Shift the Spark: Why I’m Starting This Journey (and This Blog)
For the past 8 or 9 years, I’ve been stuck in a loop.
It started with injuries. Then came the gradual mental drag — the kind that quietly chips away at your motivation without you really noticing. Add in the Covid years, work stress, and a decline in physical condition, and I found myself in a place where even the idea of exercise felt overwhelming.
Not hard. Not unpleasant. Just… too much.
And that’s how the vicious circle works.
The less you move, the harder it feels to start.
The harder it feels to start, the less you move.
Over time, that circle gets tighter.
A Small Win (That Actually Isn’t Small)
Today, I completed my first parkrun in five months, not fast but I achieved it.
On paper, that might not sound like much. But for me, it’s a line in the sand. A signal that something is shifting.
At the start of this year, I was at 174% of my target weight.
Today, I’m at 169%.
It’s not dramatic. It’s not headline-worthy. But it’s movement in the right direction — and right now, direction matters more than speed.
Why This Blog Exists
I’ve created Shift-Spark.com as a place to document this journey — honestly, imperfectly, and in real time.
This isn’t a transformation story (yet).
It will hopefully become a physical and mental reconditioning story.
It’s about shifting where my energy goes:
- Away from being drained by work
- Away from feeling stuck and unmotivated
- Towards building something better — physically and mentally for me and my family
I want to rebuild consistency. Rebuild capacity. Rebuild belief.
And I want to capture what that actually looks like — not the polished version, but the real one.
The Spark Behind It All
I recently came across an article about parkrun that genuinely changed how I see what I’m doing.
It explained how something as simple as a weekly 5K isn’t “just exercise” — it’s a public health intervention. Doctors are literally prescribing it. It’s saving millions in healthcare costs by reducing depression, preventing chronic disease, and keeping people out of GP surgeries.
What stood out most wasn’t the money. It was the people.
- 1 in 5 participants start out inactive
- A large portion come from lower socioeconomic groups — the people who need support the most
In other words, it’s not about elite runners. It’s about people like me — trying to break out of that vicious circle.
That reframed everything.
Showing up isn’t trivial. It’s meaningful.
My Toolkit for Reconditioning
I’m not starting from scratch — I’ve got things I love. They’ve just been sitting on the sidelines for too long.
Here’s what I’m bringing back into play:
- Cycling — mountain bike, gravel bike, and whatever roads I can handle
- Zwift Ride — for when weather, time, or motivation makes going outside harder or I just need a structured quick session
- Trail and road shoes — because running still feels like a battle worth fighting
- Dogs
- Sim racing setup — for my motorsport fix
Motorsport has always been a passion — car racing, precision, focus. In a way, this journey feels similar. It’s about small gains, consistency, and learning how to push without breaking.
What Comes Next
Right now, the goal isn’t performance.
It’s participation.
- Showing up to parkrun
- Getting on the bike, even when I don’t feel like it
- Replacing all-or-nothing thinking with something sustainable
I’m not chasing perfection. I’m chasing momentum.
Because if there’s one thing I’m starting to believe again, it’s this:
You don’t need a huge spark to get going.
You just need to shift it slightly in the right direction — and protect it.
If you’re reading this and you’re in that same loop — where starting feels like the hardest part — then this is for you as much as it is for me.
This is day one of shifting the spark.
Let’s see where it leads.