Holly’s Great North Run update: Believing in the ‘New Year, New Me’ cliche

‘New Year, New Me’, some people find that saying to be incredibly cliche, but I’ve always believed in it.

The New Year is the perfect time to start fresh, to write down goals for the year and hope to have them achieved by the next time January rolls around.

You may remember that I decided to embark on a fitness, health and wellbeing journey in September 2022. I decided the perfect incentive for me to begin my quest to a healthier life would be to sign up for the Great North Run in 2023. 

I did just that, and pledged to raise £300 for baby loss charity Tommy’s - as what they do for bereaved parents is incredibly close to my heart.

However, trying to kick old habits of a bad diet and lack of exercise wasn’t as easy as I’d originally thought, especially during the winter months. Over Christmas, many of us struggle due to the festivities, and although I had a wonderful time celebrating, eating delicious food and lazing around in comfy clothes - I knew that in January it was time to take this more seriously.

Therefore, I decided that today (January 9) was to be the date I started my ‘New Year, New Me’ challenge. My goals are to eat better and become fitter as they always have been, so that I can run the Great North Run successfully in September.

I plan to start completely from the beginning, and have figured out what worked for me before and what didn’t, and put all of that into the challenge.

I found the NHS Couch to 5K app, which teaches those with a low activity level to run a 5K, with support from a famous voiceover, who encourages you along the way - to work really well for me. However, I found running in a park on the dark nights uncomfortable. So last week, I purchased a second hand treadmill - to allow me to do this from home.

The treadmill is non-motorised, and set on an incline, therefore requires more effort from the runner in order to get the machine moving. I made a playlist of high-energy anthems to get me through the running.

Secondly, I signed up to a brand-new fitness programme called Routine Fitness. The group which I will be starting this Saturday holds three fitness sessions online a week for an affordable price and flexible schedule. I also devised a food plan in order to stick to the calorie content I desire, but to most of all eat healthier foods.

I am incredibly excited, determined and ready to embark on this journey once again, with a brand-new positive mindset and attitude.