A show of hands then… who has been watching the Olympics and feeling inspired? Inspired to get off the couch? I have been. One of the things about exercise that I love is the feeling of strength. I can’t say I’ve ever been athlete standard of fitness of course, but at my best and certainly since taking up BMF (British Military Fitness), my fitness and strength has rocketed. I started BMF in January, just like many others, full of new years resolutions. I went ski-ing in February and noticed a vast difference in fitness, my legs held out so much longer, I could ski harder and faster for longer without feeling the burn. By the time I went on holiday in May I was positively antsy because I missed the exercise. Trust me when I say that has never happened before. Then came the rain. I kept going in April, then the weather changed, the rain came and every single opportunity I had (my usual sessions for BMF are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday,) it was literally tipping down. At first it was easy to put off, I was about to go on holiday and gave myself time to prepare the blog and pack. I came back to more foul weather and through much of June the rain continued, day after day, night after night. Come July, I attended the odd session, whenever I could between work, Florence Finds and the weather. My fitness went through the floor. I never thought that returning to exercise would be so hard but when I started, I had nothing to miss. Going back after the best part of six weeks away and I was astounded at how much slower I was, how much harder every sprint was. The worst thing was that I started to hate it. The fitter I am, the harder I try. I spurs me on, I feel like I can take on anything. Instead, I left every session exhausted, I let the rain deter me. Last week was a turning point. For the first time in months I’ve been to a full three sessions. For the first time I’ve felt my feet wanting to fly, I’ve enjoyed pushing myself. On tuesday it was warm but drizzling and I loved every second despite the rain because I started to feel the benefits again. So what is the point of this waffle? Well, I thought I’d open the discussion up to hear about how you have been exercising through the poor weather this summer? Pre-BMF, normally come summer I’d be out running a couple of times a week if not more. The pull of BMF is always stronger and I know I would have exercised even less if I hadn’t had that and Pete dragging me there to motivate me. Have you been like me and totally skipped out on exercise or have you managed to stay motived? Have you tried BMF since hearing me talk about it? I’d love to hear your thoughts… Love, Rebecca xo