This week we catch up with our head of recruitment Chris about how he has enjoyed his time off from the game.

 

 

 

 

I have actually not minded the lockdown period too much in terms of having a bit more free time and reducing my requirements to be places in person! At one stage last year, I had something on every single night of the week. From darts, to quizzes to football, I hardly had any time at home at all. 

 

Lockdown has given me a bit of perspective to focus on what is important and to spend more time doing what you enjoy.

 

 

I was previously training at TWPT once a week and trying to do my own sessions at home whenever possible. Given I was out with work/socially every night of the week, training sometimes (often) took a back seat. Having been working from home for the best part of 12 months, I have used this time to introduce a training regime into my day-to-day schedule. I now have a weights/fitness plan for every evening, Monday to Friday which along with a change to my diet, has resulted in a 12kg weight loss!

 

We currently have my Uncle living with us who is vegetarian so that makes us all vegetarian for most of the week to avoid preparing multiple meals. A bit more planning time and batch preparing,  workday lunches has worked wonders for both wellbeing & overall health.

 

I have spent a fair bit of time reading during the last 12 months and tried to keep TV to a minimum; only watching the shows that I want to. Sometimes you can spend ages watching nothing and essentially just wasting that time. I think reading of any kind is a good break for your brain and allows you to escape to another place. I personally enjoy historical books and have got very into Medieval era, ranging from Templar Knights to The Spanish Inquisition (nobody expected that).

 

 

Like everybody else, I have been very grateful for the staggered games on TV meaning there is a game to watch almost every day! I am however, not a fan of fake fan noise so will always try and turn this off! This season has been very open and there have been some excellent games. It is very unusual for me to go so long without watching a grassroots game at all, so I will be keen to getting back out in the cold & rain ASAP! My only concern is that having watched topflight football exclusively for the last 12 months it will take a bit of time to adjust.

 

 

Using this time to reflect on what you miss has been very important for me. There are elements of normal life I do really miss such as eating in restaurants, watching football & international travel. I have also enjoyed a slower pace of life generally, and I think this will be a lasting effect for me. 

 

I’d say, concentrate on what is important to you personally and try to find time for that. Set yourself small goals on a regular basis and enjoy it when you achieve them. This can be as simple as “Run 1k without stopping” – “Do 50 keep ups” – The key to smaller goals is to make sure you achieve them and set yourself another target. Small steps towards a bigger goal, make the journey much more likely to have a favourable outcome. Even an Olympic Marathon runner didn’t start with “Run 26.2 Miles” as their first goal...