The Health Huns
The Messy Side of Health and Fitness!
Your favourite amateur athletes keeping it real, discussing the messy side of health and fitness
The Health Huns
EP.3 COMPARISON-THE THIEF OF PROGRESS
Follow us on Instagram!
@thehealthhunspod
What happens when we constantly measure ourselves against others? In this deeply personal conversation, we unpack the psychological impact of comparison and how it can derail even our best health intentions.
We've all been there - scrolling through social media only to feel utterly inadequate compared to the perfectly curated fitness journeys we see online. But what's really happening when we compare ourselves to others, and how does it affect our progress? Together we explore this universal struggle, sharing our own vulnerabilities around comparison in running, business, and body image.
The conversation takes an unexpected turn when we discuss whether comparison can ever actually be helpful. Can measuring ourselves against others (or past versions of ourselves) motivate positive change? We discover there's a subtle but crucial difference between inspirational comparison and the kind that leaves you feeling defeated before you even begin.
Perhaps most powerful is our discussion about redefining progress itself. We challenge the notion that progress must always be visible or physical, revealing how some of our most significant growth happens internally - in our mindset, emotional resilience, and relationship with exercise. There's extraordinary value in simply showing up consistently, especially when nobody's watching and no one's giving out medals.
Whether you're a fitness enthusiast struggling with comparison or simply someone trying to find joy in movement without the pressure of perfection, this conversation offers both comfort and practical wisdom. Because ultimately, the only comparison that truly matters is between who you were yesterday and who you're becoming today.
Ready to break free from the comparison trap? Subscribe now and join our community of perfectly imperfect Health Huns embracing their unique journeys.
Hello, hello and welcome to episode three of the Health Huns. We are back, and today we're actually going to be recording two episodes. Yes, and we're going to give you two episodes on Friday. Oh, my god, we're so good, aren't we? I just thought we'll treat you. We really will. We don't want to keep you waiting any longer.
Speaker 2:We know how much people are looking forward to this.
Speaker 1:I think it's actually the highlight of most people's weeks now. Yeah, I think so too. Just us in their ear Yapping. Do you know? What we could do is record affirmations and sell them.
Speaker 2:Yes. You are wonderful, you can do it.
Speaker 1:You don't need to go out today. Stay in bed.
Speaker 2:Didn't Snoop Dogg do some like affirmations?
Speaker 1:I don't know, but that sounds like a snoop dog situation. I'm pretty sure snoop dog did some like daily affirmations do you remember when they had is it radio one big weekend at erlin park or something?
Speaker 2:yes and snoop dog was there in a norwich shirt and everyone was just going wild yeah, I was meant to go to that, but I had um and everyone was just going wild. Yeah, I was meant to go to that, but I had food poisoning and stayed in bed.
Speaker 1:That's great. What gave you food poisoning?
Speaker 2:I don't know, I can't remember. It was such a long time ago. But I remember being really ill and I was gutted.
Speaker 1:So sad, but you missed Snoop Dogg yeah.
Speaker 2:The.
Speaker 1:O-double-G. Yeah, maybe next time, maybe next time, maybe next time. So today's episode is called Comparison is the Thief of Progress. I think it's going to get quite deep.
Speaker 2:I think so.
Speaker 1:And I think it's a massive topic and no matter what you're doing, whether it's fitness related or just life related comparison can be such a hindrance to your journey.
Speaker 2:Yeah and like it's not just about fitness, it's not just about weight loss, you can have it in anything.
Speaker 1:Your career Parenting.
Speaker 2:Your house, looking at people's lives on social media.
Speaker 1:It really is the devil's work, social media, when it comes to comparison, isn't it? Yeah, what's the saying? Don't compare your life someone's highlight reel.
Speaker 2:yes, yeah, yeah, it is very true, it's so true, like because you do just share the best parts, don't you? And probably on fitness accounts they're not really showing the times when they don't get up in the morning and do their training, or it's really hard or something hurts, or blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:It's all a fraud, everything's a scam. Everything Don't believe anything you see online. It's all fake news. But before we get into that, Amber, how's your week been?
