New beginnings

Having bored myself to death with my witterings about everday gardening and shopping.
I decided to do an about turn and think about fitness.
I cant abandon frugality, it has become an ingrained part of living,especially now with everything being so expensive, so I must become fit and forty something for not very much money.

That rules out swimming as our pool is in the leisure center  which charges an arm and a leg to even walk through the hallowed entrance foyer.
The river is about 5 minutes stroll but has a deadly undercurrent.
Remaining activities are, home workouts, running and Cycling.

Flab begone

I embarked upon my original fitness journey with a simple 20 minute workout at home, back in the dark ages. I used my trusty workout book from the 1980's which is called something like fully fit in 60 minutes( 3 x 20 minutes a week).
It is a handy book when you work and don't have much home life. In the 80's, I used to be at the office alone every evening  for about 2 hours before going home(when OH picked me up in the car), so I would workout on the office floor. Exercises include jump jacks, side bends, bridge, push ups,leg raises...that sort of thing and I could easily manage 3 a week.
Then along came the kids and I still used the little book after their bed time.

Roll on about 10 years and the book was lost somewhere in the dust laden shelves of the bottomless book cupboard. Every now and again, the front cover appears as something falls to the floor or is pushed aside but the vision of the leotarded and toned 20 year old author on the front cover,no longer holds its appeal as it once did.

Jane Fonda to the rescue.

First I found her Video in a charity shop and watched it a few times . Her workouts were demanding and incorporated flexibility and yoga. I persevered when no one (giggling juveniles) was around to spectate.
Then joy of joy, I came across her book. This was a life saver because I could now follow the moves in the secrecy of our bedroom.

Anyway, eventually life took over as the young people went to evening activities and I became the taxi driver.  The workout time was swallowed up and I slumped into flabbiness or was it flumped into slabbiness.

Wind on forwards to 3 years ago.

The young people are doing their own thing.
We oldies are left to our own devices .
My thoughts turn towards that lost fitness regime.
I stand on our weighing scales and sudder as the needle whooshes past the 10 stone mark (140lbs).
I talk with the other half and he agrees we should trim our waistlines and become fit and fabulous once again.

I scour the charity shops for some exercise clothing. I find a pair of lined jogging bottoms.
The other half has plenty of shorts and some cycling shirts and I have a cycling shirt so then I buy a pair of cheap trainers and a couple of pairs of sports socks for me.

We begin to run in the evening when he gets home from work.

 So we begin by trotting along at a sedate pace for about 20 minutes ,some of it is admittedly walking.
By the end of the second week, we can both run all the way without stopping.  It is about 1 and a half miles.
It soon becomes evident that people are not supposed to exercise every day of the week as feet and knees begin to complain.
My discounted trainers(bought for £15 at the sports outlet) ,hurt my feet if I don't land exactly right in them.
The other half has a bump on his toe which aches , his 3 year old trainers aren't helping.

We reevaluate.

The first decision is to buy the other half a new pair of trainers as his are so old and mine are quite new.
We go to the running shop and  I buy him his first gait analysed trainers for his birthday and christmas present combined. (they were expensive and his birthday is almost on top of christmas).

Perseverance brings its own reward.

The weight is beginning to drop away and we both want to run a bit further each time. We run to the next lamp post once a week.
We reduce our runs to 2 in the evening and do a longer one on Sunday.

The Weather intervenes.

It is freezing. There is snow on the ground. We decide not to risk the broken bones and stay in.
 I have an argos voucher from Christmas and spend it on a little stepper so we can still exercise.
It is quite effective at making my behind ache but it doesn't have me puffing like running does.
The stepper is noisy too and leaks black grease from its pistons. It goes to live under my sons bed.

I spend £8 on a skipping rope in the sports shop . It is a desperate measure because I don't want to lose all the health benefits that have been gained from the running.
This is a good move. I merrily get into my running gear, grab my rope and jump two footed for about 3 minutes.
I am knackered.
However, it is a good knackering because I am puffed.
So skipping becomes the new icy weather running.