Yesterday was St Alban’s Day, and as I reflected on his life for a post on NeuroDivine, one line from the hymn I wrote stayed with me:

“His body schooled for earthly wars, His spirit schooled for You.”

It struck me because, in a very different way, I am trying to school my own body again.

There is nothing dramatic about what I am doing. No gym membership. No personal records that would impress anyone on social media. Just a handful of exercises, a pair of light dumbbells, and a notebook.

On Monday morning, after only two and a half hours of sleep and before breakfast, I completed my usual routine before heading for dialysis:

• 3 × 10 incline push-ups
• 2 × 10 bodyweight squats
• 1 × 10 and 2 × 10 goblet squats with 2 × 1.25 kg weights
• 3 × 10 bicep curls
• 3 × 10 doorway-assisted pulls
• 3 × 10 hammer curls

The hammer curls were new.

For many people, hammer curls with 2 × 1.25 kg weights would barely register as an achievement. For me, they represent another step forward. Since starting to take strength training seriously, I have been keeping a “Personal Milestones” page in my notebook. First bodyweight squat. First goblet squat. First knee push-up. First doorway-assisted pull. And now:

First Hammer Curls — 22 June 2026.

That may seem like a small thing, but small things matter.

Living with HIV and receiving dialysis three times a week means learning to measure progress differently. Progress is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is simply doing the exercises you planned to do. Sometimes it is walking a little further. Sometimes it is adding one new movement to a routine. Sometimes it is showing up when you are tired.

The notebook itself has become part of that journey. It records my exercise, meals, medications, energy levels, weight, dialysis days, and weekly step counts. More importantly, it records the small victories that are easy to forget.

St Alban’s courage took him up a hill of martyrdom. My journey takes me to a dialysis chair three afternoons each week. The paths are very different, but both remind me that perseverance is built one step at a time.

Yesterday’s win of the day was simple:

First Hammer Curls.

Nothing spectacular. Just one more milestone on the path.

And sometimes that is enough.