The Beginning

In 2013 I weighed 19 stone, was drinking extremely heavily, using a variety of drugs and eating huge takeaways most days. I got out of breath going upstairs and couldn’t run for the bus. I was 32. The way I was going, making it to 40 was looking extremely unlikely.

One night I woke up sweating, having had a dream with two different endings. One was falling facedown and blacking out. The other was me in the gym, a place I had never been, bench-pressing and feeling strong. The next day I phoned my father and told him we were joining the gym. Even though it was nearly 6 years until I stopped drinking, I believe the decision to act, after the message delivered by the dream, saved my life.

Ever since that day, through all the alcoholic hell that was to follow, fitness and exercise has played a part in my life and when I got sober my athletic endeavors became far more successful.

Fitness and Recovery

I exercise 5 or 6 days a week. I train for races, I run parkrun, I go to the gym 4 times a week, I set 5am alarms and I have become proficient in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After each exercise session, no matter what it is, I get the feeling I always hoped I would get from using drugs and drinking alcohol. Exercise is humbling, you can’t cheat it and if done consistently, the results are spectacular. Exercise replaces the dopamine that was previously gained chemically with endorphins that generate positivity, self-esteem and resilience.

I don’t just exercise when I am motivated, I always exercise. No unplanned days off. No bad weather days. I treat my body in the way it deserves to be treated after years of abuse, and I exercise because my life depends on it.