Exercise and Diet

There is only one way for someone like me to move from being an overweight 55 year old couch potato to a prospective climber of Mt Kilimanjaro........that's right, lots of exercise and diet....I think that's two ways, but who's counting :)

Exercise is very new to me however diet isn't, I've tried just about every one out there and failed or lost a little and gained more afterwards. So yes, there has been a big challenge going on for the past 12 months.

I started off by joining a gym and enlisting the help of a Personal Trainer, Christina Pery at Strand Fitness.  It was a slow start and the gym was basically all I was doing and only one 30 minute session  a week.

The diet was an even slower start..... I'm sure some of you can sympathise with me here. You start off the week with all good intentions and by Tuesday you have invitations and commitments lined up for at least one mid week dinner, drinks on Friday night followed by some spur of the moment dinner and then there's the Sunday lunch that turns into a day night match....that's a week blown :0 Then I was hit with a succession of birthday's and weddings ... like you just can't ignore those. And before I knew it, the Christmas season started creeping closer. It's tough, I tell you! We have a very social life and have a duty to keeping the restaurants and pubs cash flow running smoothly, you know what I mean....

Anyway, I pulled in some discipline in the last months before Christmas and managed to loose 10 Kilo....yeeeah!! And, I have managed to keep it off for six months now. But 10 Kilo is not enough so I now have to put in some more diet effort and loose more in the next months.

As of today, I have three months until I leave for Africa. So it is now time for some serious effort and time to hit the diet again.

As far as exercise goes, well that has improved heaps since I started. My recent program has been;

Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 1 lap of Castle Hill (up the Goat Track & down the road) 4.4 Klm's
Tuesday - 1/2 hour PT at the Gym
Saturday - 2 laps of Castle Hill, 9 Klms
Sunday - 2 or 3 laps of Castle Hill, 9-13 Klms
Roughly every 5th Sunday we have been doing a lap of Mt Stuart instead of Castle Hill, 15 Klms.

Louise is doing the Sunday training with me which is a good help for added motivation and she has decided she will climb Table Mountain in Cape Town, before I meet her there.

Now that it's time to step it up a bit, I have started the following program as of last week;

Castle Hill - I have stepped down from the Goat Track to the road, which is a longer but easier route at 6.29 Klm's BUT I am wearing a 5 kilo weight vest ...for added comfort, joke!! No really I am wearing the vest, it's just not for comfort!!

Proof That I Do Wear The Weight Vest
Click To Enlarge

The vest is courtesy of my PT, Christina, who very kindly loaned it to me.  

PT - I have increased this to a 1 hour session and again wearing the vest for some exercises.

A soon as I am comfortable with the vest (it changes balance a bit) I will try the Goat Track again and MAYBE work up to Mt Stuart with the vest - not sure on that one!.

So that's the plan for the next week or two.

AND, guess what....I actually like exercise now, yes surprised me as well. In fact, I miss it and get frustrated when my physio tells me to back off or to miss a weekend of walking. Weird, who would have thought that would happen.

I was very lucky to get Christina as my trainer the day I joined the gym.  She and I are a perfect fit,  her patience and encouragement have led the way in my transformation.  Thanks heaps Christina, I really appreciate it :))

My physio left town around about the same time that I started training and Christina recommended I see Michael at Sports Med, which is in the same building as the gym.....very convenient.  

To start with I was totally out of shape, couple that with my Arthritis and Fibromyalgia and I needed fairly regular work on the body to keep it going.  Well, Michael turned out to be just the right person for me.  He has magic hands and has eased lots of my aches, pain and stiffness and treated me through recurring injuries.  So thanks Michael, you've done well :))

So the diet ....... yes it will start again tomorrow and I guess that means no alcohol as well.  

But that's for tomorrow,  tonight I will just finish this last glass of wine that has kept me company whilst I have been typing this.