Speaker 2:My week's been pretty good. Yesterday was global run-in day.
Speaker 1:It was, and I can't believe. I didn't know that until you put your post up and I didn't know it until a little bit before then.
Speaker 2:Um, I did go for a run. I went for a run with um. I had a mini gator 5k. So that was in the morning, wasn't it six o'clock in the morning? Yeah, we met down the road. We did our little 5k. I was home by like quarter to seven. Who went? Steffi, jenny and Matthew. Steffi Leake no.
Speaker 1:Steffi C. Yes okay.
Speaker 2:Steffi C, jenny D and Matthew. G yeah, so it was good, it was nice. I much prefer running outside now. I went on the treadmill this morning and it was so boring after two and a half k.
Speaker 1:I was just like, oh, I can't do this yeah, I'm not a fan of running inside at all. The only time I'll run on a treadmill is if I've got to do like some sort of sprint stuff yeah, it's just easier, isn't it? Yeah but yeah, running socially I used to hate.
Speaker 1:I think I said this before yeah, but I went on a another mini gator 5k in the evening yesterday with other group of people. Yeah and um, I really enjoyed myself and I actually like spoke and like chatted the whole way around and it was so, yeah, the run was good and I felt good after doing exercise. But that social thing, I just really got something out of it last night and it really perked my mood up. I love it.
Speaker 2:I. When I first started running I was like, oh, I think I like running on my own. But then I think that might have been a bit of a comparison thing, because I was running with my friend and I felt like she was quicker than me.
Speaker 1:But when you're running in a big group of people, you just find your person yeah, and you've got people just around like if you find the right group, if you find your thing, you don't ever feel judged. No, and. I don't ever compare myself to anyone when we go to the gate of 5k no because there's just not that need to, but there's no competitive edge or anything like that, and I think that's it is about finding where you feel the safest and like able to just be yourself and that, yeah, definitely how's your week been?
Speaker 1:how's my week been? My week was fine. I did have a little wobble over the weekend. So last week I just I think I ran once, didn't go to the gym at all, didn't do any exercise and for the first time in a very, very long time I got really bad, like exercise guilt, so I felt so shit for not exercising like it affected how I felt about my body.
Speaker 1:I was just like I'm useless, I'm disgusting this is unlike you yeah, and it is, and it used to be me a lot more, but I've really tried to work on it over the last few years. It just oh, but I knew there was a reason I hadn't worked out, because I really just didn't have it in me last week. So it wasn't a case of like I was putting off and procrastinating so I needed the rest, but at the same time, when I did then go for a run on Sunday, I did feel so much better. So I think it's about getting that balance between when you really need the rest and listening to your body and then not beating yourself up about it, but also then knowing when it's time to maybe, okay, just go and move a little bit, and then that's what you need to feel better yeah it is a balancing act a lot of the time, but I don't know if that self-hatred was down to like hormones or it was just a week of it.
Speaker 2:I had a week. It wasn't similar but it was similar. So I last weekend we done not last weekend, but gone the one before we did our um Bannam Zoo, yeah. Then I did a 10k the next day, yeah, then on Tuesday. So then I was like so I sort of really take my week from Monday, yeah, um, but when I think about the weekend, like that was busy. So then Monday I didn't do anything.
Speaker 2:Tuesday I went on a 12 and a half k walk Thursday, I saw you. Friday I did a spin class and then Sunday I done 5k. But all week I was like I've just not done anything this week, oh my god. And I'm like actually I have done quite a lot, but in comparison to like maybe some of the weeks where I run nearly every day and I'm like actually I have done quite a lot, but in comparison to like maybe some of the weeks where I run nearly every day and I do, you know, a spin class and I do this and I do that, um, oh, and I went to the gym on Sunday afternoon, so it really wasn't a bad week.
Speaker 1:No, I think you just need to check yourself sometimes and be like is it because of this I'm feeling rubbish, or is it something maybe a little bit more underlying? Is it just that you're hormonal? Is it just a normal part of being a human when you just feel a bit shit and down?
