Nine months ago, I wasn’t in a good way.
I had been overweight for a long time but in my forties the weight had really packed on. My lifestyle had become very sedentary – too many hours in front of screens and not enough time moving. The diet wasn’t great either – being a shift worker I was eating at all hours – often takeaways. Simple tasks had become laboured, and I didn’t feel good about myself.
I felt old and unhealthy. More than one person told me I was heart attack waiting to happen.
Last September my work colleague John signed me up for BodyFix membership, I bought me a MyZone heart rate monitor and took me to Spin classes (thanks for the intervention John). (Click here to read Johns journey here at Bodyfix!)
To be honest the first couple of months weren’t easy – my base fitness was pretty low. But several things helped.
- The atmosphere at the gym is great – I never felt judged and I felt like I was part of a supportive team.
- I made a commitment to myself to maintain a consistent effort – at least three or four gym days a week. I took to heart the intent behind Moo’s saying – ‘never miss a Monday’.
- MyZone told me when to back off if the heart rate was too high. That meant I didn’t feel guilty if I needed to sit when the instructors were off their pedals. MyZone gave me the data that I was working hard both during the workout and a diary of what I did over time. For me it is validating and motivating.
- I have tried to add new things to the wellness journey to combat plateaus in fitness and weight loss. A 24-to-36 hour fast every Tuesday – this diet strategy seems to work for my shift work pattern. Some personal training that includes weight training – thanks Chris. (click here to see who Brendons Personal Trainer is) Hill walking and road biking. And there are more things to try. The diet probably needs some more work (you can’t out train a bad diet). Flexibility work? A power meter for the road bike?
Improvements have been gradual. They don’t happen straight away. Setbacks do occur like Covid or a bad run of nightshifts. But improvements do happen. And when they happen the sense of achievement has helped me feel better about myself. Being able to follow the instructor for a full spin class without needing to back-off, clothes fitting better, being able to bike up to the Sign of Kiwi without stopping, longer rides and faster times (improving from painful slow to moderately slow) – all have been mini-milestones.
The big picture though is even more promising. My father has always been active. Walking 10 days of the Camino trail in Spain when he was 75 for instance. Adventures like that has always been an aspiration but the reality was nine months ago I wasn’t on track for anything like that. Because of the journey that started at Bodyfix many adventures are now possible and that is a really positive feeling (Thanks Bodyfix!).
I am currently on a three-month holiday with family in Finland. I am proud that I am in better shape for them. The challenge is to keep up a good diet and maintain my level of activity (I am taking a road bike with me). I will back at the gym in October.
