In 2007 when I embarked on my first diet, I was a 24st very unfit seriously obese man. At that time I was too embarrassed by my physique to step foot in a gym or be seen in a pair of shorts at the local swimming pool. But I was adamant that if I was going to reach my goals, I had to complement my change in eating habits with some good honest physical graft. That January I bought myself a sturdy exercise bike and for the next 4 months I sweated bucketloads using it three or four times a week. By the end of May, I'd lost 4st and signed up for membership at my local gym.
I'm starting 2013 in a different position to where I was 6 years ago. My level of fitness is well down on where I would like it to be but I'm not afraid to hit the gym. What I am lacking is motivation, or at least I was. A couple of days ago I receive a nice message of support from an old school friend who told me that he was looking forward to monitoring my progress. Knowing that he is a bit of a fitness freak I jested that I didn't expect to be running marathons like him but if all went well I'd look into the possibility of running in a shorter event later in the year. He then challenged me by saying that if I beat my weightloss targets, he would run a 5k/10k with me before Christmas.
Well, I'm not going to duck this challenge. I am going to meet it head on. I will shed the lbs and now I've got my motivation to get physical. This doesn't mean I'm going to hit the gym every day, or pound the streets night after night, but I have a focus and target to build towards throughout the months ahead. It is going to take time and sweat, lots of aches and pains, but in addition to this being the Year of the Diet, 2013 will be a year where I make a concerted effort to get fit.
If anybody has any tips about running, I'd welcome you sharing them with me!
The NHS Couch to 5k programme is supposed to be good. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eleanor. I'll have to look that up!
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