A Look Back at 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, I find myself in a very different place now to when I started the year. From completing two long distance cycling races, to taking up kettlebells and strength training, to being 10 months into a relationship with an amazing guy - 2016 has definitely been full of surprises! It's great to look back at everything I've achieved this year...

January

I started January choosing my word for the year - FOCUS - to help me to stay on track with my goals, as well as enjoying a lot of regular yoga as part of the Yogaia 21 Day Challenge. I was even lucky enough to be involved with the filming for the final class! I finished off the month with my first race of the year, the Battersea Park 5k.

February

February got off to an active start with the London Winter Run 10k and the Urban Movement Festival by Payasugym, before I then found out I'd got a place in RideLondon 100! I used Spinning a lot to help me over the next few months and wrote this post on why it's such great training for cyclists.

March

I turned 29 by taking part in Yoga up the Shard, and wrote my 30 before 30 list - a few of these have been ticked off so far! I was also lucky enough to go away for a week to Spain with the amazing Healthy Start Holidays and face some of my fitness fears, including how to cycle with clip-in shoes, and swim properly (ie. with my face in the water).

April

The fabulous food and cookery lessons I enjoyed with Healthy Start Holidays sparked my interest in nutrition, and I signed up to a course with Future Fit Training. I also took in the sights of London by climbing over the O2 which was pretty awesome.

May

I joined the amazing MyPT Studio in Croydon where I now train on a regular basis, and went on a lovely holiday to the Forest of Dean which included some great muddy mountain biking!

June

Halfway through the year, I decided to get serious about my cycling training including riding in the rain and going out with the local club in Addiscombe. The month culminated in my biggest challenge so far, the BHF London to Brighton bike ride, ending with fish and chips on the beach of course!

July

July brought about a few wobbles, as I umm-ed and aah-ed about taking part in RideLondon before eventually joining Team Asthma UK to give me some accountability. I then relaxed before the big day on the heavenly Sally Parkes Yoga Hacienda Retreat in Spain.

August

I completed RideLondon! And although it didn't end up being the full 100 miles due to accidents, I loved the experience and you may have seen that I already have a guaranteed place for next year to go back and ride the whole course (hopefully). I then made the decision to listen to my body (and not take part in the Great North Run) instead opting to train for the Run Reigate 10k, which I kicked off by running the Decathlon Running Series 5k in Croydon.

September

September was a month of running, as I completed both the Run Reigate 10k and the Women's Running 10k in Finsbury Park. I also went hiking in the Lake District with some spectacular scenery!

October

October saw me tackle a different kind of challenge, upping my strength training and overhauling my diet as part of the MyPT Transformation Programme. You can read Weeks 1, 2 and 3 here describing my workouts and favourite recipes! I also visited the new Hot Yoga studio at Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre to help my muscles recover.

November

The results of the MyPT Transformation Challenge saw me lose 4% Body Fat and gain over 1kg of muscle, with some pretty significant visible changes in my before and after photos! I have a feeling I'll be back on this in the New Year... It was then back to the running with some new kit for my winter training goals.

December

The end of the year has been pretty quiet, with a lovely long weekend camping in Canterbury followed by my traditional festive 5k in Greenwich Park - where I introduced you to the amazing James who has been sharing my active adventures since February! I also posted my Christmas Gift Guide, which ran alongside some great Instagram giveaways - thank you so much to everyone who entered.