Returning to the gym after more than a decade away

In partnership with Protein World

They say that it takes 30 days to properly form a habit

It can be eating a food you previously didn't like, taking your vitamins or, quite commonly, going to the gym. As a much younger man I formed this habit and enjoyed it immensely. My friends and I would all go to the gym in our small hometown a few days a week, spot each other on the bench press and generally compete against each other to see who could get strongest the fastest. For a short while, we were obsessed - not in an odd way but in a healthy competitive way - and we looked forward to returning to the gym as soon as possible. It was good fun and I was in good shape, but the thing with habits is that while they may take a month to form, they take just a moment to disappear into the ether. https://player.vimeo.com/video/307737559 This is what eventually became of my hitherto obsession. I didn't fall out of love with the gym, I just fell out of my habit, and never returned to it. More than a decade has passed since I last exited a gym. My life has not been entirely sedentary in the years since, I occasionally run, occasionally buy a pull up bar and do loads everyday and occasionally start some new workout plan at home before - yes, that's right - falling out of the habit again. In 2019 though, that is set to change. Thanks to the people at Protein World, I will be taking part in a four-week body transformation challenge, training concurrently with Mr. Jack Fincham of pen salesman fame (and Love Island) as he gets in shape for a white collar boxing event. Jack is following the Slender Plan - as will I - as he undergoes his own 12-week challenge to go from dad bod to, well, hench, I suppose. I am not entirely sure what to expect from all of this, but as with most people who work out less than they want to and less than they should, I believe that the obligation to do this will be a good thing. If you have got to do something, you better believe you're going to do it. So, what does this involve? Daily workouts (yep, terrifying) involving cardio and weights, and changing my diet with the help of a nutritionist and Protein World. This, after Christmas, is particularly welcome. I'm excited, and a little trepidatious, but it's going to be one interesting month. Find Jack's #SixPackJack journey with Protein World here.