If You Keep Failing To Improve Your Fitness - Don't Worry TOO Much 

I mention Miles in this video - check out his journey here: instagram.com/milesvictors/

I remember the moment it clicked. I got kicked off a water slide for being over 300 pounds. A couple of years later, I was 213 when I woke up this morning and have ran a 5k for 240 days in a row!!! Keep up the videos!!!!

The duck pond never fails to make an appearance

Im feeling pretty rubbish at the moment. I was fit, could rock up to a local triathlon and expect to win it, go and run a sub 4hr marathon with no training, go do the fred whitton with no particular issue. But then i got hit by a car last December. Luckily no broken bones other than some ribs, but loads of soft tissue ligament issues, lower back pain etc etc. I've gone from feeling 20 to feeling 60 (im in my late 30s). I'm now trying to get my fitness back while also having way more pain and longer revovery between activities due to the residual injuries. It's just demoralising. I've put on 5kg - not loads but im a 60ish kg woman so 5kgs is enough to make me feel pretty crap about how i feel and look. I need to find my motivation again. A break up with the person i did most of my running and cycling with has also not helped. I don't know where im going with this other than having a vent. Onwards and upwards

Mark, as someone who is usually very skeptical of RU-vidrs' fans ("How can you get so attached to a complete stranger's wittering?"), I have to note with slight concern that I might become a fan of a RU-vidr myself ("This particular stranger's wittering is really relatable!") - to be on the safe side, I tell myself that the deeper meanings of your videos actually go far beyond you as a person and have more of a universal human message. Thank you for your undisguised openness!

This video has resonated with me. I had a great body, fit, strong and athletic. COVID then happed, gyms closed and my motivation dried up. Then in 2022 I ruptured my Achilles, which absolutely killed off any motivation I may have had. The injury took over 12 months to heal. However, I haven’t had a spark of motivation to do anything physical whatsoever, even though I know that I look ridiculous. I have had a few false starts along the way but I always grind to a stop. I think partly it’s depression related, but it’s enlightening to see you explain your own experience with ‘the wheels coming off’ a little. Ive always felt the spark/fire/desire that I know I have somewhere stashed away will return. It’s nice to see some examples of others who have been through it, so I don’t feel so alone with my own frustrations.

Having gone from obease to very fit and back again. (125kg to 85 to 125 to now 108, 185cm) I know how easy it is to get complacent. Sometimes that day never comes. It took me 10 years to start to make a serious change.

I think everyone forgets that fitness is a lifetime journey and there are many ups and downs because that's just how life works. Even if you manage to eat and exercise perfectly for a couple of days or weeks, then fall off for whatever reason, you shouldn't feel like you've failed and stop. Keep going! As long as you get back on the horse you've never lost.

Great piece. Thanks. For me my mum was dying and work was rubbish. I found myslef walking down a corridor, the day back at work, after new year, and thinking "I've got to do something about this mood I'm in". That night I ran 4 miles in below freezing weather, in the dark, in shorts and t-shirt. 'Ran' being an ambitious word. It took me best part of an hour. That gave me a benchmark, I had no target other than not to hurt so much next time. Human psychology is complex, the person who solves it, will win a Nobel Prize. Me, I'll just remember - small steps.

In my opinion it just clicks one day, you know you’re better than you were and know you’ve got more to give. Then it’s a combination of discipline, consistency, grit and setting up short term reachable targets along the journey which all lean into achieving your main goal. Loving the videos mate, you were one of the reasons I got back into running last October. “If he can run at his age, so can I” I was soon humbled by the above comment 😂

Im in my 30th and my fitness and diet are a ness. I got a fat liver diagnosed 2 month ago. I'm beginning to change my diet and beginning my fitness journey. Your videos are inspiring and help me getting my shit together. Thank you so much!

I absolutely hated going to the gym, but I decided to go to get in shape for my wedding. We started about a year prior, and it was nice knowing there was an "end date" to the gym. But I found after our wedding passed that I actually quite missed it. I couldn't actually tell anyone when I switched from thinking of exercise as a chore to something I looked forward to. I also switched from focusing on how I look (I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never be satisfied) to what my body can be capable of. Now I go to the gym because I love seeing my progress, feeling sweaty and accomplished, and walking straighter with my head held up.

