I have always maintained that keeping healthy is vital for working in the hospitality industry. Its not always the easiest with so many vices out there, but some kind of control (might) be needed.
Now I’m not about to preach to anybody, its not my place to and as far as I’m concerned everyone has the right to do exactly what they want to. However, some of what I will be posting here will be insights and tips on how I stay fit, workouts and health tips (though I accept no responsibility for their accuracy, these are just things that work for me). As well as this there will be posts from friends that work in health & fitness and the occasional entertaining story about some of the great times and amazing people I have met during the crazy and wonderful journey that has been working in hospitality.
As you can guess from the photo I’m a rugby player, although I’m definitely winding down now. I swear I used to bounce back up after every hit, and the next day was another excuse for a run around and a pint. These days though, there’s a lot more cracking and moaning when I get back up after a big tackle and I’m definitely not as bouncy as I used to be. Back in the day, I played for Bury St. Edmunds Rugby Club before heading off to New Zealand to play. On returning, and after multiple injuries, I joined the Haringay Rhinos. Rugby clubs have always been an amazing support network and escape, wherever I have travelled and from all the craziness that comes with work. Now when I can’t get stuck into the rugby, I enjoy the gym, cycling and running. I think it’s really important to have a hobby or an interest that offers anyone that works in the industry an escape. Removing yourself periodically from an industry that is so wonderful yet can be so demanding can be so worthwhile.
I won’t bore you with a long post (this time) but I thought I’d give a little outline into what my week of fitness looks like. It’s important to set goals when trying to keep fit and more than that its important to be realistic and set attainable goals. There really isn’t anything worse than doing a work out an feeling like you failed to complete it. This just makes you feel demoralized and you’re probably not going to do anything again (Well until the usual New Years resolution).
My weekly goals look a little like this:
Monday 5k Run
Tuesday Leg Day + Spin
Wednesday Weights
Thursday Rest, go for a walk, convince someone to have a “healthy” pint of Guinness with me.
Friday Weights and a light jog
Saturday 50-100km Cycle (Rain or Shine)
Sunday Sleeping!!
These are my goals at the moment; but let me be frank, these are goals and I try my best to keep to them but if I am not able to I don’t beat myself up. I change up my routine every 4 weeks as well. I keep my body guessing so that it doesn’t just get used to a monotonous pattern. Often, I’ll do 3 weeks of intense training and then a rest week of light cardio and weights before I change the pattern. It doesn’t need to be a huge change, just subtle tweaks. This keeps me interested in working out as well, it is important to keep your brain engaged in your goals as well as your body.
So that’s a brief insight into me. Over the coming months, I’ll be posting more about the ways I stay fit and tips on what I think will work for other people. In the meantime,
I recommend you have a read of Tim Etherington-Judge’s Article on Imbibe on Healthy Hospo; http://imbibe.com/news-articles/drinks/tim-etherington-judge-on-the-launch-of-healthy-hospo/
A little disclaimer at this point would be that I want this blog to have a little bit of something for everyone. I won’t just be focusing solely on hospitality. I hope you have enjoyed reading about what I do outside of work stuff and for those who are in the industry I hope I have been able to show you the benefits of having an interest outside of the bar, whatever that may be.
Thanks so much for reading. Until next time.