Blair Johnston Personal Trainer

32.

When my folks told me, the older you get the quicker it goes. I called BS…

Turns out they knew a thing or two 😂

Could not tell you where the last year has went.

Somewhere in the midst of it we’ve watched our baby grow, our boy go to school and just tried to navigate life as it comes.

Not every year goes to plan.

There’s definitely things looking back I’d wish I’d done better, handled better and taken more control of.

But we move into the next year with a bit more perspective, some hindsight and a clearer understanding of what we want to achieve.

Sometimes we have to take a step back to see where we need to move forward.

Still, another year to be grateful for.

Healthy family. Memories banked. Watching both boys hit milestones. So much time spent with the people that matter most ❤️

Blessed 🙏🏻

Let’s get after 32 🫡

How playground chats end up like this I don’t know.

But I’m 2 weeks into the return to school and have found myself in these kind of conversations more than I’d like to admit 😂😂

Was chatting to one of the other Dads last week and it’s came up a few times since.

I don’t think you genuinely know how you’re going to react when you have kids.

We all have an idea of how we think it’ll go. How we’ll react, manage everything, make time for things and balance it all.

Then they come along and that all goes out the window 😂

You find your feet, then number 2 comes.
You think you’re better prepared. You’ve raised one so far, it can’t be too much.

But it’s not life with 1 x 2, so I found out at least ha!

It’s a totally different experience.

Training changes, sleep changes, relationships change, work changes, priorities change.

You change.

I think where I’ve got it wrong at times, and where I see a lot of parents get stuck too, is thinking we need to wait for things to calm down.

Once sleep is better.
Once work isn’t as busy.
Once the summer is over.
Once we’ve got a routine again.

Then I’ll sort myself out.

Reality is, something else will probably just occupy that space.

Maybe we need to get better at living in the chaos, rather than fighting it or waiting it out.

We adjust. We find the gaps and fill them with what serves us.

Can’t train 4 times? Train twice.
Don’t have an hour? Find 20mins.
Structure food where you can.

When life gives you more space, do more.
When it gives you less, adjust again.

I think I’m realising more and more that this is what consistency actually looks like as a parent.

Not perfect. Just getting better at working with whatever version of life has turned up that week 😂

Don’t stop. Adjust. Fill the gaps. Keep going.

The chaos isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, that’s for sure!

We can’t be too narrow minded when it comes to consistency.

Speaking to a few clients over the last week or two, we’ve chatted a lot about consistency and what it actually looks like for parents.

Because I think the reason so many don’t get started, give up or feel like they’re failing is because they think they can’t be consistent.

But I’ve been challenging their idea of what consistency actually is.

Most people will say it’s sticking to the plan every week.

Not skipping days.

Not missing workouts.

Let’s be honest though,

That’s a very zoomed in view of consistency, and it’s pretty hard to live by when you aren’t even sure which version of your toddler is going to wake up today 😂

Consistency when it comes to change is less about the day to day actions and more about the direction you’re going.

No two weeks are going to look exactly the same when you’re a parent.

That’s a fact 😂 whether we like it or not.

So you need to be pliable.

Consistency is still working towards what you want 6 weeks from now.

It’s still moving forward with intention 6 months from now.

It’s not giving up on what you want because the last 4 weeks of sleep have been a s**t show.

Or because you’ve only managed to train 4 times in the last 2 weeks.

You adjust.

You do what you can.

And you keep moving in the same direction.

That’s consistency.

Not perfection week after week.

It’s the intention to keep showing up, even when the odds are against you.

So next time you feel like giving up because you’ve “not been consistent

Zoom out.

One bad week doesn’t make you inconsistent.

Giving up because of it will.

Solid outing from the team yesterday at SHM 🤜🤛

Was great to stand by and watch them all absolutely smash it out there!

PBs all round 👏🏻

— 1:53

She absolutely smashed this.

After not feeling like it was going to happen, routine changes, returning to work throwing training out of sync, sleepless nights with the baby…

Then she pulls this out the bag! 👏🏻

— 1:51

A PB well deserved!

Probably the most locked in she’s ever felt. Confident in herself, confident in her actions and it showed on the day!

Ryan Mac — 1:49

Solid effort from this guy!

Again, a new job and new responsibilities threw training out of whack, then a last minute return to football started challenging an old knee injury.

Then he pulls this out?! 🤝

All taking minutes off their previous bests!

PBs are a great reward, but effort is the only currency.

And not one of them crossed that finish line feeling like they could’ve given more.

They emptied the tank.

Gave it 100%.

And at the end of the day, that’s what matters 🤝

Effort over finish lines 🫡

Just makes the results that much sweeter when the PB comes with it!

10 years ago we were just figuring us out LJ

Taking you out for your birthday for the first time, us wondering what the future would hold 🫣 to now watching you run a Half on your birthday!

We spent the early days Imagining and talking about how life could be

Here we are , 10 years on, with a life we only could imagine then

Without you, there would be none of this.

We may be 10 years older, but 10 years fuller in life.

We love you more than you know, without you there would be none of this ❤️

Happy Birthday from your Boys 💙

My little side kick starts P1 ❤️

I don’t really know how to feel about it either, we don’t realise how quickly they grow up.

Then we hit milestones like these and the realisation hits you like a brick wall.

Felt like yesterday we were dropping you off for your first ever day at nursery. You were 2.

Now we are here, watching you walk into the next phase of life.

With nothing but excitement and confidence, cannot express how proud I am of this little ma. He fears nothing, he takes everything head on, in his stride.

Yes there’s days where you can be, overzealous and challenging, as you navigate this world but you fear nothing and are willing to try everything. You don’t shy away, you get stuck in.

As someone who spent a long part of his life building confidence in myself, I will do everything I can to protect that in you. It’s a gift ❤️

Proud of you the little man you are becoming!