I think that motivation can be transitory and ephemeral. I don’t like requiring motivation to do the things that I should do. I just don’t trust motivation to last. I think that for me personally at least, accountability and habit are more important. My own weight loss was from 320 to 185 pounds, and while there was an initial spark of motivation (I wanted to have an easier time fitting into airplane seats and walking around European cities) ultimately for me it was just getting to the point where the things I needed to do to lose and then maintain weight were as much habit as brushing my teeth or doing the laundry.

1) Don't count the seconds you are active, doing something hard that seemingly never ends, with dread, that only ends in a cul-de-sac of activity resentment....start counting the seconds you are inactive while you wait for your next activity! 2) Respect your body not to allow more than one poison (Pringles!, inactivity, anxiety etc) per day; i.e. After ONE poison, that's your lot for the day. 3) Do something everyday for the You of tomorrow. 4) Be grateful and brave.

People always kept telling me i´m fat. I was always the fat kid. I was bullied because of it in school. My mother told me every day to stop eating so much junk. My cardiologist (i was born with a mild heart condition, unrelated to obesity) told me to lose weight on every checkup. Nothing helped. Then one year, after christmas dinner, i stepped on a scale just for fun and it showed 122kg. That´s when it clicked. I Made a new years resolution, and, miraculously, actually, kept it.

I ran my first solo 10k yesterday. Thanks for the realistic no-nonsense perspective.

How do you always know what I need to hear from you?! Thanks again, Mark!

Love your vids mate. Was a regular gym goer for 20yrs. Got to 46 years old, overweight, unmotivated, but i just reminded myself that i always enjoy exercise. I'm one of those sick ppl who enjoy a 45min row 3 or 4 times a week. 5 months back on the machine and going strong. Getting the diet in order is the biggest challenge now

This has actually happened to me recently. Over the last 3 years I've gained 35kg and have very recently started to lose it again. The turning point both ways for me has been starting and now finishing a stint in an extremely toxic workplace. I'm reading Gelong Thubten's books and have started meditating as I know full well that stressful times will come again and I don't want to add insult to injury by gaining weight and putting my health at risk again - hence I need a coping mechanism that isn't food. While I've been this weight I have been diagnosed with a fatty liver, but even that didn't get me going. Only me imminently leaving this godforsaken workplace seems to have got me more-or-less back on track again. The hardest thing has been to stop beating myself up about the weight gain. Ironically, I suspect that has made things worse than they would have been otherwise. Moral of the story? Try not to beat yourself up and don't put up with a toxic workplace. It's not worth your health or mine :) You may need to make changes to the rest of your life before you can change your eating or exercise habits.

Glad you got checked! I had testicular cancer in 2017 and glad I saw the doctor straightaway. Mine was treated with a single outpatient surgery and I was back at work the new week. Other fellas, especially those who waited, haven't been nearly as lucky. Also, as far as hopping back in-I think bargaining with yourself with smaller steps helps. I usually run about 10k 3-4 times a week. I didn't want to run this morning, though needed to. I bargained, "How about just 5k?" That seemed super manageable. By the end of the 5k, I wanted to do another 5k, but I decided to just call it a good day a leave some in the tank.

Mother in hospital a long way away for 5 weeks, training sporadic, diet total crap, on the road a lot. First Hyrox in 7 months ! Needed this. Thanks mate 👏👏👏

Literally trying to find this motivation this week. Sadly motivation is the one thing nobody can prescribe and does not come in a can.. Like Pringles.

If you really want to change something, the moment to start is always now. What worked out for me was finding a way to see how the change could be fun for me. For example eating. I would like to eat all day, but I don't want to be fat, so I researched my own diet that's healthy enough while still providing me with enough comfort food in just a few meals.

I think the number one thing that works for me is to acquire an accountability buddy who you meet at the gym. I had one and was in spectacular shape. That partnership ended and they moved away and I got super out of shape. I got a different buddy and dragged myself out of bed every morning so I wouldn't disappoint him and after a few months was in nearly as good shape. But then I moved and haven't found a buddy this past year and I'm back on the fat bus... So I signed up for exercise classes where I feel accountable to the others in the class who expect me to show up (not to mention my wallet for that subscription). I'm externally motivated, not internally, so I need to find an external motivator that I can internalize!

