Well, I smashed my first two hour turbo session earlier this week, the longest I have been on that thing in years! (The trick is to make sure you have something to watch!) I also have 10 weeks of fitness sessions booked in wth my faves at Swim For Tri, my first was this Tuesday and yes I swallowed half the pool, yes I was slow but you know what? Being back in the pool has given me LIFE, I’ve missed swimming way more than I realised.

I’m excited and motivated for this new change in pace and direction. So much so that as soon as I finish typing up this post, I’m heading out for a run! (Long may this last!)

What are your training goals for 2017? Tell us in the comments section below! Also, if you’re on Strava, let’s link up and motivate each other to run, ride & swim! You can find me here.