I know I’m the heaviest I have ever been in my life.
My little bro & his wife both lost a whole heap of kilos on weight watchers, which is a nice spur, but really, I don’t know if I want to make the kind of life-changing commitment that I would have to for that. Shones & I certainly have made big changes to make sure that we are eating better quality stuff & less bad stuff, but I think there will always be a special place for food in my life. Even bad food…
At the same time as deciding that the weight is an issue, I am pretty sure that I am the least fit I have ever been. I walk around lots of places, but I really don’t do a great deal of real cardiovascular work.
Anyway, I have decided that maybe increasing my workload could be my weight loss strategy!
Why you ask?
Well, it looks like I have my own free personal trainer!
Byron is a South African guy I go to church with. Like many Saffies, he is direct, stubborn & determined. He is also mad about Mountain Biking, and only lives 8 minutes (ride) from me. Even better, there are literally hundreds of kilometers of awesome tracks behind his house!
This afternoon I went out for a ride with him. It was only 13kms (about 8 miles), but it was a LOT of up hills!
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t walk a fair bit of it. I would also be lying if I said there was a passage of time where I couldn’t talk, and it was all I could do not to spew either! That said, I would also be lying if I said that it wasn’t breath takingly beautiful on some of these ridge tops. So amazing, that you could hardly believe that you were on the edge of suburbia! Lots of national park, some nice windy tracks, and some good company.
I also remembered the best thing about Mountain Biking.
I’ll be honest, I was miserable a fair bit of the ride (physically, not emotionally) and some of the big drops scare me… I am a bit of a wus…. but MAN what a feeling about 30 minutes after the ride! The adrenaline is still pumping into the system & you get the awesome feeling of euphoria long after getting over the tiredness!
So, Byron & I are heading out tomorrow afternoon too (Remember? South African & Determined) and this time I will make sure to take along our little pocket camera & capture a little of the beauty.
Lets see if this one lasts… If I could feel as nice as I did this afternoon, I certainly hope it does!
That’s what I need! I’d ride to work if I didn’t have to drive children to and from school. And if I had a bike.
Weight watchers sounds too much like hard work, but then again so does bike riding. You could try just cutting down on the massaman…
Tim, that sounds really great – it’s easier NOT to focus on the weight, but on exercise and eating healthy (and not too much). The weight will take care of itself!
Saw the talk entitled: “‘heart of man’ and the ‘mind of the maker’: Tolkien and Sayers on imagination and human artistry” and thought you might like it.
Let me know if it’s any good!
http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/newcollege_lectures.html
JT