Absolute class Mark as always. Love your perspective. I was kind of lucky and never truly got out of shape but wasn’t happy with my condition then was diagnosed with late stage melanoma. My trigger was what can I do differently to mean I am here longer for my family. I now run, bike, swim and hike pretty much 6 days a week. Not as ripped as you mate but my waist is now what it was when I was 19. I’ll take that at 50

My moment of change was actually a New Year’s resolution 😂 For me the arbitrary line to stop drinking and join the gym stuck worked. Also I was determined to prove others wrong about New Year’s resolutions. But it took a long time for the idea to percolate and have the motivation to change.

I watched one of your videos quite a while ago. It changed my attitude towards exercise. I have never looked back. I used to view exercise as weight control when most calories burned daily are purely for keeping alive by doing nothing. It's the diet, not the exercise. I now use the diet to maintain my weight. I still exercise, but it is now for health benefits, not controlling my weight. Since I changed my perception, exercise has been placed differently in my life, and I do it now for enjoyment rather than as a chore. It fits better. I look at it differently. I don't beat myself up when I have not completed a workout.

Mark I don't usually comment that often but what you talked about spoke to me, because I have experienced first hand what you talk about about a month ago. I'd been unhappy with my ever-increasing weight and my ever declining physical shape for a few years now. Tried some half or wholehearted attempts to eat better. Was not able to keep up with the kids playing and being active. Reasons enough and yet nothing worked! I turned 39 this year and again I made a plan, an attempt to motivate me and get in shape: I wanted to be in good shape (if possible the best shape of my life), turning 40. So I gave myself a year. To mark the starting point - other than the day after the birthday, I had blood works done. It was the moment the doctor called me with the results and she said: I was honestly shocked at the cholesterol values; they might be the worst I've seen. That woke me up. That boosted the motivation of "being in shape at 40" into the Stratosphere. Since then I have radically changed my diet, tracking my macros, started to move (walking, bodyweight exercises, went for my first run today) and I feel amazing. Tomorrow first follow up at the docs but I feel confident and it's amazing. But it was that confluence of internal and external motivators that did it, coupled with some good support from RU-vid channels such as yours. Thanks a lot and let's stay on the wagon together!

Thanks!

I too spent a big part of my adult life overweight. The trigger for me was lockdown when my even more overweight husband turned around his own diet and weight. We've both been fluctuating within this healthyish zone ever since. It's a constant battle and it's so refreshing to see you (and all these commenters) going through just the same thing.

I definitely agree the only time I'm able to start something is when I just expect that it might not be a consistent thing yet but I put in the effort I can even if that's just going for a walk to a coffee shop instead of driving or gargling with mouth wash instead of not brushing my teeth. By expecting that I'm doing the best I can and still making minor progress it's a lot easier for my mind to make that switch after a while of doing it into finally being able to put the effort I want into it. It's not always perfect but being to hard on yourself will definitely hurt you in the end.

Totally random but I’m so glad I found your account honestly your so lovely and sane in the middle of wild fitness influencer content the algorithm keeps shoving down my feed. I’ve been consistently running 5k almost everyday for over 3 months and strength training 3x week. All because finally I woke from over a year long burnout and sickness. Just clicked and even now after 3 week holiday messing with routine I was able to get up and go I’ve never been able to do that; function back after a break in routine. I’ve genuinely never been prouder. Each time I just remind myself better than average. That’s it. That’s all I have to do and for that I thank you

I can totally relate to this in almost every way. I wish you well.

