Andrew Cooke

I recently turned 40. And honestly? I've never felt better. I know that's not how this story is supposed to go. Forty is supposed to be the moment you look back and wonder where it all went. The slower recovery. The dad bod. The quiet panic. But I think 40 hits differently depending on the choices you made at 25. At 30. At 35. This is mine. The slow burn The decision to change my life didn't arrive dramatically. No single moment, no blazing row, no breakdown in a car park. It was a slow...

Last year I was at a relative’s wake. It was one of those strange afternoons where grief and laughter sit side by side. Stories were being told, tea was being poured, sandwiches were circulating, and there was cake on the table. I took a slice. The man next to me found out I was a personal trainer. He looked at my plate, paused, and with genuine curiosity asked, “Go on then… you’re allowed that?” It’s a question I’ve heard many times, and it reveals a lot about how people think about food and...

When my daughter was born, I had my first panic attack. I felt helpless. Not because I was scared for myself… but because I feared missing a single moment of her life. That fear has stayed with me ever since. But the gym became my medicine. Not to look good, but to survive. To feel calm. To reclaim control.