Training with Giants

I’m approaching my mid-fifties, it’s an age where I’m thinking about my end of days, or at least my retirement days. We review our partner retirement planning spreadsheet on a 6 monthly basis, keen to make sure we’re on track and that I have enough set aside to fund my...

Year in Review - 2023

Sciatica was an overwhelming feature of 2023. For many months I was struggling to get about due to severe numbness down both legs - from buttocks to the soles of my feet. It wasn’t particularly painful but significant discomfort meant walking was severly impaired, sometimes managing only a few hundred...

Year in Review - 2022

I started the year on crutches so it feels somewhat of a success to reach the end of the year standing firmly on my own two feet. Apple Health confirms that my walking steadiness has indeed climbed throughout the year and I am now just OK. I thought I’d do...

Does a comfortable Peloton bike saddle exist?

One of the few things that disappoints me about the marvellous Peloton indoor bike, is the saddle. Why, when spending £3k on a designer machine, isn’t there a comfortable saddle option for women? The provided saddle is a fairly standard offering but causes me so much distraction during a ride...

Peloton Accessories - heart rate monitor

The peloton – of indoor cycle studio fame – has entered the household. I’ve had it a few months now and while I totally love the bike and the instructor led sessions, some of the accessories are in need of an upgrade. I was lucky to get my order in...

What Lies Beneath - DEXA Scan

Last time I posted a blog I was trying to recover from months of injury and the resultant slothfulness that had taken over. It proved to be a slow process but by late spring I was able to exercise again without inordinate fear of disablement. With that new freedom I...

Oura Ring Activity Tracker

Oura ring have just announced a major new release of their activity tracker so I thought it was about time I told you what I thought to their first model. When I first spotted that there was an activity tracker available in the form of a massive ring, I thought...

Viome Gut Testing - Is it any Good?

Viome is a gut sequencing subscription service based on a small sample of poo that you ship for testing. Viome then offer dietary recommendations based on your results that are designed to increase your diversity and improve your health. One of the key differences between Viome and other gut testing...

How to Set up the Perfect Garden Gym

The Home or Garden Gym is a perfect solution for people who are self-motivated and happy to workout alone. The at-home convenience means you can prep a family dinner between sets and you never need to worry whether the squat rack will be occupied by a big fella. UPDATE and...

Achieve the Impossible

I’m a quitter and a failure. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself for the last year or so. It came to me over a lovely paleo meal. We were onto the second course, a delicious ox heart carpaccio and a good way into a bottle of Chardonnay when...

Revealing AutoImmunity

I love collecting data, in fact if running didn’t lend itself so well to data collection and analysis I may well have made a different choice back in 2005 and taken up watching baseball instead. I’ve jumped onto every method of self quantification since taking up the sport – gps,...

Convict Conditioning 2 Review

Paul “Coach” Wade is back with a second instalment of his impressive body weight calisthenics routine, Convict Conditioning 2 – from the depths of San Quentin prison I’ve previously reviewed the original Convict Conditioning and I’m still working my way slowly through the progressions to the Big Six strength moves....

The Paleo Diet and Mindful Eating for Weightloss

As a large runner I spend quite a lot of time focusing on food and diet. My aim is to establish a diet that makes it easy for me to maintain an acceptable weight, feel satisfied and still provides sufficient levels of energy for me to live my life with...

Convict Conditioning

I’ve long held the fantasy that the only thing between me and a perfectly honed physique was a long stint in solitary confinement. I was obviously inspired by prison movies in my youth and still have images in my head of physical transformations behind bars. I’ve been tempted to buy...