New Year New Me | Dry Vegan Hyrox everyday January
Introduction
I’ve been a qualified personal trainer since 2010, I also hold degrees in Physiology and a Masters in Cardiac Rehabilitation but before you abandon ship having dismissed me as just another intellectually loaded preacher trainer I’ll admit these things mean nothing without the ability to persuade someone onto a better life. I’m hoping this short post jars something in you that brings you to a better place in your life.
Every January some new version of a Lifestyle and Physical activity craze sweeps the world and snaps back on optimism like a bull whip. I have not seen it all and I never will. I have however seen enough people engage in New Year, New Me Dry Vegan Hyrox (or what training is in vogue) everyday that I feel I need to remind anyone who is undertaking a lifestyle change to be patient with yourself in January. I also have nothing against Hyrox or any other physical activity but for 2026 it is the craze of the moment though Padel is probably a close second.
Habits - the Elixir of lifestyle change
For those in need of practical advice I’d recommend reading
Coaching Performance Sir John Whitmore
The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg
From the Power of Habit I gained the insight that about 40% of my day to day activities are habits. When I married that two key priniciples from Coaching Performance 1) Awareness 2) Responsibility I realised it was entirely possible to be unaware of my habits and have no way to take responsibility for them. Reflecting on that problem I realised there were ways to spotlight my habits. A food diary showed exactly how often I ate something and told myself “just this once”. To take responsibility what I had to do was reinvent the habit. I couldn’t change the cue for example someone offers me a biscuit at the office and I couldn’t change the reward which was the satisfaction of eating a tasty biscuit. I could however flip the routine which was eating the biscuit. The biscuit offer came on a plate with fruit. I started taking an apple instead.
I deployed the exact same thing running but I was more performance driven instead of just running the kilometres I need to be marathon ready I counted the kilometres at my target marathon pace each week. To make a marathon PB I worked out that I had to hit between 32-35 km each week for five weeks before taper week to be anywhere near a PB on race. I had the cues to run in my training schedule my routine was warm up, drills, strides and then whatever workout but in that last five weeks I was wiring in my target race pace and if I missed the target I knew it was my responsibility to make it happen but more importantly I was precisiely aware exactly what workout that I was slacking off. I could alter the session or get a training partner involved or I could bring Edward in the buggy. I know that I perform better in the marathon it goes against me. I’ve never slept well before a marathon and more recently my children have awakened in the middle of marathong night. When this happens I double down psychologically. It’s a marathon it’s supposed to be hard. Bringing Edward in the buggy and telling myself now go faster was like doubling the reward. I was rewriting the habit routine that said I was tired or lost concentration with push harder you have a buggy.
conclusion
If you want to embrace New Year New Me review old habits me and modify the routine.
Quote of the week
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Ralph Waldo Emerson