HAVE YOU HAD THE NOODLE DREAM?

Today I was chatting to Ben in the changing room.
He’s been training at P1 for about a year now. We were both getting ready for the session, usual catch-up — weekend, life, work.

I jokingly asked him if he missed me last week.
(Attention seeking? Possibly.)

He laughed and said, “Actually… I did. I was looking forward to training. I only made it once because of half term.”

Now, yes — that’s a nice thing for us to hear as coaches.
But it was bigger than that.

It was one of those moments where you realise… it’s clicked.
Like when Po finally has the noodle dream in Kung Fu Panda and understands what it all means.

Training isn’t something Ben “tries to fit in” anymore.
It’s part of his life.
His routine.
His identity.

And here’s what that really means…
His body isn’t adapting to desk-life anymore.
It’s not lowering his energy levels to match 8 hours of sitting.
It’s not accepting rounded shoulders as normal.
It’s not bracing for the next back twinge.
It’s adapting to strength.

When you train consistently, your body starts expecting it.
You recover faster.
You sleep better.
Your posture improves without you thinking about it.
Your joints feel more stable.
Your energy steadies out.
You handle stress better.
You stop feeling “fragile”.

And the weird thing?
You actually miss it when you don’t train.
Not because you’re obsessed.
Because you feel the difference.
That’s the shift most people never reach.
They stay in the “I should exercise” phase.
But when it becomes part of who you are?
Everything changes.

That was the real win in that conversation.
Not that Ben missed me.
(Although I’ll take that.)

But that training has become part of his life.
And once that happens — you’re not starting over every January. You're not on another diet.
You’re just building.

Written by Peter Varga - 25/02/26