I tried getting in shape and pushed too hard too fast and tore my shoulder up and got a hiatal hernia. After my shoulder surgery I will be taking it slow and steady but emphasis on steady! Hope everyone stays motivated out there and remember consistency is key, not speed of progress

My 7 year-old son beat me in a running race around the swimming pool. He's 21 now, and can't be me anymore! :)

Great video, Mark. Reminded me of my own moment of realization. I had tried the whole "New Years Resolution" stuff and also the "on Monday, I'll start!" thing. Obviously, both failed quickly. But I can remember the moment I did change very clearly: It was an odd Tuesday in November 2022. There was no fanfare about it. I had been working out and building athletic confidence, but not losing weight. And it just clicked in my brain: "This is stupid. I need to change the way I eat." Everyone had been telling me that and I had been in denial. And then I snapped out of it. Almost two years later, I'm 35 pounds lighter and have kept that weight off for 7-8 months at this point.

Great video Mark. I'm currently in a 'lack of motivation' stage. 10 yrs ago a few lads at work decided to do a fat club to loose some weight. One of them told me I should do it too. This started my ball rolling. I lose 4st, agreed to do a half marathon having not run in 35 yrs and quit smoking. I ran 3 half marathons and a bunch of 10k's before switching to cycling. I've done quite a lot of cycling including Coast 2 coast in a day. During the summer I would do 45 miles after work and would be out at 5am on a Sunday. I've spent the winter on Zwift and still have quite good endurance but this year I've got no enthusiasm for riding outside. My weight has always fluctuated and is currently close to where it was 10 yrs ago. I know what I need to change to both loose the weight and help motivate me but can't seem to kickstart it into action.

Thank you Mark for keeping it real... always!

Thanks for this Mark. I’ve had a calamitous 2024, adding a good 15+ kg and violating all of my self imposed red lines. Really helpful knowing I’m not alone.

Superb ending! Can tell you used to be a stand up comic. Actual belly laugh.

Glad you are back on it!

If i go out on my bike for 3hrs and the next day hit the gym....i might then do nothing for 3/4/5 days. But then sometimes i train 10 days straight. I just follow how my body feels (at nearly 59). I think most people would find it very difficult to train 4/5/6 days for 3 months never mind for years on end

This arrived with perfect timing today. Got marmalised on the Hampshire Hoppit today. Nothing went to plan, everything went wrong, but I did finish. I was channeling your "this is stupid , why would anyone do this". Thanks for a much needed reminder that sometimes stuff goes wrong on the day. I'll be back on track after a couple of rest days and have learned from today.

I’ve had 2 hernia ops and they both went fine… definitely recommend keyhole surgery. Love the video! Thank you! I really needed it

Thank you for being you.

Oh pal, thanks for this one. I've been struggling with a motivation and fitness drop off recently. The concept of 'mental alignment' is very helpful. It'll happen when it happens Ta.

Dude, I love watching your videos. I have a pretty bad eating disorder, like yours, and just got my knee injured, so today I thought: what the hell, lets drink and eat, who cares. Luckly your video just changed my mind. So thanks! If you ever come to brazil let me know, I have some pretty nice houses for short rentals at an amazing national park, you're welcome to stay there for a couple of days. Keep up the good work, see you!

Glad you got the medical stuff sorted and are on the mend-ish. Some coworkers and I did a duathlon for fun last year... I should probably organise another.

So much easier to 'Get back on it ' in the summer months. Myself also now getting up at 0530 and hitting the roads /Trails around my local area.

Great video as usual Mark, thank you. My extremely recent moment of realisation that has got me back on track, was a Dorito getting stuck in my oesophagus during an eating binge. They are sharp when you don't chew them properly.

Seriously needed this Mark. Currently on the sofa with a 6 week old baby wondering how I am ever going to get back to the gym again or get my 5K anywhere near 22 mins (it was over 30 last time I tried) Cheers for keeping it real, I spat my coffee out at the 3 kit kat comment too 😄

You're the best, Mark. I'm so happy for your all your subscribers. Well earned.

Great video. The epiphany I had to stop drinking myself to death was *utterly banal* but it clicked. All the big reasons, (like the bleedin' obvious "it's killing you so you should stop") had totally bypassed my motivation for years. But one daft thought... and you change. I sort of imagine that last thought as being the apple falling from the tree -- it's sudden, but it's had a whole summer ripening.

This vid feels like a good therapy session.

This is so true. Had a similar experience to you about re-starting my fitness journey about a month ago. Not really sure what made things click again - wish I could bottle it up for the future though!

