2018. I present to you a year when you could legit see someone who was born at the millennium, in the pub.

How was it for you? A blur? A slog? And how’s 2019 looking? I try not to advocate “new year new me” resolution-y bullshit when it comes to writing about wellness, because I think the whole idea of resolutions is wrapped up in punishment and depriving ourselves of things. It kind of feels like everyone’s giving something up, which starts the year off using negative language, sets you up for failure and self-loathing, and honestly just feels icky.

Maybe I can talk you out of the “giving something up” mindset for 2019? If you must set a resolution, I’d implore you instead to try the stance of “in 2019 the new thing I’m going to try is…” to set yourself up for a more positive experience.

As a sucker for romantic nostalgia, I like to treat the end of one year and the dawn of a new one as a time to reflect on moments which will otherwise be forgotten.

Having a look at photos from the year always stops me in my tracks because it always reminds me how many much I actually manage to shove in my gob in a 365 day period.

Aside from mourning meals long since finished, a little end-of-year reminisce reminds me how many significant things happen which I instantly forget about, but were actually quite brilliant. And I also love how taking the time to pay homage to the year just gone, allows me to remember the plentiful stop-me-in-my-tracks stunning sunsets which have made me stop, breathe in life, and then fail to do justice with an iPhone snap (they’re just never as good as real life, are they?)

So if I can’t talk you out of setting a resolution, can I at least encourage you take half an hour with a cuppa, to remember moments which, when combined, really were the incidentals that made up your year. May I suggest adopting this comfortable position from which to do such reminiscing?

Ok so here’s my year in sweat. Because sweat has been the glue which has bound the past year together for me. Which sounds gross, but is wholly true.

2018 was my first full year of being a fitness instructor. It’s been a year where I’ve settled into my own teaching style and felt confident enough to take a class without 6 hours of prep (ahhh, blessed experience)! I’ve launched and said goodbye to various class formats, joined two new gyms as an instructor and made some amazing new friends in the industry. Thanks to those of you who’ve brought friends along to sample the joy, and to those of you who’ve stuck around after class and suggested a coffee (always so lovely… no you’re not being weird… yes I promise I’m just a human!)

1,324 of you have sweated with me in 2018. That’s 66,200 minutes of sweat achieved! PHEW!

May was the busiest month with 139 of you puffing your way through the usual faves, plus my brand spanking new DISCOrobics class!

7 unitards, 6 pots of eco-glitter and one pair of light up trainers have been purchased and worn, some may say extensively. One Dory costume has been hired and worked out in, too. Don’t ask.

7 bottles of prosecco were drunk in the month of December (after class of course).

I said goodbye to BearFit Bootcamp (in February) Jumpfit (in May), BathHIIT (in September). I took a sabbatical from BoxHIIT at Bristol Uni in the summer and then… shall we say… extended it to a gap year (?!) after the day job stepped up and I started spending a lot more time over in Bath.

I said hello to gyms Toniq and @thestudio (both in Bath). The former of which includes a new, Monday morning start time of 4.45am! It’s painful but realising I’m willing and happy to get up at that time to go to work, was the moment when I had to do a little air punch because it means I’ve found a career I bloody love. So, thanks 2018 for cementing that knowledge with the introduction of such an early alarm!

New classes have hit the timetable too! Hello to Body Sculpt and of course, the already legendary Friday night DISCOrobics.

And we’ve said oi oi to BoPo Bootcamp with my one and only fitness twin, Cat Taylor at Nudge! And then… we said goodbye to BoPo when it got cold again. Expect to welcome this little ‘un back in 2019 when spring has sprung!

Few other significant numbers for ya:

🤦🏽‍♀️Noise complaints: 1 (they were just jealous)

🌟Festivals worked: 1 (Wild & Well – it was fucking MAGIC)

🐥Hen parties taught: 2 (you love your 90s themes, huh?!)

And 2019? I’m going to be doing some experiments with nutrition in the earlier part of the year (hello HUEL and detox teas!)

The former to do some more research into controlling my IBS and penchant for snacking on slabs of sugar, and the latter to (I suspect) poo myself for an entire week in the name of investigating certain… shall we say shitty… aspects of the diet industry.

I’m also qualifying as an indoor cycling instructor in 2019! Ain’t that exciting?! Watch this space for where (and what) I’ll be teaching on a bike, in the spring and summer. Expect to cycle to the beat and get completely immersed in the beat of your own heart during my indoor cycling classes, I promise you they’re going to be EPIC!

Finally – FESTIVALS! It is my dream to bring DISCOrobics to festivals around the UK this year. I just have the small hurdle of actually applying for the damn slots. So it might be 2020 until I actually get round to doing that, because I’ll be honest I’m only just getting my head around tax returns.

And what better way to end a review that with a mention of HMRC?! I think that’s a signal that I’m done here. Right, off ya go. Finish the cheese, eat that last chocolate and crack open the fizz to welcome in 2019 with joy before Brexit ruins everything.

Slay it, Hot Bitches! LET’S DO THIS!!!
*Classes start again on Friday 18th Jan*