February 10th 2014 – Day 1
Day 1 Weight: 256lbs Day 1 Fitness: Nil
Those that know me well know that I let my mouth run away with me sometimes. For once in my life I now have to put not just my money where my mouth is but also my heart, soul, legs, knees and anything else that still functions.
I turned 50 last October, and have spent a lifetime committed to avoiding physical activity. Now a chance conversation about my constant battle to overcome my willpower bypass has resulted in a commitment to undertake a major physical and mental challenge to raise money for the Princes Trust. Having committed myself to a challenge the legendary Ron Burgundy immediately sprang to mind when I recalled the origins of the conversation and thought to myself ‘well that escalated quickly’. As of today I do not yet know what the challenge will be other than I will need to spend several months losing the fat and getting fit. The evil glint in Lisa Quinn’s eye means there is no turning back. Lisa I will thank you for this one day.
To put this into some sort of perspective as a kid anything more than a 200m run or 5 minutes running round a football pitch was to be avoided at all costs. I was the kid that used to field on the boundary at cricket to keep me out of the way. I used to sneak off and hide in the school greenhouse during cross-country runs and join the back of the field when they came through the gates. I still looked like I had run further than everyone else. I would rather be slumped on the sofa reading a book. The last time I did any serious training was in 1999 when I ran a half marathon; I did that out of a refusal to back out of a challenge. I have been on a steady decline in fitness since and a steady incline in weight gain. After all why go on a 30 minute run when I can spend those 30 minutes savouring a bar of Dairy Milk. For me apple pie counts as one of my five a day. I am getting to the point that Channel 4 has come sniffing round to make a documentary.
So the only challenge I have set myself so far is to commit to something I do not think I can achieve. That is the only way I will fully commit to the training and change of lifestyle needed to complete it. If I said I would do a skydive to raise money I wouldn’t commit, if I committed to abseiling down the Liver Building I would suggest a stronger rope. It is now a case of wait and see which way the dice falls and what I am going to do.
So, February 10th 2014 is the first day of my new life. I have weighed in and joined a gym. From now on its healthy eating, cut down the alcohol, early to bed, early to rise and regular exercise sessions. Please follow my progress and encourage me along the way, if you see me falter pick me up, if you see me eating a pie take it off me and punch me in the face. Do not, under any circumstances allow me to use the lift. More than that, when you see the extent of the challenge I am undertaking think about donating and the sacrifices I am making to give young people a new start in life.
Watch this space for details of my donation page.
Mark
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