Witness the (Almost) Fitness

So this year has seen a London Marathon, a half marathon, a failed half marathon, a colour run and back in January I couldn’t even run a mile! I think this is a hell of an achievement but this certainly doesn’t happen without inspiration!

I never use people as my inspiration as I don’t think it’s fair to compare yourself to mega fit people when I know I will never be in as good shape as them; it’s just setting yourself up for a failure. Instead I put together a list of quotes to help me keep training as my fitness inspiration. This would be my personal favourite:

I hadn’t worn a bikini to the beach, pool or water park in over 5 years, that’s how long I’ve been hiding myself.  I’d wear a large men’s t-shirt to cover up the bits I wasn’t happy with or slimming shaper swimsuits to make my stomach look flatter. I’ve been stuck in this figure hating rut for years and this year I had to do something about it and losing weight to run a marathon seemed like the perfect reason! I mean, the lighter you are the better it is on your joints, and my joints needed all the help they could get!

I trained hard and lost two stone in four months, I was the happiest I’d been in ages. I even bought a bikini that I wore recently on a weekend away with the chap!

But since then I’ve packed on half a stone and have got myself back feeling awful about my shape and the way clothes fit me, so I’ve turned back to my fitness inspiration quotes and got myself back down the gym.  I’ve got a hen party in Marbella next year and I want to be able to go out and purchase bikini’s I’m proud to show my figure off in, and not the be the one that’s hiding away all weekend.

I take on circuit classes of a Saturday morning, gym two or three times a week, and have sworn that I will start running again; if my knees let me! That’s a good excuse to get new running trainers too!

When I first got asked about my fitness inspiration by Microsoft, I had a post imagined in my head, but it was nothing like this! It was my before photos from when I was at my heaviest, but I bottled it, I’m so ashamed of how I looked before that I didn’t want the whole internet to be able to see my wobbly bits! I’ve come a hell of a long way with my fitness this year, and I still have a little way to go until I’m back feeling great about myself!

So, Microsoft, my biggest fitness inspiration isn’t being a GB athlete, it isn’t having a six pack, it isn’t running sub 4-hour marathons, it’s how I feel about myself.

What’s your fitness inspiration?

This is my entry into the #LumiaFitnessInspiration competition.