I’ve always preached that every small step counts. As the founder of One Sky Collective, I am building a platform around that simple truth. Yet lately, I’ve done exactly what I vowed never to do. I placed my health way down my priority list and ignored my own ethos. It’s time I own up to how I let excitement, stress, and ambition pull me off course, and how I’m clawing my way back one small step at a time. How I need to get back to basics this autumn.
For months (more likely for years), I’ve been cutting gym sessions short or skipping them altogether. I told myself that burning the midnight oil building my project was more important than a full workout. I convinced myself that waking up at 7 am, hammering out an hour of work before my day job, and then sprinting through meetings before dinner was just a “season” of effort. I ate junk food to keep my energy up, grabbing snacks and microwave meals, and downing litres of Diet Coke instead of proper nutritious food as I would work into the early hours
The realisation
But in chasing those “worth it” goals, I’ve ignored the most important project in my life: me.
The irony is painful. One Sky’s whole message is that small sustainable actions add up to real impact. Yet I’ve been blind to the fact that heart disease runs in my family. My mother, my uncles and my papa have all battled it. Every skipped workout, every sleepless night, and every packet of crisps I consumed was a step further from the life I promised to build.
I’ve let my ambition overshadow the people I love. My partner and the boys have seen me glued to the screen. I’ve sidelined hobbies and simple joys because they felt like “luxuries” I couldn’t afford and time I did not have. I told myself that once the app launched, I could reclaim those moments. In reality, that launch will fall flat if there’s no “me” to celebrate it.
The impact I wasn’t Looking for
After enduring COVID back in 2021, I discovered that high-intensity workouts exhaust me more than they once did. I convinced myself I couldn’t take the chance. I put the bike in the shed, stopped doing HIIT sessions, and opted instead to put YouTube on in the background (as I am doing now while writing this) as I worked on another app function design, volunteer application, or marketing plan. Predictably, the number on the scale crept up. I shocked myself by going up another clothing size, now looking at XXXL items I swore I’d never see again, and a weight I had vowed never to return to.
I felt defeated. But then I remembered why I started One Sky in the first place: to prove that systemic change begins with individual action. If I can’t take small steps for my own health, how can I lead a community to do the same for the planet?
The plan
Thankfully, as an adidas blogger, I’ve been gifted a few tools to help me refocus. I now have a pair of gym shorts, a super cosy men’s hoodie that hides my belly (at least that’s what I tell myself). Winterized men’s tracksuit bottoms with comfortable and well built walking boots are ideal for my fat burning walks to work or via the park to the train station. These aren’t just freebies, they’re reminders that I can start fresh toda; that every journey begins with putting one foot in front of the other.
They also limit my excuse making options. I can’t complain that the weather isn’t great. Although, it is Scotland, so I can, and I will, but it will not be an excuse not to go out. It’s also about comfort and my insecurities. I am embarrassed that I have gained so much weight. Training in public is not as fun as it used to be, for me and other gym goers. Witnessing my belly exposing shoulder presses is not something anyone wants to see. Some roomy gym kit removes another excuse.
The look
And yes, I have absolutely colour coordinated the look. I might be obese but I can still look the part. Regular leaders will recall my “All the Gear and No Idea” approach to sports.
So here’s my vow: by my birthday in early January, I will have lost 20 lbs. I know it won’t be easy, but I promise to follow my own advice. I’ll return to daily walks, and add simple strength-training moves at home and the gym. I’ll swap junk for balanced meals, pack lunch instead of fast food, and actually sleep eight hours every (ok, most) night. Most importantly, I’ll make time for my family and rediscover hobbies that fill my soul. Even if that is just reading a book. I might even try and connect with old friends (if I can get over the shame, embarrassment and the passing of time).
The ultimatum
If I don’t hit that 20lb goal, I’ve decided I have no right to keep writing under the “HowManyMiles” fitness banner. I’ll retire that moniker with humility and redirect my energy into quietly rebuilding my health without telling the world. And when (some positive affirmations) I do, I will use it as the foundation of my return to running. I have missed it and discovering the Green Runners has made me realise that I can combine my passions.
This blog isn’t about guilt. It’s about accountability. I’ve had a dozen restarts in the last few years and I need to be honest with you and myself. I share this not just to confess my slip-ups, but to remind myself, and anyone reading, that no one is immune to failure. We all stray from our path. What matters is choosing to take those small, steady steps back and believing in ourselves.
The future
So here’s to walking tomorrow. Here’s to wall push-ups in the living room; to swapping Diet Coke for water. It is time to get back to basics and to running again. I am here to prove that I can live by One Sky’s ethos in my own life. Because if I don’t value my own small steps, I can’t inspire or empower others to value theirs.