A year full of promise

I'm not one for waiting for the New Year until I start practising a new training programme or a certain mindset - there is no time like the present! Yet, this year there are particular goals that I am putting down as 'New Years Resolutions' which I can't begin while I'm on my winter holiday and will certainly take some time to complete. That being said, I've been making plans to help me start them.
Here are my goals for the coming year. 

Last year I started a nutritional diploma course. With a busy year due to a new direction of my research, my study of this course fell away. In 2018 I'm determined to keep it going and complete it within a few months - To 'blast it out'!

Over the past year as I begun my second blog Gridiron Strong and got it going, I paid less attention to this blog. Turns out, Performance Sports Therapy is pretty popular (thanks guys!), so I've decided to keep on top of it. My sports therapy and American Football focus is still likely to be over at Gridiron Strong (so make sure you go check that out), but lifestyle and blog posts (which I quite enjoy writing) will be kept here. 

Over at Gridiron Strong I have big plans (not that I will disclose them all quite yet). One area I'm happy to disclose is that of my plans to try my hand at vlogging. You can find my YouTube channel here. 

I plan to be super busy in 2018 (not that I haven't in 2017) but along with travelling with my new job at GB Women's Flag Football, I am super excited to begin research with fellow researchers in the North East. So lots of time will be spent with my head stuck in journal articles and with fingers covered in highlighter colours. Alongside this, I have plans for my clinical work in my business Performance Sports Therapy. 

Due to being so busy I know I will need to ensure I take time for myself. To do this and remain focused on my goals I plan to practice meditation, mindfulness and gratitude. Over the past year I have practised gratitude by using my bullet journal and found it quite rewarding. I tried meditation at times but struggled. This year I really want to get to grips with it as I understand that it can be very beneficial! 

Despite what some may think, the North East of England is an incredibly beautiful place! Having lived there for 7 years I know there is so much more to see! I'm going to make sure that Richard and I get a weekend off once in a while to enjoy the local countryside. Perhaps go back to Kielder to star gaze, explore more of Northumberland's castles and beaches or go up to Scotland.

With so much planned, 2018 looks to be a great year!

Do you have any New Years Resolutions for 2018? I want to hear!

Win Forever | Book Review and my reflections

Who wrote it? 
Pete Carroll, current NFL Head Coach to the Seattle SeaHawks.

Who's it for? 
Athletes and coaches in any sport wishing to know more about the famous and successful 'Win Forever' philosophy.

What's actually in there? 
Pete Carroll covers his life as an NFL and college coach, his relationship with athletes and staff and how he created a philosophy to help him become won of the most successful coaches in football today.

Quote from book.
'Competition to me is not about beating your opponent. It is about doing your best; it is about striving to reach your potential; and it is about being in relentless pursuit of a competitive edge in everything you do.'

Would I recommend it? 
I would definitely recommend this book to coaches and players in any sport who wish to boost their game mindset.

This book will forever stay on my book case to refer to. 

My reflections

I was recommended this book by two good friends and coaches at Durham University.

I have always loved an autobiography from sports men and women and so I was intrigued to read one by one of the greatest American Football coaches, Pete Carroll.

From the beginning I was completely hooked on his story telling and coaching philosophy

'aspiring to be the best you can be, or as i like to refer to it, "maximising your potential". But Winning Forever is not about the final score; its about competing and striving to be the best. if you are in this pursuit, then you're already winning.'

The energy that Pete Carroll appears to have 27/4 in regards to every aspect of his life is inspiring. I hope that I can bring  that energy and enthusiasm to my coaching!


I like and appreciate how Carroll takes you through the ups and downs of being an NFL and college team coach. I have a lot of appreciation for the work he and his staff do, as well as his family supporting him through the long hours and travelling.

One of my highlight quotes from the book is 'in order to be successful, you must have a consistent philopshy. If you change who you are from year to year, he explained, you're never going to be great at anything'.

I'm still working on my philosophy. This book certainly made me think about my own coaching techniques and how I can improve them to get the most out of the individuals I work with.

Check out my site Gridiron Strong for more about American Football.