Speaker 2:I mean hormones do play a massive part, don't they?
Speaker 1:if you massive, if you suffer with your hormones, yeah, and I think then add that into like trying to be healthier and do all this and do all the things we think we should do, because we see other people doing it and because we are yeah, we're comparing um god, it's just hard, isn't it it is hard. So, yeah, that was my week um, feeling a lot better this week. Good, and I signed up for that 10k yes, so exciting.
Speaker 2:We've got like what? Four?
Speaker 1:weeks. Yeah, we're gonna need. I think I'm gonna get some trail trainers. Do you think I spoke to briny? He goes to our gays 5k and she's done it before and says, yeah, it's a bit, it's like a bit traily, okay well, any excuse for a new pair of trainers.
Speaker 2:If anyone wants to sponsor us and give us some free trainers we need them, we we'd wear them all the time, all the time we'd We'd influence everybody. I think we could. I think we could, yeah, no problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyway, comparison it's something we all do, yeah, like we said, in all areas of life.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:But we're going to be talking about more specifically, the health side of things, the fitness side of things, the weight side of things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in today's episode the fitness side of things, the weight side of things. Yeah, today's episode. So who are you comparing yourself?
Speaker 1:against. Sometimes it's previous versions of yourself, sometimes it's people you see online. Sometimes it's people you know. Sometimes it's complete strangers yeah sometimes it's the ideal version of yourself you've got in your head and where you think you should be yes which is mental when you think about it. Yeah, because you can made up person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can only do what you can do exactly and why are we competing and comparing against these people? It's a it's a difficult one and it's really hard to stop doing it. I feel like, well, who do I compare myself against? I feel like I compare myself against other people rather than myself. Yeah, because actually, if I compared myself to past versions of myself, I'm actually doing really well. Yeah, but I can't possibly compare myself against that. I have to compare myself against people that are doing better than me.
Speaker 1:Now I think that's interesting because some people would argue that motivates them and it helps them progress, whereas I think I have an element of that, but I think more often than not it just makes me feel like shit.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, what is the point in me comparing myself against somebody that is doing a 5k in 27 minutes? Because I'm never gonna do that never say never.
Speaker 1:You might, but I doubt it does that? So things like that, does that bother you? People like say, in the sporting sense, in a fitness sense doing, is it better than you Do? You know what I mean?
Speaker 2:It's all relative, I think Well yeah, and actually, like, sometimes I'm fine about it, but just sometimes I'm not. Yeah, because I have learnt to accept that, you know, my body can only do what it can do. I have only been running for I't know like six months. Yeah, I'm, you know my body's different. I'm, I'm not young like I know, I look very youthful, but I am almost 43.
Speaker 2:You know I've got a dodgy ankle, like I've weighed a lot more um and I. You know, my body just naturally maybe isn't gonna be that quick, but I'm better at other things than other people, yeah, and it it just doesn't really matter, is it? Because it is doing the best that you can do for yourself and being proud of that?
Speaker 1:yeah, I find I don't compare myself in terms of, like physical ability, because I think working in the job I work, I know how different everyone's bodies can be. Yeah, and how people are just sometimes naturally better at other things because they're almost built for it. So I know I'm never going to be a sprinter because, like I'm like, my body literally isn't built to be a sprinter.
Speaker 1:But I know I'm probably better at lifting heavy stuff because I'm stocky, I'm like a little ox, right, but I find myself comparing myself to other, like personal trainers so we both run our own businesses right so I as a rule, do not follow any other local personal trainers on social media, not because I don't like them I have a problem with them but everyone's sharing their highlight reel and I think I can get into comparing my business to theirs so much like so easily, yeah, and sometimes it motivates me, sometimes it makes me feel really rubbish and I think it's because I really care about doing well in that area, whereas I don't particularly care about being the fastest runner.
Speaker 2:Okay that's interesting because actually I'm friends with quite a lot of people that do the same thing as me locally and we follow each other and, like you know, I have treatments done by them. Yeah, you know, but they're all very nice people that I am sort of friends with. There are some not so nice people.