I've said before that your videos seem to always be timely for me Mark, and this is the peak example. Tomorrow is the day; the wife and I are switching up the family diet (4 kids, lots of ASD), as well as me committing to a 90 day work out plan from tomorrow. For various reasons, I have a high level of confidence in this, but the main reason is my wife and I will keep each other accountable. We want to be fit and healthy for the long term so we're both hiking Tors in the west country into our old age, and surfing :D

Although I've been pretty fit for a mid 40s guy, I was very similar and come December last year.. stopped fitness all together.. I just got bored and carried on eating the same.. oops. Anyway.. I read James Clears Atomic Habits and it's helped me back on the wagon.

Every year over 50 gets harder and harder to keep it going ….but your happy life you want needs routine that you can keep too

The only person you should ever change for is yourself and the rest will follow... Another great video Mark, thank you!

That moment for me was when I asked a flight attendant for a seatbelt extender and it felt like i needed one more.

For me it was parkrun. However, like you, at the time I didn't realise it was the actual turning point. Somehow, the lifestyle changes have to happen naturally and not feel forced.

Looking forward to seeing what new challenges you take on next. Glad to see your feeling up for it again mate 💪 Your content is always best when youre out doing something big, mad and unusual.

48 yo, I had surgery for both inguinal hernia 2 months ago. One seems to be fixed, the other probably requires surgery again (medical confirmation this very wednesday). I wish you best of luck with your surgery! 👍

I never really liked the gym much apart from the swimming pool so I knew the gym wouldn't work. I just picked something I thought sounded fun which was Irish dancing which is one heck of a workout seriously try it. I have never been fitter than when I was dancing three times a week it was also fun. I managed to tear a ligament though so I have one not great knee so I just swim at the moment.

My advice on how/when to get started on the diet & fitness journey: “When you wake up in the morning and feel like starting, then start.” Doesn’t matter the day of the week, month, or year. Just start. Sometimes, the first step is the hardest so we procrastinate it. I get that. So, when you feel like starting, just start. And start with small, incremental steps. (Don’t change every thing all at once.) Small changes are easier to maintain over longer periods of time. Once those first 1-2 small changes are part of your life, make another small change. (repeat)

Very relatable. I'm 45 and began experiencing discomfort from my left testicle in January. Ultra sound confirmed I have a varicocele. Basically enlarged varicose veins. Pretty miserable especially during exercise. I'm having an embolization procedure soon that will hopefully work. I plan to return to marathon running afterwards. Best of luck Mark.

Good message Mark

One of the most helpful videos ever! Down to earth, practical, real - thank you!

Thanks Mark.

Hi mark just wanted to say thanks for the videos I was23st in January I’ve lost 5 stone and rode 116 miles for prostate cancer this Saturday just gone, no hero worshipping no you hate that but the inspiration I’ve taken to ve the best I can be has really helped. Oh I raised £1265 for them as well which was far more important

This motivates me to get back on track! Thanks Lewis !

Love ur videos buddy. So honest. I’m in a bit of a slow down myself with training. Hurt my back several weeks ago and haven’t been able to do what I was doing before hand. Diet has also suffered. Hopefully it will change for me soon !! Keep doing these videos 👍👍💪

Absolutely utterly wonderfully perfect timing for sharing this video, Mark! I've just spent the weekend preparing for day 1, tomorrow.

Brilliant!! Great episode, I have got a touch thicker than where I got to after ignoring and it’s really annoyed me. Any way I have had loads of ops. Hernia I had done whilst I was awake. I recommend it sounds scary but the sedatives they use make you so happy you could have your leg 🦵 cut off and laugh 😆. Local and sedatives is a healthier option than general if you can. I’ve had to have loads of general anaesthetics. I found better recovery avoiding it if you can.

I appreciate your existence on youtube. Its a net positive.

