Two weeks into the New Year and what’s new in my world?

Well, last week I started the training regime and I am doing it properly. Healthy diet and hopefully this will lead to an ever-increasing healthy mind.

My first two commutes of the year went well, although to reference a rather bad 1990’s rap song it was “Ice, Ice Baby” (yes, I did actually quote Vanilla Ice there). If I was a brass monkey I would be looking for a welder to help me. I forgot how cold this city can be, but it felt good to be back on that bike again.

The countdown has truly begun for me to conquer that hill – the bane of my life. If only I had not crashed last year. But what is the point of using that phrase ‘if only’. I used to have regrets and dwell on certain situations, but at that time, when I crossed those tram tracks, it felt like the right decision even if it didn’t turn out to be. That is life, there is no hard and fast rule to living your life. You make the decisions you think are correct at the time you make them. Life is all about learning – learning a new language, learning how to build a piece of Ikea furniture (probably the most stressful thing ever) etc. It’s how you react to the previous decision is what counts. I now know that if I come to tram tracks, I slow down to a pace that is more suited to crossing a difficult section of road, so my wheel does not get caught in them resulting in two weeks in hospital because of several broken bones.

We all make decisions whether consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes we discuss those decisions before making them with family and friends. Just last week my wife and I decided that we need to eat more healthily. But we have also decided that we need a “cheat” day. We have always done pizza Thursday. I was going to cook homemade healthy pizza, but a good old pizza shop cannot be beaten. Eating healthily is all well and good, but if you have cravings for certain things then a little indulgence won’t hurt. Just ensure that if you crave anything that can really harm you, that you beat those thoughts and stay away from it.

Back to the commute, I am currently riding at 10mph on average. I am happy with that as it is where I was when I started last year. It means I am back to square one in terms of fitness, but I know I can do this. I know I can ride at a good pace, so I am not too disheartened. I have set myself targets – 50 minutes to ride the eight miles, the target I have is to have that down by mid-February by about three to five minutes. I am then going to start my Sunday rides once more as this will add to the miles in my legs and the fitness will come back before I know it. I will then set more targets, attainable ones, but ones that stretch me a little – adding miles to the Sunday ride, adding in hills and reducing the commute time. I know I can do this, but I have to make the decisions on how I attain this… do I make them myself or do I seek help.

Asking for help, in my opinion, is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign that you cannot do something yourself. So, if you need help, ask for it. I decided to call a wonderful service one night when I was really low and down and having awful dark thoughts and here I am now, back at work writing this blog for them.

Thanks to Rich for sharing his experiences. If his journey has inspired you to support us, visit our fundraising page for more infoor if you’d like to share your story, contact us at communications@thebiglifegroup.com

If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, the Sanctuary is here for you at night, every night. Call us on 0300 003 7029.