Speaker 2:Actually I've blocked yeah, I think it was definitely more a thing like when I was trying to work out like my niche and stuff well, I was going to say, like you know, when you're saying like you want to do well, really you are doing well, yeah, so now.
Speaker 1:I've really found my feet with who I want to work with and what I want to be known for. It doesn't bother me as much anymore because I know like there's a space for everyone, yes, but I think I had to come to a point of getting to that where I was just trying oh, my, everyone's doing better than me and you just feel like you're flailing and you're lost a bit. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's definitely lessened since. Yeah, that point. But yeah, I think it is like we compare and we care because we really care about something. Yeah, so if you're on a health journey, you really care about being quote, unquote a better version of yourself. Or if you feel like you're putting loads of work in and not getting the results, but you see someone else who supposedly isn't putting the same amount of work in and they're getting better results Pisses you off, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:It does piss you off, and I think there's a. I think as well, there is a. There's a lot of people out there that are maybe not on such an emotional journey yeah, as us all and they are very competitive and they will say things like if you don't, you know, if you can't run 5k in 30 minutes, like you're rubbish at running and you know things like that, and that, I think, because I've all been bigger and not being sporty at all, I think I have a bit of a. I don't want people to judge me yeah, so want to be.
Speaker 2:If I can't be really good, I'm almost a bit like oh, I'm on rubbish, but I know I am learning that this is not the case and I am like it's a bit like when we do gate 5k on a Sunday and there's other run clubs there. They're, you know, very different to us and I'm a bit like oh, are they thinking like, oh, look at her, she's really slow at running? I don't know, whatever, but I think it comes from a place of people probably judging me in the past.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So maybe I'm now judging myself. This is like a therapy session. It is, but I do think you know other. I think we're critical of ourselves because of what other people think, whether they they probably have not even seen that I exist.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's almost like a defense mechanism, isn't it? Yeah, it's like don't worry, I've already thought about that, about myself yeah you think I'm ugly, so do I like yeah, you know it's um you taking the piss out yourself before someone else gets the chance.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I just I think Social media obviously is rife with comparison.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And we all know, like the highlight reel, don't compare yourself to someone else's highlight reel, but it is really hard. But I do think recently, recently, there's been a rise in more authentic creators, runners. There's so many fitness accounts now where it's just very normal people, people like us. People like us. This podcast for example.
Speaker 2:This is why we're doing it. Yeah, like.
Speaker 1:Gates5k. The way I do my PT, it's like this every no. I think people are less interested in that kind of perfect physique, the ideal morning routine and then the perfect training. I just don't think that's as attractive anymore because you can't achieve it and I think people have realized that and they're so tired of pretending. Yeah, I think more and more people are like they just want someone who's real. Yeah, because I go about my day-to-day life. I work in a gym and 99.9 percent of people they're not ripped, they're not in this, like you know men's fitness mag, like um shape. I know they've got really normal lives, but they come in, they work out, they live their life. That's real. Yeah, and I think people are clocking on to wait. Hold on these people who are like getting up at 4 30 am and doing this 20-step morning routine and in this amazing shape, like that is. That is the one percent? Yeah, it is, but because we see it all the time, we think it's the 99 yeah and it really isn't.
Speaker 1:Just look, yeah, just look around and who you're seeing.
Speaker 2:They're the normal people and it's not achievable for all of us.
Speaker 1:No, and accepting that's quite freeing. Yeah, accepting you might not be the skinniest person ever, or the strongest, or the fastest, or the smartest or the best at this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, strongest or the fastest or the smartest or the best at this? Yeah, and I think, like you know, when it comes to like food and stuff, I mean I hate cooking.
Speaker 1:I hate thinking about what I'm gonna eat.
Speaker 2:I am not the sort of person that can take a good picture of something I've cooked. I'm I'm not big on presentation and uh, you see so much of it, don't you? But now I'm just like, oh well, I'm just gonna have porridge and a banana and some blueberries and I don't have to take a picture of it. Nobody needs to see this because it's just my breakfast it's quite boring, really, isn't it?