It was my dad's getting ill that was my motivation to get in decent shape. Brain tumor and the fact that he was fit meant they were able to be quite aggresive on the treatment. Have an appointment this week with a Hernia specialist... My PT (extrinsic motivation FTW) has been encouraging me to go see the GP for a while now as post-run discomfort was giving way to pain. GP: "Yup, probably a hernia. Not servere enough for the NHS to do anything about."... So I'm paying my own way on this. Worth it to get back at full fitness! Hope yours isn't giving you too much grief and the op goes smoothly. Frustrating thing is I'm just hitting, ,at 53, the bestrunning form of my life and was hoping to hit a 42:xx 10k in 4 weeks time. Ah well, there'll be another race along soon enough, Note to self stay off Google.

I got ill with stress 3,5 years ago, stopped working and sat almost still for 3-4 months, before I could mentally overcome even the slightest amount of exercise. Gained around 10 kg. Then I managed to loose 4-5 kg, but gained it again. Before getting ill, I had also developed a bad posture and many pains and aches. My posture was quite forward bend, which kind of made my belly look smaller, and I did not notice, just how round around my waste, I had become. In the beginning of May (around 6 weeks ago), I had the mental surplus to start the journey towards a better posture - by lying on my back on a convex surface twice a day, around 5 minutes at the time. It was and has been very painful to teach the small muscles along my spine to be stretched and curved in another (and much healthier) position than what they were used to through several years, but I am getting there. My lower spine gave in first, and currently only the upper most portion of the thorassic spine lacks to let go. So now I stand and walk a lot more erect than before - which makes my belly MUCH more prominent. I dislike looking at that! That has been my turning point, now I actively work towards loosing weight. You are a great inspiration, and hilariously entertaining. Be good to your wife, I think she might be better to you, than you let on 👍👍👍👍. Train hard, stay safe 👍

Good advice. Fantastic t-shirt - can you share where it is available?

I just do it whether I fell like it or not. Results I have rode my bicycle consistently for 25 years.

In my late late forties my fitness had slipped again and i was starting to put on weight again after a long period of time of being in relatively ok shape. I spent about 3/4 of a year considering all the things that i needed to change but never started anything to fix the situation but i was thinking about it seriously. Then a chance conversation with a friend i hadn't seen for a while who had lost some weight and told me all they did was stop eating after 8 pm. I could almost hear the click in my head. I started the next day. I changed my eating, started walking again , stopped eating after 8 and it was simple (not easy) especially at first. The weight started to come off again, slowly but consistently and when i hit 50 i had actually gone past my goal weight. Made a few changes to my fitness journey and have been consistent with it and have stayed there for over 6 years. Sometimes it's harder but i don't stress about it and just try to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Thanks for the video Mark, i am so glad I started watching your videos, they have given me more motivation than almost anything else to keep working at it. Fingers crossed for you for a speedy recovery.

I’m just back from the doctors after worrying for months that something was wrong with my lung capacity because I’ve got slower and slower on my parkrun for the last few years. Turns out, it’s probably nothing but they’re sending me for an xray anyway. Anyway, I’ve also put 7kg on over the past few years and when I asked the doctor, she said it could be having a small impact on my performance too - nothing significant, but still something. I already knew this, but having her say it felt different suddenly. I’ve been trying and failing to lose the extra kilos for the past couple of years but I’ve just experienced the same moment as you, but on the walk home instead of there. If it could make a small difference to lose the weight, then I may as well just do it. There could be something on the xray still, but whether there is or isn’t, losing the weight will help, or at least not make things any worse. So I’m just going to do it.

Lol, I get asked a lot what my motivation to change was. I say stuff like being able to bend down and tie my shoes. But you are right, tying my shoes was an added benefit I realized I was capable of doing after I was able to do it. It is not the motivator. Right now, going to the gym, going for runs are habit. Saw a guy bench pressing my squat at the gym a few weeks ago. First, I copied his bench press technique. Then, asked him for advice on fixing my squat. I guess competing with strangers is a good motivation. Even if they don't know they are competing with you.

Hilarious and entertaining. I look forward to the next episode. Ps: Get a running buddy to keep you honest. At 63, I have a 29 year old that I run with. That works. One day, I'll run faster than the little.....

