My name is Oli – I’m 37, was born in Hastings and have lived in Sedlescombe since I was ten. I work as a team leader for an insurance company based just 30 minutes from home. This means I have a very short commute which to be fair is pretty unusual for people who live around here, with most people travelling to either Tunbridge Wells or London.

My week days are typically heavily structured and tend to follow the same pattern each day. I get up at 5:30 and spend around half an hour catching up on social media and the news while building up the determination to go for a run. There is a pretty good circuit around my house which is almost exactly 5K. So I try to run this or various distances up to 5K by running to the end of the road and back each day.

I have what I used to think was unusual relationship with diet and fitness although it seems that this is battle that a lot of people go through. Up until the age of 30 I was always extremely overweight. Then lost a considerable amount of weight by training hard and sticking tightly to a paleo diet. Since then I have fluctuated wildly up and down in both weight and fitness. I tend to either be completely on top of both, eating well and training hard for six months or doing the complete opposite of no training and eating everything in sight. This year has gone pretty well so far. So I typically run between 6:15 and 7:00 then return and shower prepare lunch (nuts, raisins & two bananas) and get ready for work. This year I have been using the Nike Running Club app and find the guided runs really useful as while you’re running the coaches talk to you and not only help with your run but also pass along useful information and advice to help in the rest of your day to day life too. There are more runs being added all the time including runs based around headspace. I have learnt over the years that I’m so much better day to day when I’m on top of my fitness and diet and can give so much more to everyone else when I feel better about myself and feel like I’m taking care of myself. When I eat junk and don’t train I get moody, tired and irritable. Usually the people impacted most by this is my Family and this isn’t the person they deserve. 

I leave for work around 08:00 getting home around 18:00 I then have 30 minutes to spend with Jax and get something in the oven or going for dinner before it’s time for his bath and bed routine which we generally always do together. But we’ll talk more about that later.

Once he’s gone to bed I’ll finish some dinner for Bec and I then spend the next couple of hours either helping Bec with the business or sorting out the kitchen. Then usually around 22:00 we get to watch 30 minutes of something in bed before going to sleep and it all starting again. 

Bec and I are lucky enough to both get weekends off our day jobs so this really is the time we get to spend together as a family and we try and do as much as we can together. Either trips out using our national trust pass, or visiting the seaside. Just trying to spend as much time seeing things together, having fun as we can on the way. 

Currently my main interests focus around Jax and wanting to be the best I can be for him. This lead me into the world of personal development this has made me almost evangelical about helping and encouraging others to want to grow and believe that they can be better. That wherever they are currently and however old or stuck in their ways they are we can all turn things around and be better. How everyday is new chance to be better than the day before. Reminding myself and other people that you’re also not going to get it right all the time. Some days you’ll make mistakes and do things that make you feel like you’re taking a step backwards. It’s important to not beat yourself up. The first step is recognising that you have veered from what you are trying to do and then learn from your mistake and accept that you’re on a journey.

My second passion is travelling. I love to travel and explore the world and see new places and meet new people. Whilst I have spent quite a bit of time in both Australia and Europe, I still have some major places left on the map that I haven’t made it to yet. Notably India and South America. I’m really looking forward to show Jax as much of the world as I can and hopefully instilling my love of travel in him too. I’m fortunate that Bec loves to travel as much as I do so together I’m certain that this will never stop. By the time he turns two, Jax will have already been too Germany, Czechoslovakia & Bulgaria.

Outside of these passions I also enjoy cooking and tend to do the majority of cooking for Bec and I, whilst Bec tends to cook virtually every meal for Jax (he can’t stand my cooking 😪). I love cooking things from ideas gained for recipe books or shows but rarely follow recipes anymore. I try to bake bread most days, that way i know exactly what is in it. I’m really worried about the ingredients in the food for sale now which i have no idea or understanding what it is and what it does. I find it hard to believe that there isn’t some sort of link between these unknown ingredients and rising ilness levels in our society. I also like watching TV programs that give me something to think about or help me in some way. I’m not a big fan of TV for the sake of TV like reality shows or the scripted drama type stuff. Lately I’ve really enjoyed watching the relaunch of Queer Eye. Having loved the original show years ago I have loved this relaunch so much so that I might even do a specific post purely on this show. I love healthy eating and cooking shows documentaries on Netflix. For example Conspiracy and Chef’s Table.

I appreciate I have really gone on here and I’m going to try and get more concise with my writing style as we continue along this journey. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome I genuinely would love to here your opinion on what we have done so far and what we do going forward, even if you don’t like something or the blog in general if you can explain why that would really help me, so please comment on here or hit me up in the DM’s on the Gram. ✌🏼