In July, I took on the Cancer Research 1000 Push-Up Challenge with a few lovely clients and friends. It felt like the right time. Just a few months earlier, I’d finally managed a full push-up for the first time — something I’d long believed I couldn’t do. That small win had stuck with me, and I was still riding the high when I signed up.

My original plan was realistic: ten full push-ups and 25 incline push-ups per day. Achievable, with just the right amount of challenge. But then I had a strong first day — 40 full push-ups. That was all the encouragement I needed to raise the bar. I decided to go all in: 1000 proper push-ups, no compromises, no modifications, no half-reps.

For a while, it went well. My arms ached, but I kept going. Then life started to catch up with me — work got busy, I was solo parenting more than usual, training sessions left me exhausted, and eventually I got ill. By the end of July, I was still 300 push-ups short. I'd missed the target.

I felt like I’d failed.

The Other Side of the Story

Here’s the other truth: I completed 700 proper push-ups in a month.

That’s 700 more than I could do this time last year. That’s 700 push-ups while balancing parenting, work, illness, and everything else life threw at me. Is it the 1000 I aimed for? No. But is it something to be proud of? Absolutely.

Setting Goals for Real Life — Not Your Best Day

Looking back, I realised something important. I’d done exactly what I coach my clients not to do: I set a goal based on my best day. A day when I was well-rested, motivated, and had the time and space to give it my all.

But fitness goals that only work on your best days? They usually don’t last.

Rigid plans, intense diets, and generic training programmes often fail because they assume everything else in your life will fall neatly into place. They don’t leave room for the sick kids, the work stress, the sleep-deprived mornings — the real-life stuff that inevitably gets in the way.

Sustainable Habits > All-or-Nothing Thinking

If you’re serious about improving your health and fitness, you need a plan that can bend and flex with your life. That means:

• Building in small, sustainable steps.

• Creating routines that work even when life doesn’t.

• Letting go of “all or nothing” thinking.

I didn’t fail. I had the wrong plan. And that’s something I can learn from — and so can you.

Ask Yourself This Before You Start a New Plan

If you're thinking of starting a new diet or training programme, ask yourself one simple question:

“Is this something I’d be happy to do for six months? A year? Forever?”

If the answer is no, chances are it won’t stick. And it probably won’t work in the long run.

Need Help Building Something That Lasts?

If you’re ready to move away from short-term fixes and towards a healthier, more realistic approach, I’d love to help. Message me on social media with the word HABITS or get in touch via the contact page and let’s chat about setting goals that actually work — even on your worst days.

Oh, and if you’re just here for the arm strength (without the 1000 push-ups), I’ve got a great workout for you too. Drop me a message and I’ll send it over.