New Year New Me?

Well January is rattling through. Fitness, new year new me, dry January and a whole host of other stuff that tells us all January is the restart month.

And while it is a great opportunity to kickstart your year; honestly I’m kinda past it.

Because I’m now in my more mature years, turning 51 later this year, I feel I’ve come of age.

We had a wee family break away. After the difficulties of losing mum just before Christmas and a bout of that awful flu lurgy, a chance to unwind and relax for 4 nights was needed.

The hotel we booked in Lanzarote was picked off a list, no research, just a pretty picture. We had booked a trip to Iceland which was cast in chaos from the start. Flight times changed, extra nights booked accordingly to then have the holiday cancelled. Who needs Iceland anyway, with our phenomenal auroras we’ve been privileged with all season and the recent -10 which gave a very authentic Icelandic feel. So, thank you Squeezy Jet, I didn’t need your holiday after all!

When we arrived in the sunshine, it was evident that this was an active hotel, filled with triathletes and fitness frenzied lycra clad people. It was in Lanzarote - a favourite place for said fitness peeps to undergo intensive training, or from my point of view, torture.

‘Knees up, David get your knees up’ screamed the instructor wearing an interesting two piece leopard print ensemble while horrific thump music blasted from a speaker as a herd of poor souls were clearly rethinking this new year new me torture. Some kind of ‘retreat’ apparently.

Eldest daughter quite likes a bit of fitness. So, pre departure, she’d ordered this green powder to make into a drink. As we picked her up for the airport at 4am the green gloop was in hand. ‘Would you like some mum, it’s full of protein’, ‘no’ was my reply. Actually, my reply was ‘no, not this side of ever’ based on the last time I saw a liquid looking similar from our wee goat Houdini who was producing spectacular diarrhoea. He needed an injection and some medicine from aunty Mary, our vet, so no I wasn’t consuming the green gunge of doom.

As I am old I cannot consume airport bubbles pre noon. ‘Boring’ according to eldest. Now I wondered what would happen to the green gunge followed up with prosecco because I felt certain it wasn’t a good mix. Houdini mark 2 was in my mind!

Anyway, I was able to have some sky bubbles, because we were still in the air at noon. I wondered with interest how that second set of bubbles was working out for the eldest. Let’s just say no further green gunge of doom has been drank since...

I did go for a wee joggle (jog/wobble - a technique adopted by us less fit, wine glugging tribe who sneer at dry January). And I am a triathlete who is back in training for this years Live Borders series - 400m swim, 12km cycle, 3km run. I know - hard core eh!

'Look Mum there’s triathlon on Wednesday morning - sign up!' Well, tempted as I was because I’m an athlete too (!), I listened to that voice in my head encouraging a pina colada over a triathlon. Pleased I did as I watched the ex Olympians/ultra athletes come over the finish line in a time so quick I’d have still been in the pool!

So, I’ve decided I’m ok with my life choices. A wee bit of fitness, a wee drop of grape juice (or pina colada). I’ll miss the green gloop out and just eat broccoli and I will be kinder to myself. I’ll stop and have a bit of time out with my herd.

And to that end I promise no screaming 'knees up!' on our Doddie Aid Walk and absolutely no green goo or boot camps on our Wellness Weekend. Instead, we promise a fun filled, gentle walk, lots of time for laughter and sitting back, relaxing and taking it all in. That’s my new year new me motto anyway!