Anna-Louise Coaching

A little letter to my younger self... 🤍

You’d be worried about this weekend. You’d be wondering where the next meal was coming from. You’d be anxious about missing training. You’d be trying to work out how to “make up for it” afterwards in the weeks beforehand.

You would probably actually convince yourself not to go at all.

I wish you could see what’s changed. I’m excited, not because everything will be perfect, that doesn’t exist, but because you’ll be spending time with your twin sister, making memories, listening to music, laughing until your cheeks hurt and coming home with a full heart.

Training will still be there next week. The food will work itself out. One weekend won’t change your fitness.
But saying yes to life?

That’s changed everything. I think you’d be really proud of the life we’re building.

PS. The strongest version of you isn’t the one who never misses a workout. It’s the one who’s finally able to choose joy without needing to earn it.
✌🏼🌻🖤

Well, let me tell you now, it doesn’t start on the morning of the trip.

Sports nutrition is not all fancy products and ‘race-day’ fuelling. Of course, those things have their place at times and are necessary but they’re only one small piece of the puzzle that we put together.

Although I don’t practice so much now, as a nutritionist, performance nutrition to me feels much more like building a house...hear me out, I like this analogy!

Game-day nutrition is the roof - the foundations are everything you do beforehand, simple, right?

So, what are the foundations? Eating enough on ordinary days, recovering well after every training and movement session, staying hydrated, getting enough carbohydrates to support the work you’re asking your body to do, there is a sweet sport here, including enough protein to repair and adapt, sleeping well (the MOST underrated!!)

None of it is particularly glamorous or exciting and actually at times food unfortunately becomes less about joy and connection and more about function but that’s why it works.

If we build these foundations, we can step into fun physical adventures at a moment’s notice because of months of consistently looking after our bodies and that’s one of my favourite things of all, it’s also the bit people don’t always see when they ask exactly what you eat to be able to do what you do.

So, whether your challenge is an Ironman or a walk around the block after work, your body NEEDS consistent care and remember that sports nutrition isn’t just for the elites, it isn’t about only preparing well if you’re a super human podium finisher, it’s for us all to be healthy ✌🏼🌻🖤

For a couple of weeks I thought I had got away with those ‘post-event blues’ people speak about but now the space before the next expression of purpose is feeling uncomfy to say the least.

If you’ve ever felt a little lost, please tell me how you got out of it because I have been flat as a pancake this week despite having SO much to look forward to and goals to come which I am loving working for already. All I have wished is for the simplicity of waking up and getting ready to move from A to B across the country again.

REALLY trying to appreciate the season of letting my brain slow down and be positive but it feels uninspiring this Tuesday. ✌🏼🌻🖤

Although at this moment I really feel like the best version of me is on some kind of physical activity based adventure, there is still so much joy in the ordinary - not always chasing more but building a life that feels good to live, or that’s what I’m trying to convince myself as I sit here in a grump feeling like I want to be back on my bike all day in the quiet, away from life doing life things.

The best version of me also has to be the one that looks after herself and everyone and everything around her enough to also enjoy all of the things that she loves.

What a really lovely place to be, to be able to work on seeking joy in the ordinary ✌🏼🌻🖤

Find something you genuinely love – I believe that there is a form of movement for everyone, and if you don’t agree that applies to you, I think you just haven’t found your way yet. My athletic life at the moment is something that I genuinely love.

I think we have been sold a lie about motivation.

People ask how I stay motivated to train as I do and whether there were any days on my 10 day ‘ultra’ triathlon that I didn’t want to get up and get it done.

The honest answer? No. I’d love to try and be ‘relatable’ here but honestly, I tick the boxes and for the vast majority of the time, I love it.

There are days I would rather sit on the sofa after work than get my running shoes on, pool sessions where I’d rather be anywhere else, rides into the headwind where I question all of my life choices. Motivation is fleeting.

Consistency isn’t about motivation – it’s about somewhere along the way, finding movement that you genuinely love, because when you do that, you don’t train because you have to, you train because you know how you’ll feel afterwards, because you love riding through beautiful places, you love exploring the world on your two feet and the quiet that comes with not being able to do anything else while you swim.

