Emma Brunning - Active Blu

Why we do what we do - Capturing special moments. 5am Swim this morning.  Sitting on the plane on another long haul flight allows a lot of time for reflections, 34 hours I have worked out door to door!! I am sleepy after a long few weeks preparing to leave the country again. I do not like leaving the squads for long, I am not really sure where I am staying, nor do I know how I am getting there, but I smile to myself, as my squads are in good hands and the other bits are just not that important - It always works out.  I am in pain, my back is so sore I think I may have to find a spot to lye down, I start to sweat as my body screams for me to move, I have been traveling now for 22 hours. I find myself walking the isles of the plane hoping to see somewhere I could try and straighten up. Only another 10 hours on this flight I think to myself, but there is no where to lye, so I find myself back in my seat once again.  Being where I love  ...

Its a much feared word "Rest day"  but what if you knew it would improve your performance? I have just started back with my squads and coaching after Xmas and New Year - What has been interesting over the previous months is just how many athletes (I do not train) come up to ask my advice about their programmes. The general conversations start with them telling me how much they fit into the week and how fatigued and demotivated they are, their weeks include large volumes of training, managing family, work and social commitments. I mean - 90% of the time I am amazed just how much people fit into a week and still function.  I say still function, but there seems to be a worrying trend that we need to do more and more within our lives and the idea of rest and recovery can often get over looked.  Over the years I have trained many athletes that do not see recovery days as part of the training process. They often fear that if they do not train they will not ...

Its that time of year to be with those we are close too - start to look back on the year and see what we have done, achieved or in fact seen others achieve. In my role as a coach, mentor and coach educator - I certainly am privileged to witness people achieve their goals, desires and challenges and there is nothing I like more then to remind people just how important it is to share those stories with others.  Its so important to celebrate your success tell people what you have done, be proud of your achievements, as not only it allows people to see whats possible, it also may inspire them to get out and try something new too.....  This year has been remarkable - So of course I am going to share just a few memories.... Dec 2015 Floods hit the North and to raise money for the community the Active Blu Squad and 315 Health club members raised £2000 by swimming for 12 hours non stop over 4 lanes. Personally I have never swam in a pool for that lon...