Train hard now.
Run at 80.
I take training and healthy living seriously, and I mean seriously. Not for abs, not for likes. I want to still be able to run when I am old, not shuffle around. This blog is where I write down what I do, what I think works, and where I call out the nonsense.
Who I am → Latest post: Your Legs Are Your Pension: The Home Leg Workout I Want Everyone to Do
All posts
- · Workouts
Your Legs Are Your Pension: The Home Leg Workout I Want Everyone to Do
No gym, no excuses. Eight leg and core exercises with video, how many sets to do, and how to make it harder every week so your legs still work when you are old.
- · Eat Well
The Scale Jumped 1 kg Overnight. No, You Did Not Get Fat.
One pizza does not put a kilo of fat on you. Here are the five boring reasons the scale moves overnight, and how to weigh yourself so the number actually means something.
- · AI Lab
GPT vs Gemini vs Claude: Is Brisk Walking Enough After 50?
I asked three AI assistants whether five brisk walks a week is enough at 55. They all said 'not quite', which is right. The differences were in the details: age rules, bone claims and how far each one stretched its sources.
- · Move
"I Walk, So My Bones Are Fine." Not Quite. Four Things Your Bones Need
Walking is great, but it is not enough for your bones. The four kinds of load bones respond to, the exercises that give them, and who needs to be careful with impact.
- · Strength
The Monthly 10-Minute Check: Is Daily Life Getting Easier or Harder?
Five everyday movements, once a month, compared only with yourself. No age tables, no max tests. A simple way to notice if your strength is quietly slipping, with a free printable worksheet.
- · AI Lab
Claude vs Gemini: Which Beginner Fitness Plan Survived a Source Check?
I gave Claude and Gemini the same four-week fitness prompt, did the maths, opened every link and found one planning error that changed the result.
Creatine: Not Magic, Not Fake. What It Actually Does When You Train
One of the best-studied supplements, sold with the loudest nonsense. When creatine makes sense, which product to buy, the usual dose, what to expect, and who should ask a doctor first.
- · Eat Well
Eat More Fibre Without Blowing Up Like a Balloon: The 14-Day Ramp
Most people try to fix their fibre in one weekend and end up bloated. Here is the slow way: one change every few days, for two weeks, plus the warning signs that are not a fibre problem.
- · Move
Can You Still Get Up Off the Floor? Practise It Now, in 5 Steps
Getting down to the floor and back up is a skill you will badly want at 80. A five-step ladder to practise it safely next to your sofa, and when not to practise it alone.
- · AI Lab
GPT vs Gemini vs Claude: Which AI Gave the Safest Water Advice?
Three AI assistants answered the same '3 litres of water a day?' question. They all agreed on the headline. Then I opened the sources and checked what each number actually measured.
- · Move
Your Home Is Trying to Trip You. A Room-by-Room Checklist
Loose rugs, dark stairs, towel rails people grab like handles. Walk through your home with this checklist, fix the things that matter, and don't forget the medical side.
- · AI Lab
How I Test What AI Tells You About Health (Without Pretending It's a Doctor)
Same question, same day, fresh chats, every link opened, every number checked. The rules I follow in the AI Lab, and the things I will never do.
- · Move
Bad Knees Are a Reason to Train Smarter, Not to Stop. The Traffic-Light Method
Knee arthritis and strength training: how to tell normal discomfort from a warning sign, how to adjust chair rises, step-ups and walks, and when to stop and get checked.
You Sit Too Much. A 2-Minute Desk Break That Actually Trains Something
Stand up, sit down, ignore the reminder. Sound familiar? A two-minute break with four jobs (rise, reach, shift, walk), tied to things you already do every day.
Too Many Pills? How to Get a Medication Review That's Actually Useful
Different doctors, over-the-counter stuff, supplements: the list grows and nobody sees all of it. How to make one complete list, which questions to ask, and why you never stop a medicine on your own.
- · Eat Well
Stop Eating All Your Protein at Dinner. The 'Anchor' Method for Every Meal
Toast for breakfast, soup for lunch, a big steak at night: that's how most people eat protein. How much you actually need as you get older, and how to fix the empty meal without buying powder.
- · Eat Well
Reading Food Labels in 60 Seconds (and Ignoring the Front of the Pack)
The front of the packet is advertising. The back is information. The order to read a nutrition label in, what the percentages really mean, and the label tricks to watch for.
- · Eat Well
Less Salt, Same Taste: Your Salt Shaker Is Not the Real Problem
Most salt comes from bread, sauces, soups and ready meals, not your salt shaker. Where to find it, how to cook with more flavour and less salt, and two changes to start this week.
- · Move
Forget 10,000 Steps. A Walking Plan That Starts Where You Actually Are
Do one easy test walk, then build from there. A four-week walking plan for beginners, why 150 minutes is a goal and not an entry ticket, and the warning signs to stop.
Lonely After Retiring, Moving or a Big Change? Build Contact That Repeats
When work, a move or a loss takes away your daily contact, one big party won't fix it. Weekly things, specific invitations and being useful will. Plus when loneliness needs more than a club.
- · Strength
Strength Is Not About Looks. It's Your Independence, in Muscle
Forget the six-pack. The strength that matters is getting up, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling and stepping. Why it matters for health, how to train it, and what real progress looks like.
- · Move
The Talk Test: How Hard Should You Walk? Your Mouth Knows Better Than Your Watch
Forget pace targets and calorie numbers. Four walking zones based on how well you can talk, a simple 25-minute walk structure, and the signs that mean stop.
- · Move
Walking, Strength and Balance in One Week, Without Wrecking Yourself
What the guidelines actually want from you each week, turned into a simple seven-day plan you can recover from. Plus how to progress without doing everything at once.
- · Eat Well
The Mediterranean Diet Without the Instagram Version
No imported superfoods, no red wine requirement, no belly-fat-melting olive oil. What the Mediterranean eating pattern actually is, what the big study found, and a one-week way to try it.
- · Eat Well
How Much Water Do You Really Need? Not 'Eight Glasses' and Definitely Not a Gallon
The famous water numbers include food and every drink, not just water. What actually changes your needs, when urine colour means something, and when drinking more is the wrong advice.
- · Move
Strength Training for Beginners: Cut the Noise, Do These 5 Movements Twice a Week
You don't need a spreadsheet or a 30-day transformation. Five basic movements, two sessions a week, one small step forward at a time. Here is exactly how to start.
Sleeping Badly? First Figure Out WHAT Is Wrong, Then Fix It
Can't fall asleep, keep waking up, snoring, or just not enough time in bed? They need different fixes. A 7-night sleep log, four habits that have real backing, and the signs that need a doctor.
- · Move
Balance Training at Home: Practise Wobbling Now So You Don't Fall Later
Balance is a skill, and skills you don't practise disappear. Four simple drills next to your kitchen counter, how to make them harder without being stupid, and when a drill is not the answer.
Last post: 21 October 2026