Speaker 1:it's really boring and I don't know. Like we've got average isn't failure, and I think that's kind of what we're saying here is you can have your success is your success, and your success is based on where you started. It's not based on where you are in comparison to someone else.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially when it's a personal journey yeah if you've started at point a and you've got to your goal, then you, by definition, have been successful. Yeah, that might be average in the grand scheme of everyone doing all these things like if it's running or whatever. Okay, if you'd put put you in a table, you might be smack bang in the middle. That doesn't matter, but it might be the biggest thing you've ever done in your life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, like you know, I might be an average runner, but when it comes to like determination and willpower, I'm half a pound off losing 10 stone Like I've put a lot of work into that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, yes, I might be slow, but I have done some things and I'm not that slow, I'm just done some things, I'm not that slow, I'm just not that fast.
Speaker 1:I'm average, you're average, and average is good enough. Average is good enough. Average is fine. Average is average, there's nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 2:No, and can you imagine if everybody could just go out and run like 15 minute 5K?
Speaker 1:But then that would be the average. That would be the average. That would be the average. You've got to have losers, you've got to have winners, exactly, and you've got to have people right in the middle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because if you didn't have people at different stages, you wouldn't have elites, you wouldn't have, like you know, olympians Life would be boring Life would be so boring If everyone was just achieving great things all the time, if we just didn't have great people to compare ourselves against.
Speaker 1:I don't think you can kind of flip it. You can almost. I think we should just try and like celebrate the successes of others more, regardless of where we are, because their success will never. That shouldn't take away from what you're doing.
Speaker 2:But it's interesting, isn't it? Because you've got like Elliot Kipchoge, who is, like you know, one of the greatest runners of all time. Nobody's like oh God. I mean maybe some people, but you know you can't do what he can do. He is the greatest runner.
Speaker 1:I'm not looking at my Strava after 5K thinking I've gone so far off those leads. I'm so far off those leads, I'm not going.
Speaker 2:I'm like that's never gonna be me, but you might compare yourself against somebody that's two minutes quicker yeah, exactly, and maybe that's a useful comparison, because comparison onto our next point, can be useful at times it can be useful. Yeah, I think in the beginning it's really useful and I did find, particularly with running, what I would compare myself with how I had done from the run before and I think you make progress quite quickly with running in the beginning.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think anything in the beginning tends to be quite fast. It's when you've got the most motivation, I think and because you've not been doing it you've got nothing. You've got nothing.
Speaker 2:You're just winning all the time, yeah yeah, so yeah, I think in the beginning it's really useful to compare yourself to how you were doing the run before, the week before, even the month before yeah, and sometimes you could compare yourself as someone not doing as much as you, that's true, if you need a little boost and you look at someone who's just not doing it.
Speaker 1:It might make you feel a bit better I'm not saying you need to look down upon these people, you sure, but sometimes that just makes you feel a bit better it does keep it to yourself, though, yeah don't be slagging people off.
Speaker 1:So we just said when is comparison useful? And am has mentioned that when training for something. We'll stick to running because it's easy to understand. We always talk about running, I know, but it's kind of what we do, um, and it's the only thing we are really competitive in in terms of we are trying to get better. Yeah, and it's just what pushes us at the minute is running yeah, there'll be something else next year exactly I'm getting into cycling not me.
Speaker 1:Um, so comparing your previous race time to the one that you want to reach, or maybe, you know, comparing your training or the effort you're putting in, or just like looking back and wanting to improve on certain aspects, can be really useful when it comes to making progress. But what we're what we spoke about was there's a lot of emotional attachments to progress, and when or when you're not making progress, how that affects you emotionally could maybe be a bit of an issue. Going forward and then maintaining that progress and that consistency of what you're trying to do yeah, makes any sense.
Speaker 2:That makes a lot of sense. I think about my husband, who? He is a man, a man who runs, and he's really good at running. Yeah, he is really good at running and he pushes himself really hard and compares to himself to how he was when he did 100, when he was training for 100k race. Yeah, but you can't do 100k race all the time, you know. I said to him recently I was like you know, rather than thinking you have to be doing, a marathon every week. Why don't you just do like 5K?
