For many years, fitness was not something I thought much about. I worked on building sites and believed the physical demands of the job were enough. When the working day ended, I did very little exercise of my own.
That began to change around nine or ten years ago, shortly before my youngest daughter, Leila, was born. I started getting into the Atlantic for brief swims. Some days it was only 100 metres. Sometimes it was ten minutes in the water. I was drawn initially to the feeling of the cold water, with the exercise almost a welcome extra.
Those short swims gradually became something more. I stayed in a little longer, travelled a little farther and began to discover what I was capable of when I trained consistently.
When Leila was born, we discovered that she had bone-marrow failure and would require a transplant. She received that transplant when she was one year old. During that incredibly difficult period, our family received extraordinary help from organisations including Ronald McDonald House and the Jack and Jill Foundation. I wanted to give something back to the people who had helped our family.
That desire led to two 10 km charity swims. What began with 100 metres at a time became a challenge that demanded patience, preparation and determination. I later wrote about that journey in Wild Atlantic Swimming: 0 to 10 km.
Swimming changed my relationship with fitness. I joined a gym and continued working to keep myself active and strong. It became part of who I was and part of the life I wanted to keep living.
Then a serious shoulder problem kept me out of the water for an entire summer and eventually required surgery. Suddenly I had to learn a different kind of patience. I could not force progress or measure success by how much I did. I had to respect the repair, follow the process and count the small wins.
My aim is simple: I want to regain the freedom to choose. If I decide to swim, train, walk or take on another challenge, I want that choice to remain mine. I do not want rushed recovery, avoidable physical limitations or age to make the decision for me.
That is where Recover Strong comes from. It is for anyone, at any age, rebuilding after injury, illness, surgery or time away. It is about moving wisely, nourishing the body, steadying the mind and rebuilding confidence one step at a time.
The goal is not to recover fast. It’s to recover strong!