A fresh look

Welcome to my new page layout. Thanks to Blogger's awesome template system, I've rearranged it all without losing any content.

Three weeks in

I'm feeling a bit down today, because I tried a few yoga stretches and realised how badly I'm being affected by the additional bulk of my body. It's all very Catch-22 - I need to get more exercise to reduce my size but my size is getting in the way of the exercise. But I'm determined to make progress. I have to, otherwise I'll just keep going downhill.

Time to focus on the positive. I've just posted my exercise record for the first three weeks. I'm pleased with my 6-day streak last week, and I'm pleased to say it's feeling good to go to the gym after work every weekday. I've averaged five big red ticks a week - let's see if I can get it up to 6 over August.

Establishing a benchmark

Charts such as the ones I've just posted are more useful if the
measurements are taken under consistent conditions. So from now on
I'll take care to set up the treadmill programme the same way each
time I do a session where I'm recording the stats. I'm setting a
target heart rate of 126 bpm, and entering my current weight including
shoes. Starting from the session I've just done, I'm also recording my
normal heart rate before I start exercising (tonight it was 90, which
was lower than I expected.) Benchmark sessions will be Tuesdays and/or
Fridays, since those are the days I'm pushed for time and I'll need to
keep those sessions short. I also want to get my blood pressure
checked about once a month. Am I collecting enough stats yet? I think
that will do for now!

Counting calories

This chart shows the number of calories I'm burning, according to the
treadmill's calculations.

It's a long way to Tipperary

This is the "distance" I'm covering in my 15 minute sessions on the
treadmill.

Starting-again point

I want to post a few words about where I'm starting from this time round, despite misgivings about putting my personal information out the for the whole world to stumble across. I wouldn't want readers thinking I'm trying to elicit sympathy either - my present poor shape is probably about 70% self-inflicted and I take full responsibility for that. It's purely for the record that I'm posting this.

I just calculated my BMI, it came out around 55. I can climb one flight of stairs, but I have to stop and catch my breath at the top. I get lower back pain; if I walk from one end of Lambton Quay to the other, I have to stop and rest my back along the way. My knees are wearing out and I have been diagnosed with "degenerative osteoarthritis" (which I think just means my knees are wearing out). I also have a thyroid condition called Graves' Disease, and I supposedly have polycystic ovarian syndrome (although no actual cysts were found when they looked). I think that covers the main points, and that's quite enough of the depressing stuff for now.

The starting point of my training regime is quite simple. It's ten minutes of walking or more a day, either on flat ground or on a treadmill at the gym. The plan at this stage is to build up from there, and by the time summer comes around I should be able to go back to my hills and nature walks.

I'll be posting a calendar like this every so often. The big red ticks show my first week of activity.

Hello again!

Well, it's been a while, and a few things have changed. I'm in a job that I still think is the best job I've ever had after 4 years. Darren and I moved in together and then got married. No kids though, I'm too old for that lark. I started playing console games (if you can't beat them, join them) and got obsessed with that for a while - then I bought an iPhone and rediscovered Facebook. But some things have not changed. As Garfield allegedly said, "I'm not overweight, I'm undertall." By about 4 feet, I'd say. Somewhere along the way I got out of the walking habit, in fact to be honest I've become almost totally slothful. It's starting to take a toll on my health, and I'm still not getting any younger (dammit!) so it's time to get the motivational toolkit out and start mountaineering up the health/fitness curve again. Since it's freezing cold in the middle of winter, I've joined a gym. I don't think I'll be taking many photos - after all, if you've seen one treadmill you've seen them all. But I'll do my best to keep a record of my progress; hopefully this will be in a positive direction! I may even jot down a few thoughts and insights if I happen to stumble across any worth sharing. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!