Most sessions are bloody hard actually but if you love the bigger picture, that’s enough.

Mental health, confidence, friendships, adventures, being able to say ‘yes’ to things, finding people just like you, new opportunities – far better than calorie burn or what your body looks like.

If you’re struggling with consistency, maybe the answer isn’t to find more motivation, maybe it’s to find a way of moving that makes you smile. Because there are so many ways to move – walking, gardening, dancing in the kitchen, strength training, throwing a ball for the dog, climbing, Pilates, team sports – the ‘best’ form of movement is the one that YOU enjoy! ✌🏼🌻🖤

I didn’t miss ‘fitness’ as such, I missed the rituals and caring for myself with intention.

Over the past week or so, naturally, I’ve taken a step back. After ten days of cycling, running and swimming from Edinburgh to London the long way round, my body and mind, of course, needed recovery.

And I knew that was the right thing to do, of course, I surprised myself because I wasn’t DESPERATE at first to get back to it, although I am HUNGRY for it now – what I missed the most was the routine and the discipline of intentionally looking after myself well.

The rituals of laying your kit out the night before, knowing you were going to be at the pool for 6am and the steps it takes to get there, being in a proper supplement routine, warming up while you finish your coffee before stepping out of the door, stretching with your book before bed, the regular nutrition I had become accustomed to with a high training volume – I missed that the most.

The teeny tiny habits that don’t seem much from day to day but all together created a life that I love around taking care of my body and mind.

We’re taking a little time with training to come back to myself then stepping into a bit of a power and speed block over endurance as we build towards Malaga in October – terrifying as I know that is going to HURT, and I’m not good at making myself hurt. Give me a long slow marathon training run over an all out 5k any day!!

So, alongside some time letting the body recover without guilt, here’s to getting back to the habits that make me feel good! Still fuelling with purpose, prioritising recovery, thinking long term and trusting the plan (this is one of my biggest lessons from my last training block!!).

It feels good to be building again, because I GENUINELY love the process.

Do you have a little routine that makes you feel like yourself again? ✌🏼🌻🖤

One of the unexpected gifts of this post-challenge phase is getting some ordinary life back, which really, I have never allowed myself much of before.

For months everything revolved around July and for years my mind wasn’t in a healthy enough place to focus on much more than controlling my mind and body with movement and food, but with the support I have had it feels like I can finally have my life back and do this well and healthily this time.

Training. Recovery. Nutrition. Planning. Fundraising. Logistics.

The challenge became my routine, my purpose and, if I’m honest, a big part of my identity. I feel really lucky now to be able to pour into the things that had to sit in the background for a while.

Not rushing a morning coffee with family, dog walks together, writing more which I absolutely love, reading, looking after our home and garden, thinking about what comes next in life, in travel, in adventure and in my own sporting goals.

It’s easy after achieving a goal to try to immediately chase another one. I’m really trying not to do that.

There are exciting plans to come, I’m going to be back training for Ironman Malaga 70.3 really soon and I can’t wait to see where we can get to physically.

BUT for now, I’m trying to settle and enjoy ordinary days, keep serving the things that matter to me, helping and kindness to others, remember that movement is a part of my life, not all of my life.

And thinking about it, that could be one of the biggest lessons this has all given me ✌🏼🌻🖤

Recovery is testing me in ways that I did actually expect but in some senses I have really surprised myself in a great way!

As we said yesterday, for ten days, life felt fairly simple, with a purpose in every hour, every meal, every conversation – then suddenly it can feel like nothing, what’s next?

Going from training two or three times a day and spending every waking moment focussed towards one goal, to intentionally moving very little.

Honestly? It isn’t comfortable but I’ve done WAY better than I thought I would in my mind. It’s not comfortable because I don’t understand recovery because I do, not because I don’t know how to fuel recovery because I do, but because recovery literally asks the total opposite of us to what I have been doing.

It’s really hard to move into a phase where we need to trust that doing less can help us become more.

