EVERY FITNESS MYTH ends here.
Training guides and gear reviews checked against the research, written by an NHS worker who trains around shifts and two children. If a claim can't be sourced, it doesn't get published.
FOUR DISCIPLINES. One standard.
Start wherever you actually train. Everything in each section is written from inside a full-time job and a family, because that is the life it was written in.
BOXING
Five years in the ring. From which foot goes forward to your first spar — schedules, gear for every budget, and the myths that won't die.
RUNNING
Couch to 5K through to marathon, road to trail. UK and European race guides, and the science on why your knees are fine.
LIFTING
Three-day programmes built around real life, and what barbell training actually does to a woman's body.
SUPPLEMENTS
Protein, creatine, pre-workout, vitamins. What the evidence says — and which half of the aisle to walk past.
THE LATEST, and what I'm working on.
PERIMENOPAUSE IS THE TIME TO TAKE IT EASY
Bone loss accelerates and depression risk rises 40% in this decade — and everyone tells you to be gentle. The evidence says almost exactly the opposite.
BOKA MARATHON: THE COMPLETE GUIDE
A flat marathon along the Bay of Kotor in December, with mountains on both sides and Abbott age-group qualifying status.
FRUŠKA GORA TRAIL: THE COMPLETE GUIDE
Fourteen routes, one mountain, and the 50th jubilee edition of the oldest trail event in Europe — my home ground.
THE MYTHS stop here.
Every one of these is checked against peer-reviewed research and referenced in full. Feelings don't change physiology, and marketing copy doesn't change biochemistry.
Research shows the opposite. Structured combat sport builds emotional regulation, discipline and resilience.
The relative rate of muscle growth is nearly identical between sexes. Starting point, training and diet drive the outcome — not a testosterone gap this large.
Long-term studies show recreational runners have lower rates of knee osteoarthritis than sedentary people.
THE BALKANS ARE THE MOST UNDERRATED running destination in Europe.
Everybody flies to Berlin and Valencia. Meanwhile there are mountain races in Montenegro carrying UTMB points, a marathon in Ljubljana bigger than most people realise, and a half in Sarajevo that will stay with you for years. Cheaper, warmer, far less crowded — and almost invisible in English-language running media.
BOKA MARATHON
A flat marathon along the Bay of Kotor in December — 86 metres of climb, mountains on both sides, and a qualifying race for Abbott age-group rankings.
BELGRADE MARATHON
Turning 40 in 2027 and hosting the European Running Championships — flat, fast, and open entry with no ballot.
SARAJEVO HALF MARATHON
Flat, certified, and a genuine personal-best course through a city that carries its history openly. This year's race is done — guide stays live for 2027 planning.
LJUBLJANA MARATHON
The largest of them all — close to 25,000 across the weekend from 86 countries. Flat and superbly organised.
FRUŠKA GORA TRAIL
Fourteen routes on one mountain — five ITRA-certified races from 22km to 134km, and nine hiking trails for everyone else.
Ljubljana is covered in the Balkans overview for now — it's getting the full treatment next. If you organise a race in the region and would like it covered, I'd genuinely like to hear from you.
NOT A GURU. NOT A COACH. Just real.
I work full-time in the NHS. I've boxed for over five years, run hundreds of miles of road and trail, and lifted for years. I am not a certified personal trainer, I don't sell coaching, and no brand has ever bought a good review from me.
Fit & Myth exists because the fitness internet is full of advice from people who have never worked a twelve-hour shift, never trained at 5am because it was the only window, and never had to make a £60 gear decision count.
NO PLANS TO SELL YOU. Just what I've written.
An email when something new goes up — a myth taken apart, a race guide finished, or a piece of kit that turned out to be worth it. Roughly twice a month, never more.
BOUGHT AT FULL PRICE. Honestly assessed.
Every piece of gear on this site was bought at full retail price, trained in, and honestly assessed. Amazon UK affiliate links mean the same price for you and a small commission for me. The commission comes after the honest opinion, never before — and if that ever changes, you'll see it clearly labelled, not buried in fine print.