The First Steps

I have taken the first steps in reducing my weight. I have joined a gym, began addressing a poor diet coupled with very bad eating habits, and purchased a bike. It feels good to have started, however I know that it wont be easy and will require a lot of hard work that will test my will power.

The gym I joined is in my local area, about 10 minutes walk from home. It is nice and close so I have no excuses for not being able to go. I have taken up a promotional offer that they had for personal trainers. I paid AU$60 for three half hour sessions with a personal trainer. I have had a personal trainer in the past who was very good, and am looking forward to seeing if I can get a personal trainer of similar quality this time.

The gym is well set out and equipped. It has all the features that I believe I will want. Cross trainers, tread mills, exercycles, fitness classess as well as an adequate weights area. I was initially disappointed that there was no boxing equipment available, however that is the only downside so far. There is one boxing class per week and I will see what that is like later on when I feel that I am ready for it. The other facilities, such as steam rooms, changing rooms, and the swimming pool are also very modern and well maintained.

In relation to my diet I have decided that while I am increasing my exercise, it would be a bad idea to also try and cut back significantly on food. This is likely to lead to the body simply holding on to as many calories as it can and will not assist the goal of losing as much fat as I can. As a result I am going to start by eliminating all fat rich fast food from my diet. I intend to do this for the first two weeks from today. After that period I will then start looking at the type of food I eat, when I eat it, and how much I am eating. For the first two weeks I will try to eat 'normally' when I am hungry and without any additional restrictions other than that. Having spent a lot of time recently sitting down and living a sedentary lifestyle, I figure that the exercise will be enough change for the body to cope with for starters.

I have also purchased a bike. This is for weekend rides around the area I live in with my partner. She has a bike and we are looking to make use of the many cycling trails around our neighbourhood, and in the city we live in (of which there are many). I am looking forward to getting out and about. I will try to post some pictures of the bike and the trips I take on it. Our first ride is supposed to be on Sunday. The idea is to try and spend time together which is fun, and also get a bit of exercise out of it without making it a chore.

My first weigh in will be determined by the gym and the pesonal trainer I expect and as such I will wait for that. The weigh in will determine the goals and time periods for reaching various goals that I set for myself. I'm already looking forward to starting properly and to getting things underway. I have seen many blogs such as this with between two to five posts and then they cut out. This blog will not go the same way, and I hope that a support network of sorts can perhaps come out of this blog.

See you again soon.