Speaker 1:every day. Yeah, because that's what did he say?
Speaker 2:Not a lot. He's an all or nothing kind of person, but I think he compares himself. So whilst I compare myself to other people, he compares himself to himself. Oh well, I was doing this and I was doing better, and actually like, then I think you're, you know it is affecting your emotional well-being and you're heading towards burnout and then you can't run and you don't want to do anything and then you are in a whole different space yeah like you last week, when you only had one run.
Speaker 1:I know what a waste of space I am. You really are. I think I've definitely compared myself to like pre-parentry a lot, where I used to be up at 5am willingly, excitedly, voluntarily going to the gym, like a lot more than I do now. I feel, like you know, I just did a lot more stuff for myself and because of that, I was like in better shape I don't want to say better shape, but I mean I was different. I was young, I had energy and I wasn't responsible for raising a child, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think I went through a phase of really being down on myself, like I used to do all this stuff why can't I just do it now? And that made me feel rubbish because, instead of being like my, your life is just different. I then tried to force myself to be that again, yeah, and, like you said, it just led to burnout. It just led to more dissatisfaction with everything, because I was failing at trying to be that person again, when actually I had to realize I'm now a new person, I have a new lifestyle and I have to find my thing. For what? Where I am right now, yeah, and that's the best I can do right now and that is fine, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and you know, in five years' time you'll be in a different stage. You'll be five years older for a start. Oh God, I was listening to another podcast a while ago and they were talking about getting rid of your Strava and your Garmin Never.
Speaker 1:I did get rid of my activity tracker a few years ago. A couple of years ago because I was obsessed with my steps.
Speaker 2:I've never been obsessed with my steps ever.
Speaker 1:I think that was. I think a lot of these things. It is your relationship to it, yes, and, like we said, the emotional attachment you have and you know if you're comparing how many steps you got compared to your neighbor down the road, if you're one of those weird leader board things oh yeah then, yeah, is it good for you? Is it getting you out and you're walking and you're feeling better because of the comparison, or is the comparison needing you to be up until like half 12 at night walking up and down your stairs?
Speaker 1:yeah and you don't feel any better when you hit that magical number yeah it's like how is the comparison making you feel?
Speaker 2:is it?
Speaker 1:making you feel motivated and energized and like I want to be a better version of me and this person's just spurring me on, or is it making you feel utterly shit about yourself?
Speaker 2:I just think it's really interesting, though, like today in my pt session, I was like I haven't turned my watch on and then there was this bit of dread like no one's going to know that I've been to the gym.
Speaker 1:That is yeah, I think, when you build identities around your progress because you've obviously you've got your like Instagram account which, like, tracks your running now and your journey is more dedicated to that um, and it's a massive part of your life right now I. That's how I started as well, like my identity was so linked to my weight loss at the beginning of my PT and stuff that when that ceased and when I put on weight again or when I stopped being so, I didn't really know who I was yeah, who.
Speaker 1:I stood for because people I'd built everything based upon this one journey in my life that makes sense yeah, no, it does.
Speaker 2:It does, but I do. I think it's interesting. Like you know, you could. Lots of people will go out and have a run and they are fast, fit, strong, but they don't have a Strava, they don't have a Garmin, they just go and run. Yeah, we like the data.
Speaker 1:I like the data and I think for me I actually enjoy, like I do pay for the Strava Premium.
Speaker 2:Me too, I'm going to say it.
Speaker 1:They say some really nice things they do and I I enjoy seeing my progress when it comes running yeah and I don't know why I don't end up comparing myself to others. I don't know what it is about running, but I really don't give a. I don't care what anyone else is doing, when it comes to running and I'm. I just care about what I'm doing, so I enjoy the Strava I. I'm gonna get a Garmin like I know it makes me feel good.
Speaker 2:Strava's not making me feel shit right now no, strava's always lovely to me, but then we're not following elites we're not following.
