Training begins!

Well, as some of you know, I finally got round to joining a gym, so now my training can begin in earnest!

It helps enormously that the gym in question is located one floor away from my desk at work, and I can squeeze in an hours workout during my lunch break. I've been going 3 times a week now for the past 3 weeks - but still have a big round hairy belly annoyingly! I guess I should be more patient and also remember that going to the gym is not simply an excuse to eat more McDonalds and big bacon baguettes at work in the morning! The good news though is that I am actually starting to notice a difference and have slowly starting increasing the level of exercise.

One other thing I have noticed is what a difference my iPod selection for the workout makes. For example, listening to music often helps energise me - sometimes a little too much however, as I once found out when I almost fell off the treadmill as I accidentally began dancing along to Sk8er Boi (yes, I have no shame!!). I also listen to a range of podcasts though and some seem to really help (e.g. PMQs podcast from the Guardian and the Today programme can often wind me up!), whilst some just send me to sleep (such as the Chequered Flag - Radio 5's GP reviews).

But all in all it’s going pretty well, despite still feeling somewhat out of place around so many fit people - as can be seen by my awkward smile in the photo! (although I also felt awkward asking a random person to take a photo of me working out - think they thought I was a bit of a weirdo!)

Outside of the gym, I've been out for a few small bike rides - the longest being a 15 mile effort capped off with a nice big hearty meal at a pub (another reason for the lingering presence of my belly I guess!), and I feel I'm slowly building up my stamina. I even managed a fairly decent size hill the other day! :-)

I'll try to update the blog a bit more regularly (along with photos hopefully), and will post soon with details of the BBQ my mum is kindly hosting to support me at the end of August.

Many, many thanks to all those that have sponsored me so far - you've been incredibly generous and I really appreciate it! Thank you :-)

Chris.