At the time of writing this and as the third lockdown eases many of us are gradually returning to exercise or reintroducing circuits or some other exercise programme into your routine. Getting back into exercise has the potential to be troublesome or just plain hard. So with this in mind I though it would be a good opportunity to jot down a few exercise mantras to help you on your journey.

At the time of writing this and as the third lockdown eases many of us are gradually returning to exercise or reintroducing circuits or some other exercise programme into your routine. Getting back into exercise has the potential to be troublesome or just plain hard. So with this in mind I though it would be a good opportunity to jot down a few exercise mantras to help you on your journey.

First though let me start with a quote from Muhammad Ali who, when asked by a journalist at one of his pre-fight training camps how many sit ups he could do, simply replied “I don’t know, I don’t start counting until it hurts” For me this pretty much sums up the attitude needed toward the principle of progressive overload: the process that allows us to improve in whatever form of fitness you are engaged 

Hopefully one of the sayings below will strike a chord with you:

1. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” - Just take that first step.

2. “Your body achieves what your mind believes” - If your mind is willing and positive your body will follow suit..

3. “Just keep putting one foot in front of the other” - Keep your goals simple and realistic.

4. “Know your limitations and then defy them” - Go beyond what you thought you could.

5. “No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the sofa” - doing something is better than doing nothing.

6. “Strive for progress, not for perfection” - There is no such thing as perfection, so just aim for improvement.

7. “Keep chipping away” - Never give up, you will get there.

8. “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” - Today is yesterday’s tomorrow.

9. “Train hard, play easy” - Working hard in order that you can actually enjoy future races / competitions etc

10. “Just Do It” (JDI) - Does what it says on the tin!!

Notwithstanding all the above, start gently, enjoy yourself, stay safe and have a great Summer.

Andy