Speaker 1:No one else is competitive in that sense.
Speaker 2:I mean the kind of elites that I'm interested in is Shannon, shannon, she's an elite she is an elite.
Speaker 1:And I accidentally ran next to Shannon last night. I ran 10k with her last week and uh, and you're like going like a relatively fast pace and I look and I thought she'd stopped and walked but she was, but she just slowed down a few by, like stay with me. And she was almost running back and I was like puffing, I was like blowing out my arse fighting for your life. Shanna was having a full conversation with me.
Speaker 2:I was like yeah, so you know, there was one more thing that I sort of wanted to touch on and that was like, do you always have to be making progress? I don't think you do. I don't think you do, but I did to begin with and when I first started. I'm gonna go back to running again but do you know, we run, we run. But, like when I first started, I was really disheartened all the time because, you know, didn't know how to pace myself and I was everything. I was always aiming, every single run to go quicker than I did the run before, and that's not what you're supposed to do. No, 95 of your runs should be easy yeah and that is how you build endurance and strength.
Speaker 2:So if you do your 5k at your current fitness and then run a bit further, run a bit further, that's where you're building your fitness. Your hard runs are like your interval training, your hill sprints and your races.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like when you're training for a race. That's when you're going to see progress, and sometimes you might not even see that. Yeah, it's down to the day whether you, my goodness. You know you had that bad time at Bannam Zoo.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm not predicting much better for our next 10K and run Norwich either. But who cares, maybe you next 10k and run Norwich either, but who?
Speaker 1:cares, maybe you'll go opposite and you'll just get worse every race.
Speaker 2:I mean, that could be my thing, that could be getting worse at something you're doing more. Yeah, okay um, but yeah, I mean, I do. I think a lot of people go out there who are running and they every single run they want a pb yeah and it's like that shouldn't, that shouldn't be your main goal. You should just be out there and actually a lot of your runs should be easy I think anything with health, fitness, weight loss, whatever you're doing, it's a lot.
Speaker 1:I think people underestimate how much people, energy people put into these things. Yeah, and you don't have the tank to do that.
Speaker 1:24, 7, 3, 6, 5 no weight loss, you're gonna plateau strength training, you're gonna plateau running, you're gonna plateau anything. You do like that, at the beginning it normally you see a lot of progress and then it will drop off and it's at that point people tend to give up. Yeah, but I think there's so much magic in maintaining Mm-hmm. As a personal trainer who does talk to people every day about weight loss and all this kind of stuff, maintaining is never something people are very good at, because they're either trying to get better or lose or whatever, or they're doing the opposite and it's like they've given up, thrown it all out the window.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or they're doing the opposite and it's like they've given up, thrown it all out the window. Yeah, but sometimes sitting and staying at the same level for a few months will do wonders for you. It ingrains habits, it takes that kind of pressure off you, it allows you to enjoy it. It allows you to build the skills in whatever you're trying to do as well. Yeah, without your success being dictated by making lots and lots of progress.
Speaker 2:If you can maintain something, I think that's more impressive than maybe always getting better well, because that then slips into consistency, doesn't it, which you know is a big word that is used in the health and fitness world. Being consistent is, uh, better than being perfect, yeah I don't know if that's an actual saying, but along those kind of words no definitely uh, what was it?
Speaker 1:progressive perfection?
Speaker 2:that's not what I'm trying to say so it's literally opposite of what I just said.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, consistency if you can maintain a habit of some kind or whatever you're doing, whatever your thing is, through life's ups and downs, through the good times, the bad times, through busier times, through quieter times, and you can maintain that thing, that is a win yeah and if you haven't been able to maintain whatever it is before and you can maintain it now, is that not progress in itself?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, which brings me on to is progress always physical?
Speaker 1:Absolutely not. Absolutely not, because when I was at my strongest and maybe my fittest and making visible progress emotionally, I was regressing, I was having. I wasn't making any progress when it came to my mental health or well-being or anything like that. So now, where maybe I'm not making these big strides physically, the progress I've made to my mindset and my emotional state has been so much better yeah, I agree, I agree.