I’m lucky enough to still have Daniel Geisler and .helen in my corner reminding me that recovery is still a part of training and fuelling this phase intentionally is arguably even more important than fuelling the challenge itself!

I’m trying to lean in and to remember a few things:

The emotional dip after a huge goal and project is normal.

The body NEVER needs to earn food with movement.

Our value is NOT linked to our physical activity sessions or achievements.

Rest is discipline. I like to look at it as simply the next challenge.

Movement has turned into something that I love over the years, now I need to learn to love stillness enough to let movement thrive again because we have more goals to come!
✌🏼🌻🖤

I don’t think I’ve found the words yet. For ten days the world around me became simple – wake up, fuel, move forwards, recover.

Somehow, over that time, some special things happened. Of course, there were moments that were tricky, that’s life, hey? Sore legs, tired times, overwhelm but looking back those things are hard to remember.

The things that I remember the most are the Lake District’s beautiful landscape around me, swimming in beautiful lakes with family, running through places I would never ordinarily have stepped foot in, being welcomed into teenage and young adult cancer centres and meeting people that dedicate their lives to helping young people through unimaginably difficult times.

I remember people joining me for a few miles, the messages of encouragement exactly when I needed them, business providing things to help and opening their doors for charity.

And Mike Heath who still says he didn’t really do anything. The challenge has my name all over it but it certainly wasn’t just mine. For ten days he solved problems before I even knew they existed, reminded me to drink more when I least wanted it but most needed it, kept me laughing and manages to make every moment of my life feel possible, as long as we’re together. I’ll never forget my family coming together too – I’m so proud of both our immediate and extended family and friends.

I wasn’t surprised by what my body and mind are capable of, although I am proud of the fact we made it through with no niggles, no injuries, I actually feel really great all things considered. What surprised me really is the kindness, generosity, encouragement, community and support that has been beyond anything I could ever have imagined for little old me and for charity.

There is so much rubbish in the world just now – but the beauty, positive and good can outshine it all! I truly believe that.

The challenge is over, but the whole ethos around it is not, because somewhere along the way it wasn’t about cycling, running and swimming between hospitals, it wasn’t even about raising money, although that will make such a huge difference to MOVE AGAINST CANCER

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It becam

DAY 10 ✅
Oxford ➡️ London

64 miles on the bike 🚲
4 mile run 🏃🏼‍♀️
And just like that... it’s done 💙

Over 900 miles. 10 days. Countless hospital visits. Hundreds of people met. Three disciplines. One goal. And £6,262 raised (so far).

If you’ve been following these updates, you’ll maybe know that the social posts have been in the hands of Anna’s team this week. Whilst Anna has been battling the miles, the heat, the hills and the mental challenge every single day, we’ve had the pleasure of watching it unfold from the sidelines. We’ve tried to be whatever was needed in each moment - holding signs, driving vans, encouragement, checkpoints, solving problems, celebrating the highs and quietly supporting the lows. And honestly... it’s been a total privilege to be part of.

We’ll leave the full reflections to Anna over the coming days. She’s earned the chance to process everything she’s achieved in her own time and to share that.

But for now, we wanted to say something that we know she never would. There are very few people who have experienced what Anna has in her life. To watch someone take those experiences and channel them into helping others, into compassion, into care, into kindness, is quite frankly remarkable. We know that she’ll read this and immediately wish we’d written less about her and more about the charity. That’s exactly who she is. This challenge was never about proving anything. It was about giving something back. About shining a light on the incredible work that MOVE AGAINST CANCER does and the people it supports every single day. But sometimes it’s important to stop and acknowledge the person behind the challenge.

Anna, to know you is a privilege. We hope the first thing you do is rest. And then, when you’ve had a moment to breathe, we hope the magnitude of what you’ve achieved really sinks in. We hope that one day you can be even half as proud of yourself as everyone else is of you.

Congratulations. What an extraordinary ten days.

If you’ve been meaning to donate, there’s still time. Every pound helps Move Against Cancer continue supporting people living with and beyond cancer through the power of movement. Thank you all 💙