In April 2018 I started my coaching journey with Hard & Smart. From our very first meeting, I made the decision to be honest with myself and my coach at all times and to always be unapologetically me. At the time I started training properly and with intent I was recovering from an eating disorder and had severe anxiety and panic attacks. Here is what I’ve learnt along the way.

Imagine this, every run starts half an hour early with butterflies in my stomach, is this the run where I going to have to stops? Am I going to look like a slow elephant on Strava? Am I going to be loads slower than last week? Is my heart rate going to be too high? What if I need the toilet? What if my kit chaffs?

For me, this isn’t ludicrous it’s just reality.

Most of you reading this will have been to the gym before at one point or another and let’s be honest they can be intimidating environments. Let’s face it we have all been in this situation at some point and it puts a lot of us off going. So it was with slight trepidation that I went along to my first gym session in months a few weeks back.