In a way its deeply ironic, as for most people who experience one its a wake-up call to lead a more healthy life-style. Eat better, get fitter and excise more, for me it seemed to have the opposite effect. I was already hitting the gym two or three time a week, the hills at least twice a month and taking on at least one big challenge a year.
All that stopped while I got my Blood Pressure sorted and was subjected to a battery of tests, all of which came back negative in the end. Although I've struggled since to get back into a routine and done fewer walks this year than at any time since I started hill walking. It probably doesn't help that I haven't had a big challenge to focus on as in previous years.
According to psychologists it takes at least six weeks to establish a new routine (or reinstate a new an old one) and the only one who can do that is me. So I guess it just a case of biting the bullet and allocating some time to re-establish all those good habits that seem to have fallen by the wayside.
First up this weekend is trip to an old favourite, Snowdon. I'm taking a group of work colleagues up it via a route they've never done before, ascending via the Rhyd-Ddu Path and returning via the Rangers Path. That's probably going to be a big enough challenge to begin with as the weather forecast is suggesting we can expect to encounter gales, heavy rain and the odd bit of thunder!