Proud to be your Dad ❤️

Something I’ve noticed recently from a few conversations I’ve had…

We’re brutal at giving ourselves any credit as parents 😂

Especially when we feel like we aren’t doing as well as we should be.

Training’s been inconsistent.

Foods been a bit all over the place.

Works busy.

Kids are off school and any form of routine has disappeared.

So naturally the answer is…

I need to try harder.

I need to be more disciplined.

I need to get my s**t together.

And sometimes, aye, maybe you do 😂

But I think more often than we realise, effort isn’t actually the problem.

It’s the expectation we’ve put on ourselves.

We expect to train 4 times a week, eat perfectly, get our steps in, sleep well, perform at work, keep the house from looking like a bomb site and still somehow be fully present with the kids.

Then we manage 70% of it and convince ourselves we’re doing s**te.

I’ve definitely been guilty of that.

Even with my own training over the last year, I’ve spent more time looking at what I wasn’t doing than giving myself any credit for what I was.

I don’t think the answer is to lower the standards either.

I still think we should want more for ourselves.

But there’s surely a difference between having standards and expecting yourself to nail every area of your life at the same time.

Maybe this week 4 sessions isn’t happening.

Do 2.

Maybe nutrition isn’t going to be bang on.

Get a couple of things right and go from there.

Then when life gives you a bit more room, push again.

I suppose that’s the bit I’ve been thinking about.

Before deciding you need to try harder…

It’s probably worth asking if you’re actually not trying hard enough in the first place.

Been lucky enough over the last few months that I’ve been the one putting G to bed at night as he goes down easier, likely because I don’t have two inbuilt milk bottles 😂

Found it pretty hard at the start because I was so used to doing it with H, but it’s become one of the only times in the day I’m left alone with my own thoughts.

Which has meant I’ve been thinking a lot about the last year and, I won’t lie, from a fitness standpoint it’s probably not been my finest.

Training has been the most inconsistent and up and down it’s ever been.

I could blame it on going from 1 to 2 kids, balancing 3 jobs and making sure the lights are on and food was in the fridge until mat leave was finished.

Truth is, it was none of that.

I was just telling myself I had to wait until things were better before committing to anything.

The time wasn’t right to set some goals. I just had to hold off until things were easier and I had more time.

It’s funny because I’ve probably heard some version of that same conversation a dozen times from parents over the last few weeks.

Then I realised I was doing exactly the same thing.

Truthfully, I don’t actually think life ever gets easier. It just changes.

If it’s not one thing, it’ll be another.

Kids get older, work gets busy and life moves on.

I think if I’d waited for the perfect time I’d probably still be waiting 5 years from now.

I’ve always worked better when I’ve got something pulling me forwards and when I apply a little pressure to myself.

So we’ve got some targets coming up.

October will be AJ Bell Half (PB hopefully) and HYROX with Mrs J.

With the big goal being Ironman Barcelona next year because I just know there’s more in the tank after Cascais.

Now this isn’t me telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t do, it’s really just me sharing what’s been on my mind recently.

But I do think this applies to a lot of parents.

We spend so much time waiting for the perfect time to start that we forget it’s probably never coming.

Start where you’re at and figure the rest out as you go.

Anyway, that’s just my brain dump after the bottle feed tonight 🫡

You haven’t lost it by the way.

We have kids and we embrace it, they change us overnight. Literally.

(Or during the day depending when they decide to show up 😂)

The thing is, you don’t get a second to realise that change, it just happens.

We can get to a point where we look in the mirror and don’t recognise the person looking back at us or the actions that got us here.

We think we’ve lost it. Lost ourselves.

Something I’ve heard a few times over the last week from parents is:

I don’t have discipline anymore.
I’ve lost my confidence.
I’ve lost my routine.
i’ve lost all my motivation.

Every single one of those comments was in reference to who they once were. Pre-kids.

Thought that before?

But when we actually dig a little deeper,

You’re still getting up every day and providing for your family.

You’re still working to keep a roof over your heads and food on the table.

You’re still making sure everyone else has what they need.

You’re solving problems and putting out fires every single day.

Those characteristics, the ones you’ve “lost”, aren’t lost at all.

What’s changed is where you’re applying them.

At some point you’ve stopped giving yourself any credit because your health isn’t where you’d like it to be right now.

You haven’t lost your discipline.

You haven’t lost your work ethic.

That version of you is still there, it’s just being used in a different area of your life right now.

The mistake I see parents make is believing they need to become who they used to be again.

You don’t.

You just need to start applying a little more of that person back to yourself.

Because the person and the results you’re chasing are probably a lot closer than you think 🤝

School holidays got you feeling like you’ve earned the weekend? 😅

Can we be honest?

No matter how much you love your kids, the summer holidays can feel like you’ve taken on a second full-time job 😂

Between work, keeping the kids entertained and trying to keep the house from descending into absolute chaos, by Friday you’re ready to switch off.

And that’s okay.

But the weekend doesn’t have to undo everything you worked for Monday to Friday.

Too many parents live with an all or nothing attitude.

If there’s nothing on, you’re “on plan.”

One BBQ, one day out or one family even and it’s:

“I’ll start again Monday.”

That’s what’s slowing your progress.

You can absolutely enjoy:

A BBQ in the sun.
An ice cream with the kids.
A beer or a glass of wine.

and still make progress.

The goal isn’t perfection here.

It’s just not disappearing for 48 hours and coming back on Monday feeling like you’re starting from scratch.

Balance doesn’t mean being perfect.

It means making a few smart decisions so you can enjoy family time without sacrificing your goals.

Your kids won’t remember whether you skipped dessert.

They’ll remember that you were present.

And you can be fully present while still looking after yourself.

That’s what real balance looks like 🤝