I'm much older than you, so the health related training gaps are more frequent and longer. I do a week or two of "smell the roses" rides (I'm only a cyclist) for the first couple weeks: Just get the riding part back on the schedule with *no* agenda, no goals, no workload. Just fun. Only after that do I shave my legs, sit down and start thinking about training plan, goals, and dates. This pattern has repeated itself pretty often, maybe a dozen or so times in the past 40 years. But hey, after the most recent restart I'm now the reigning M60-65 time trial champion of Louisiana. Maybe the gaps are good for you!

I only subscribe to see the short clip of Mark power-walking when I least expect it 🤣🤣 Never fails to make me laugh.

Hi Mark, Still following and enjoying your films. Currently I seem a little like you, no motivation, going through the motions and not enjoying my running particularly and at 60, definitely not wanting to emulate Clarkson in his ethos or body type! I have deployed all my usual failsafe motivational tactics to no avail yet still I am treading water, "existing with an underlying sense of dissatisfaction" to quote you after running every day for 6 years now, let's see... :-(

Goals and targets are one thing, and they come and go. Life's natural incentives are something completely different. People often talk about how events changed/saved their life, they are the ones you get to hear about, but a percentage of people that don't change are not here to talk about it.

usual 3:53 before I couldn't contain audible laughter !! (I had been seriously amused prior to that). Great content (with meaning) as usual.

Finding something you enjoy doing is key, if its a chore and you hate it, then you’re going to give up

My trigger was reading about NASH (NAFLD) at 2 AM after getting diagnosed with it last winter.

Thanks for the video. Just what I wanted to hear. I can relate so much.

The share of misdiagnosed hernias is actually insane. I had to visit 5 different docs until it got diagnosed and eventually fixed but I developed anxiety because of this experience

My 'moment' was when I wandered past a mirror in just a towel, post shower, and made myself jump - my peripheral vision registered *a thing* to the left. I'd known for a while I had gotten out of shape after lockdowns and then move to WFH removed my need to cycle every day.

Thank you mark... Hauled my 47 yr old ass out of bed this morning and went for a scrappy 5k. Bumped into an sold friend also running! Winner!!

I've never really dealt with months (or a lifetime, as may be the case) of inactivity, but whenever i do get out of my routine training, something that always helps me is doing something, anything, that can be classed as a workout. I find the biggest barrier for me is just starting a workout when I feel out of shape, so if I can just decide to do, say, 100 pushups as quick as I can, or bodyweight tabata squats, which feels like a pretty small commitment, by the time I'm done I feel like I can do more and usually go on to do a proper workout, and even if I feel crap and decide to just leave it there for the day, hey at least I've broken the cycle. Now the next day is the second day of training in a row, and mentally it feels much easier to commit to a workout.

Very few other people on RU-vid making this kind of great, real life content. Thanks Mark. Brilliant 👍. (Now, where are the Pringles…)

Just because youre injured doesnt mean you should fall off with the diet. Infact you should tighten up the diet. Why? Injured you + fat you is a hell of a bigger problem than just injured. Im 36. Ive had 4 major neck surgeries and went from shredded at 170 to fat miserable and in pain at 215lbs. I cut out carbs and got lean again. Sometimes i can run for a year or two relatively pain free, then need more injections and take a fall for a few months. If i stay lean i know i am in a good position when i can run again. I need a 5th neck surgery, have needed it for 5 years. When im fit and healthy my neck hurts way less than fat and no activity. Life is pain. But live a life with such purpose that the pain doesnt seem very meaningful or important. Got that one from Jordan Peterson. Im about 175 right now and need an injection in a week or two. I can gain 5 more lbs and be fat when i run again, or i can drop to 165 and prime my body for when i can run again. Ive chosen the latter. Just because you have injuries doesnt mean you cant play around with diet and see how fit you can appear by just walking Nixon. Ive seen lots of professionals over the years. I hope this helps Mark, theyve helped me.

I just have fun and look for a challenge. Trails and mountains never fail to deliver both.

In short: get started and just love the process, results will follow

Oohhh I feel your pain - I have done Ironmans and half’s and ultras galore and my Duathlon performance in march was diabolical - wine - I thought I could come in top 10 and I wasn’t far off last 😳🤣🙄 I know after 25 years of training that you can pull it back anytime ❤