2021 was the year KBPT’s founder Kate started learning to drive. In this blog, she discusses what it taught her about herself and about the world of exercise.
“Everyone keeps telling me there’s a moment when driving a car suddenly clicks and you know you’re ready to take your test. It’s taking me a while to get there and, to be honest, it’s really frustrating! As a goal-oriented person, I thought that if I took lessons and practised in between, I’d be driving in no time. But that wasn’t the case. The more I thought about it, I realised there are lots of similarities between learning to drive and getting fit.
1. It’s really important to hire a driving instructor whose teaching style matches your learning style. I struggled with my first instructor but now I’ve found someone who gets how my mind works. Similarly, if you go down the personal trainer route (which I highly recommend, of course :-), you have to find the right fit – someone who takes the time to understand your strengths and weaknesses and who figures out how to motivate you.
2. You have to be realistic about what you can achieve. I totally thought I’d have passed my test by now and be enjoying the freedom of having my own transport here in rural Devon. By giving myself a stretch goal, I was disappointed when I didn’t reach it. This can also happen with exercise. So, rather than saying “I’ll run a half-marathon three months from now”, it’s better to set yourself some smaller goals, such as “I’ll run for at least 30 minutes three times a week”. Once you’ve hit your initial goals, you can set new ones for the longer term.
3. Don’t go it alone – get your friends and family involved. When you’re learning to drive, you have to practice between lessons. I’m indebted to some of my local friends who have patiently advised me from the passenger seat as I navigate roundabouts and traffic lights and perfect my parallel parking. It’s the same when you exercise. If you can find a friend or relative who’ll go for a run or bike ride with you, you’re more likely to feel motivated and it’ll be more fun.
Hopefully by the time you read this, my driving test will be a matter of weeks away. But, for now, I’m trying to approach driving the way I approach exercise. I do it regularly. I get a little better each time. I stay focused on the end goal but I don’t become obsessed with it. Having trained for and completed my first triathlon in 2021 (including a really difficult sea swim), I won’t let four wheels and a gear stick defeat me!”
If you’d like to find out if one of our KBPT trainers is the right fit for you, email kate@kbpersonaltraining.co.uk.
