A man whose favourite Christmas trousers no longer fit.

A man who, over the last 30 days, has eaten at least one more mince pie than necessary…

A man who now looks at brandy butter like it’s one of the five major food groups.

And this morning? He stepped on the scales and genuinely questioned whether they were broken.

Net result: My jawline and neck have fused into one seamless, festive otter.

And that man… is me.

Honestly?

I’m alright with it.

I love Christmas.

I love saying, “Go on then, just one more mince pie,”

While watching Home Alone, Die Hard, and The Muppet Christmas Carol for the hundredth time.

But now? It’s time to reset.

The Great Post-Christmas Review

Every January, I sit down with a coffee, a pen, and last year’s giant wall calendar.

And I ask myself a few simple questions:

• What brought me the most joy?
• Who brought out the best in me?
• What stressed me out (and how can I do less of that)?

Every year, a few truths appear on repeat.

Running always makes the joy list.

It clears my brain fog.

It fills me with ideas.

It makes me feel alive.

This morning, I ran my usual 3-mile loop — the one I’ve been doing since I was 15.

It was grim. I didn’t want to go.

I faffed. Tidied the kitchen.

Checked the weather. WhatsApp. Instagram. My inbox. WhatsApp again.

Peak procrastination.

But eventually, I laced up. Trudged out the door.

And did it.

Slowest time in 20 years.

And that’s perfectly fine.

Here’s why..

Confidence comes from what you say you are going to do and doing it.

That’s it.

You said you’d go for a run?

You said you’d stretch for ten minutes?

You said you were going to start the new business?

When you follow through — even on the smallest things — your confidence grows.

Not from smashing it.

But from showing up.

Start From Where You Are

This morning,

I did the following exercise…

• Weighed myself.
• Took photos from every angle (yes, naked — let’s get real).
• Sketched out how I feel today, in pencil.
• On the opposite page in my journal, I drew what I want to feel like ten months from now — full colour, vibrant, energised.

Why?

I wanted to get radically honest with myself.

This is me, today. And that’s who I’m becoming 10 months from now.

“Everything sucks the first time.”

I love that line.

It removes the pressure.

It makes the first attempt at anything fun and playful.

So if you are afraid to start..

Sometimes, the hardest part of achieving anything is just overcoming the mental barrier to showing up

“The heaviest weight at the gym is the front door.”

Here’s to a magical 2026 together.
Kia kaha & much love,
Chris x