I was at the top of my running game when my knee problems began back in 2009. I had built myself up to the marathon and ran it in 3:46. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. But that September, whilst out on a run, my knee just went and I had to hobble home in pain. And it just never properly healed. I tried everything, sports massages, physio both NHS and private, acupuncture, and had an MRI scan to show I had a misalignment in the knee cap. So I stopped and took on different types of fitness – cardio classes, spin, body sculpting classes, weight classes and yoga. In many ways, this led to my desire to teach as I realised you don’t need to stick to one thing to improve your fitness levels and build strength and tone in your body. Of course you can if you have found something you love and you just focus and improve that specific area, discipline or skill (this is called specification) but you can also mix it up and keep your body, mind and muscles guessing, and gaining. Nowadays I stick to a weekly regime and thankfully that does include a 5km run a week with the knee support, so far fingers crossed the knee is holding out, but I also combine it with resistance training, HIIT, aerobics classes, spin, and walking which don’t seem to bother the knee at all. Basically, if I can be active most days I’m happy. But that is me, and I appreciate it’s not for everyone to do so much on a weekly basis. So here’s my advice for you to stick to your fitness goals. Find something you love and do a manageable (and enjoyable) amount a week. And if you hit a bump in the road like I did with running, just listen to your body, take a break and try something new for a bit. As I always say, life’s too short to do something you don’t enjoy and there are so many ways to keep fit, so don’t let one obstacle stop you from reaching your goals! ?✌️