IT would appear that my weekly blog has somehow recently turned into a monthly blog and I am shocked and ashamed to see my last post was at the beginning of August!

Now here come the excuses...

This is partly due to the fact that I have been out of the country twice in the last four weeks and have simply not had a chance to update it but it has also been due to a lack of inspiration.

The summer is over, the beach holidays have been taken and with them I am afraid a degree of motivation has also been lost.

Without the fear of scaring young children by baring all in a bikini, the inclination to get to the gym and hone that beach body has all but disappeared.

The nights are drawing in, its getting darker and colder by the day and the shops are beginning to stock flab-hiding chunky sweaters.

How easy would it be to embrace the woolly knits and stay at home under a duvet with a big bowl of apple pie and custard then get out in the cold and dark for a run?

You don’t need to answer that. (I am still thinking about the apple pie now.....)

HOWEVER, as cliched as it sounds Energy breeds Energy and the more exercise you do the more inclined you will be to want to do more.

It is all about getting into and keeping up a routine.

Last night I got home from work tired and fed up.

It was cold, drizzling and going dark and I had to drag my lazy backside kicking and screaming out for a run.

At that point it was the last thing in the world that I wanted to do.

THEN A MIRACLE HAPPENED....

Ten minutes in I was flying round my usual route and enjoying my run so much that I went further than I had planned.

(Believe me - nobody was more shocked than me!)

I was wide awake by the time I got home and committed to doing the same again tonight.

It felt good and I felt proud of myself for not giving into temptation.

Keeping fit and healthy is not a seasonal past time. It is just harder at some times of the year than others.

As an incentive I have signed up again with my friend Ian Winstanley to do the Bob Graham Round next year so I have something to aim for and a goal to achieve.

I have also done my first pole aerobics class (Pole dancing to you and me ... but in workout gear rather than knickers and high heels!) in a bid to do something new.

(But I have given up on the Hula Aerobics - too many injuries due to not enough skill).

When we are busy and tired and it is cold and wet, our training regime is the first thing that flies out of the window.

But it shouldn’t.

Looking after our health and longevity should be a priority for us all .... Always.

So not only have I renewed my commitment to update my blog weekly, I have also decided that now is the time to really get on top of my training.

No matter how cold and dark and dreary it gets I am determined to keep my resolve and basically keep on keeping on.

Unfortunately fitness is not something you can store.

You either use it or lose it and I for one am not going to see all the summer’s hard work go down the drain.

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