Speaker 2:I think progress is not always physical it's. You know, for me I might not be going out there running 27 minute 5ks, not yet but I am going out there running and a lot of the times. You know, this morning I woke up and I was like, oh, maybe I won't, I'm seeing re anyway, so maybe I won't go for a run this morning. But then I was like, no, just get up and do it and that's progress, because I could have stayed in bed. I mean, I would have been fine to stay in bed as well, but you know, it's just about.
Speaker 1:And then I felt really good yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, I think, the fact that I've been running for six months now and I haven't given up I joined the gym over two years ago Mm-hmm, and I'm still going.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I've never, ever in my life, ever I've had gym memberships, but I've never gone yeah and when I joined in April 2023, I was like, um, okay, so it's a lot of money to go to this gym, so I have to go, to begin with, at least twice a week, and then I have to go at least three times a week and like I you know I don't always go to that gym that many times because sometimes I run and do other things, but I do exercise at least three times a week usually.
Speaker 2:I think my progress there is that I've you know built a healthy relationship with it built a healthy relationship. Um, I've got consistency and in turn, that has then helped me just feel better about myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I always say to people who worry about so, when people start coming to train with me, to PT with me, they're like do I need to be going three times a week to see the progress and all that kind of stuff? And at the beginning, if there's someone who maybe has never done the gym before, I'm like, don't worry about it right now. If you leave this session feeling better than when you got here or over the next few weeks, you start just feeling better within yourself. That is progress. That is a massive win.
Speaker 2:Whether your body's changed or not, whether you're lifting more or not, whether you're going to the gym more or not, the progress is shown in your like, how you're feeling and I think when you are like that and you haven't gone to the gym or done any exercise and you're only going like once a week or something, you actually don't really look forward to going and it makes it a really enjoyable thing, yeah. Whereas when you're like, oh god, I've got to go to the gym every day, yeah you don't look forward to it and nine out ten times when you're like that you're doing it.
Speaker 1:Maybe for the wrong reason, yes, the wrong motivations absolutely take the pressure off. I think comparison and putting pressure on yourself are part and parcel, the same thing aren, aren't they? Just have fun. Yeah, just have fun. And, like we said last episode, no one doing better than you or above you is looking down on you, apart from me. Yes, to make myself feel better.
Speaker 2:Well, and you know, ending it on the man that I was talking to you about, that I saw on social media who was like saying how he thinks and I mean, this is just his opinion, fine, but how he was saying how, um, he didn't think doing 100k ultramarathon was impressive. Um, he thinks being able to run really quickly is really impressive and basically anybody could do 100 kilometer ultramarathon. Because you do it slow, do it then yeah, do it get.
Speaker 1:do it, get out there. P-train is on 100k, right now.
Speaker 2:I couldn't do it. I would want to do it. I'd die of boredom. Oh my God, well, matthew Green did it, he did it and he did it pretty quick, yeah, but not quick enough for this other guy.
Speaker 1:He wanted him to do it in like four hours Silly, but you know just have fun and enjoy what you're doing, and just check yourself. Sometimes, if you get in a comparison, I'll be like hold on, I'm the bitch. Yeah, why am I comparing myself to these other people? Absolutely. That was episode three of the Health Hunt.
Speaker 2:Make sure you follow, make sure you like, make sure you subscribe, make sure you share it with your friends, make sure you follow us on instagram and if we ask you questions, um, please respond to them.
Speaker 1:Yes, because we need your feedback. We're gonna be introducing a section this is news to Amber, okay Called your fitness failures, your fitness faux pas. Yes, the times when you just embarrass yourself or you've tried something and it really didn't work. We want to know about your trauma, okay.
Speaker 2:And we want to share it to the world. Do we want to know about people's wins?
Speaker 1:Nah, boring. Anyway, we'll be back today. Today We've got another episode coming out, episode four, which is Weight loss. The good, the bad, the ugly Ooh, that's going to be a big one. Yes, it is. Thanks for listening. Bye, Bye.