From being a very young age, I have absolutely loved football whether that was watching or playing the beautiful game. I have always loved watching but I will be honest I have much preferred playing, there has never been a better feeling for me than kicking a football about. So when I had to stop playing due to injury at 21 I was lost, I didn't know what to do with myself, the weight flew on and I just wasn't as happy as I used to be. That is why I started my football blog Edge of the Area as I wanted to feel a part of the game once more. Then the Euros happened this year and I was well and truly inspired to be even more involved in the women's game, which led to me changing my site but most importantly I took the step to put my boots on and get playing once again.

During the Euros I was contacted by someone from where I went to play 5 a side a few times, they said that they were starting up a new team and asked if I wanted to be a part of it. Now to be honest at first I was really on the fence about this as it meant that I would have to meet new people, my weight still wasn't decreasing as I hoped and of course I was worried about my knee, it was only just getting easier to deal with the pain and somedays I also had no pain at all, did I really want to ruin this? In the end though the urge to get back to kicking a ball around was too much and I got signed back up. So far I have only played one game and done a few training sessions but I am already noticing some changes and those are... 

Losing weight

I am on the weight loss journey and before I was back playing I was struggling a bit, I wasn't getting the results I wanted each week and to be honest I was skipping workouts as my head just wasn't in it. Since getting into a routine with training though I am noticing the weight is starting to move again and I am fitting in each weights session and pushing myself to the limit to see improvements. I am feeling so much better from this and I am really looking forward to seeing the weight drop more and more as the season progresses. Getting a cardio training session in every week and a game a few times a month is going to be really beneficial. 

Confidence is growing

I have always suffered from very low confidence and meeting new people has been an absolute nightmare for me in the past. This was one thing I was really worried about with joining a new team, I would have to meet new people and see them weekly. I have noticed though my confidence is growing I am happy to be around these people as they are really welcoming and are easy to get along with. I will happily join in conversations with them and I have even signed up to go on the teams Christmas party which is something I would normally avoid. My confidence is just growing all round now and I can only see it growing as the season progresses.

Knee feels so much better

This is one that has surprised me a lot as I thought that it would have gone the opposite way, I thought I would be in a lot of pain but now the pain seems to be easing and overall it just feels a lot stronger than before, maybe it is due to me using it more but it will be interesting to see if this stays the same way throughout the season or not. I am so glad it is holding out for me as this really was my biggest worry going into my first sessions. I am hoping that at some point I can ditch the knee brace and play without a worry but that might be in a few seasons time, fingers crossed though. 

Feeling much happier

As I said earlier when I was told to stop playing mentally, I wasn't in a good place, I loved playing and I couldn't see my weekends without it after playing for so long. Now though even after just a few weeks I am noticing a big difference, you could say I am walking with a bit of a spring in my step. Granted before I was writing a game but it isn't the same as actually putting on your boots and playing. The changes mentally are helping in plenty of areas of my life and I think Liam is grateful for this happening. My moods have been so much better and I count down to training day and when I can play. The high after training is unbelievable too I just hope I can keep it up.  

More determined 

This is a big one for me as before starting to play again I was struggling as I said earlier in the post. I just wasn't getting the results I wanted, I was getting in my head a bit and slacking but since getting into a training routine that has totally changed. I am more determined than ever to achieve my goals as now I know that achieving those goals are going to help my playing performance. I am determined to see those goals hit and my performance improve.

I am so glad that I can finally play again and I am really looking forward to seeing how the season progresses for both the team and me personally, if I am noticing these changes already what am I going to notice by the end of the season? I don't look at my weight as an issue now as I know that as I play more and more I am going to lose that weight and improve my fitness massively. Being back playing is going to do me the world of good on my weight loss and fitness journey and it might help me reach my goals sooner, it is going to be a massive change mentally for me too as that thing I love is back, 90% of my week is football filled and I really can't complain. 

At the end of the season I will be doing another post to see just how much my fitness and weight loss has changed since putting my boots back on, plus any other aspect of my life which might have benefitted from playing again. 

Now it is time to have a great season.