Well that saying is one that would always have applied to me. Understand me nicely. I don't run. You know when someone says "let me run and fetch this" - I don't even do figure of speech running.
Then at the end of July, after a lecture delivered by my kids as to my health, and do I want to live to 100 and do I want to still be able to play with my future grandkids and so on and so forth, I had a think. My exercise regime (apparently my beach walks are not enough) and great love of all things chocolate, had become concerning to them. Hence the lecture. I said ok (thinking in my mind jeez who is the parent). However I realised that I was panting a lot (between fridge and couch) and did sleep badly, have enormous stress (ok haven't found that solution yet), a new heartburn habit and some other things.
So I started the only thing that works for me - calorie counting. You may think it is laborious but everything has a kj label on it, and with a simple app on your phone it is easy. Can't find it? Just scan the product barcode and boom. Once you get into it, it is quick, effective and means you continually can see how much you can still eat. My daily limit is 5323 kj. You may think it is little, however when you cut out the massive portions, it is enough. You have to get used to it, but you won't starve. For the first 5 weeks I did no chocolate, no treats, nothing. Now if I want to have some chocolate, then I know that 5 little blocks is one serving and will cost me 473 kj. However there is no point in eating 5000 kj of junk. It does not mean that some days I want to put an entire cheesecake in my mouth.
Are there cheat days - obviously, I normally use weigh day as a small cheat day, but it is not a free for all.
So between end July and today I have lost 7kg so far. Almost a bag of dog food. Lekker hey.
Then I saw an advert on FB - Coach Potato to 5km. A ten week programme of 3 times a week in which the purpose is, to over that period, get you from being a potato, to being someone who can run 5km.
Now granted, I did think we would be eased into half running and half walking a km or so on day one. I nearly died when I drove my car on the route afterwards and realised we had done a 30 sec run, 30 sec walk, for a total of 3.8 kms. I am not sure where Couch Potato to 5km in 10 weeks came from but I have full faith in the very patient, super nice and encouraging young man who is our taskmaster, encourager and motivator. When he says 4, 3, 2, 1 to indicate we must swop between running and walking or vice versa, I think we sometimes want to punch him in the throat. However as a group we love him. Today I found that the timing was going very well for me.
How did my body react? Well. The first morning after running, when I stood up I seemed to have frozen from the hips down. I shuffled my feet along and found sitting down and standing up awful. My lower back felt if I had been passing bags of cement around all day. Wednesday oiled up the limbs again but on Thursday my quads (I have quads I discovered), seem to have seized. More pain. Friday we were into a routine that allowed us even running and walking periods, but my knee seems to have gone on strike as in "what the hell are you doing, thudding down on us 3 days a week". Seems my hamstrings are unhappy. Today we did 45s run and 30s walk, stretching ourselves. My knee is still not happy, but hey. I do the whole route every time. I have not slacked off, cut it short, walked non stop or died. I only have to compete with myself. And if that means I am at the back all the time, so be it. Today was my easiest day so far.
Just a note - I now put on a latex glove before I slather on all that Deep Heat as instructed by Mikhail. Why? Because I obviously should have washed that hand a lot better before I touched my face or went to the loo. Enough said.
Onwards and upwards. I remind myself that it can never again be last Monday. My first day to run has come and gone.
till next time
c'est la vie
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