But not you. 2026 is the year you keep moving. Further. Better. Stronger.
Now’s the time to lock in. Here’s how.
We spoke to three seasoned movers building active pursuits into busy lives: navigating work, training, and everything in between. No shortcuts. Just what works, and committing to it.
Tal Hackett: A Trainee Consultant Psychiatrist balancing a demanding career with a devotion to training across multiple mediums, from running to cycling to triathlon.
Leon Lewis: A runner who took to the sport for the fun of it, but kept pushing himself to achieve more through passion and perseverance. 10K every day for a year. Then 355km across Jamaica in four days.
Karina Patel: A fitness coach living with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rather than allowing this to hinder her, she uses it as motivation to give back to her community through movement.
Different paths. Same outcome: movement that lasts.
Here’s how they make it stick.
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For Tal, it’s about finding balance. For Leon, it’s about the drive to keep pushing himself. For Karina, it’s about using movement as a tool.
Tal: My lifestyle is about balance. Medicine challenges me mentally, it’s about helping others, problem-solving, and staying calm under pressure. Training, on the other hand, is more self-focused. It requires discipline, resilience, and learning how to push my own limits. I’m drawn to the contrast between the two. One is centred on caring for others, the other on developing myself and I think both ultimately make me better at each.
Leon: Originally I didn’t set out on running 10km a day for the whole year, I wanted to set myself a challenge for January as I didn’t have any races in my calendar. I ended up completing January, still didn’t have any races so thought I’d try another month then when I completed February I thought I’d challenge myself to do the whole year. For Project Run Jamaica, this came from the fact I'm half Jamaican and wanted to take endurance running to an island most known for short distance running (100m, 200m & 400m). This was by far the hardest challenge I’ve ever taken on. I was well and truly humbled by the heat and humidity. I learned a lot - not only about multiple-day ultra running, but also about myself.
Karina: Movement is a tool. It forces me to slow down, actually feel what’s happening in my body, and be more intentional in a world that often feels rushed. But that connection didn’t come easily after being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at 14. Having always been an active person, experiencing what it felt like not to move well is what drove me to support others through fitness.
What many people don’t see are the layers that come with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Joint pain, brain fog, anxiety, low dopamine days where everything feels heavier than it should. Movement releases a lot of this pressure. Over time, movement became a way of understanding myself; what I needed, what my body was asking for and how I could support it rather than fight it. What drives me now is creating a space for others where movement feels like something they can come back to even on days that feel hard. One of the most powerful connections I've felt is moving in numbers, and it’s why I became a fitness and run coach.
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For Tal, it’s about thriving both physically and mentally. For Leon, it’s about unlocking what he’s capable of. For Karina, it’s about reconnecting in more ways than one.
Tal: I’ve always been very sporty. My brother and I were never in the house, always out and about playing football, tennis, cricket, or swimming. My best friend at school persuaded me to do a cross country race and it went really well. So, naturally, I wanted to do a bit more. I ended up winning UK champs, won multiple nationals on the track and ran for England. I used to say I was “born to run” when I was a teenager. Looking back I think it provided me with a safe space during a time that was very unstable at home. I experienced a lot of loss quite young and running helped me through that. But I didn’t really realise that at the time. I just loved training. And now I want to stay happy, get the most out of my body, meet interesting people, and share my passion for sport.
Leon: I’ve seen the power of consistency when it comes to movement, I’m in a space now where I’m running faster and further than I ever imagined possible. A specific ‘this is why I do it‘ moment is when I PB’d at the Boston Marathon 2025 running 2:39:24, then beating that time six days later in London running 2:33:42 - all whilst running 10km a day in between.
Karina: Taking movement seriously didn’t make me better at it, it made me more honest with it. It’s not about pushing harder: it’s about listening deeper. Movement has become a way to reconnect. Not just to my body, but to the environment around me. Being out on the trails, you can’t help but notice more; the texture of the ground, the sound of your footsteps, the way the light shifts through the trees.
I remember dragging myself out for a run I really didn’t want to do. I almost didn’t go. But I told myself it wasn’t about achieving anything, just move and see what happens. The first part felt heavy, but eventually, something began to shift. My breathing settled, my stride softened, and the noise in my head started to quieten. I then spotted a deer for the first time just ahead on the trail. It stopped, still and alert, looking straight at me. For a moment, everything paused. No thoughts, no pressure, no noise, just this quiet, shared stillness in the middle of the forest. Then, just as quickly, it moved, disappearing back into the trees. I stood there for a second longer than I needed to not because of the run, but because of what this small interaction gave me. It’s proven time and time again that just getting out there can really pull you out of your head and into something much bigger.
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For Tal, it’s about setting non-negotiables and teaming up with friends. For Leon, it’s the idea that ‘something is better than nothing’. For Karina, it’s about balancing intention with showing up however that works for her.
Tal: Fitting in training around work isn’t easy. I find it quite hard to be honest. But training clears my head and boosts my mood so it’s kind of a non-negotiable. I have friends who love it too, they drag me out of bed pre-work or motivate me after work to get it done on the days I don’t feel like it.
Leon: Planning movement into my week and making sure it has to happen, but I will sometimes compromise if I haven’t got time to do the original planned session. Something is always better than nothing.
Karina: It’s not about doing the most but about staying connected to it. Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis has shaped how I approach this. My energy isn’t always predictable and my body doesn’t always feel the same day to day. So making time for movement isn’t about forcing it in but about adapting it. Some days that means going slower, changing the plan, or shortening the session. But I still show up in some way.
I also make space for it more intentionally. Each month, I carve out time for both a solo forest run and a community forest run. The solo time gives me space to think, reflect, and fully switch off. The community run brings connection, shared movement, energy, and a reminder that it’s not just about me. Both are important, and keep me grounded in different ways.
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For Tal, it’s about gradually building on your routine. For Leon, it’s about finding your tribe. For Karina, it’s about prioritising how movement feels.
Tal: Don’t over commit or set unrealistic expectations on yourself. Start small and build up gradually. Then you can start setting goals that scare you a bit. Find a friend who’s keen or already does it and take them along for the ride. It makes it way more fun and requires zero motivation when you’re together.
Leon: Gradually increasing movement so it’s sustainable long term, and I think finding your tribe be it friends, community, or social media. This helps with motivation but also holds you accountable.
Karina: The shift happens when you lower the barrier. Movement doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective. Some of the most impactful changes come from doing less. A short walk, ten minutes of mobility, stepping outside and moving without a strict plan.
Another thing is changing how movement feels. If it always feels like a task, it’s going to be hard to stick to. But when it becomes something you enjoy or at least something that gives you space, it naturally becomes easier to return to. For me, that’s being outdoors. The trails, the forest, the change in environment. There’s also a social element that people often underestimate. When movement is shared, it feels different. It becomes less about self-discipline and more about connection. That’s a big reason why I value community runs and classes, they remove some of the friction.
