February's New Year's Resolution...tick. I managed to read more books in a month than I did in the whole of 2016!
The list included:
* Greg Rutherford - Unexpected
* Usain Bolt - Faster than Lightening
* Mo Farah - Twin Ambitions
* Katherine Granger - Dreams Do Come True
I loved them all. I loved learning about what their upbringing in sport was like, what ups and downs each athlete has been through and what it was like to win their Olympic Gold Medal.
March is going to be a unique month for two reasons.
First and foremost, I'm off to Buckingham Palace on the 16th to collect my MBE; a day I know I will treasure forever. Secondly, I'm going to have to say goodbye to my sister for a whole year as she jumps on a plane to New Zealand to start her working life as a Doctor over there.
As I write this I'm in the middle of a two week long training camp with the England team in South Africa. I've only recently started back in full time training since taking a break after Rio meaning I'm feeling the full 'DOMs' effect. I'm sore, stiff, tired but fully enjoying pulling on my number 24 England shirt and playing international hockey for the first time in nearly 7 months. The above reasons have inspired me for my new years resolution for March.
March's goal is simple and small.
Stretch for 15 minutes a day
I already do a lot of stretching during warm ups and cool downs and find it is something that really helps me as an athlete. I'm hoping it will help prevent any more severe onsets of DOMs and reduce the chance of any injuries I may pick up. After stretching I often just feel a lot better, less uptight or stressed. Give it a go and let me know how you get on by commenting below.