I'm 37, and at 255lbs, or 18 stone 3lbs, or 116 kg in 'new money', it's fair to say I'm a big lad
Waist size 44", Chest Size 48".
Definitely a big lad.
My existing exercise regime consists of a 15 minute walk to work 5 days a week and, errrr. that's it really. Although I have been known to do a bit of a jog when the 'Last Orders' bell rings at my local pub.
An additional hurdle for me is that, 12 months ago, I suffered a bimalleolar fracture and dislocation of my right ankle, resulting in surgery to fit 10 pins and a plate - while I'm walking perfectly well now, I do feel like I've lost some strength and stability there.
As far as being unfit goes, I'd say I'm Premier League.
In a flash of inspiration (or moment of madness, depending on who you ask) in early December 2011 I decided I needed to make a change.
I have an extremely lively 3 year old son whom I want to be able to keep up with at the park and, more importantly, want to be around to watch him grow up to be a man.
I want to be able to walk into a store, any store, and buy whatever clothing I like the look of - some shops are simply out of bounds to someone of my size, and even those that stock clothing big enough, I have to be choosy to avoid buying a bulge-enhancer (not THAT kind of bulge ;o) ) or something that looks like I picked it up at a tent store.
... and many more reasons besides. If you're anywhere near my weight, or level of fitness (unfitness?) then you'll have dozens of reasons too; some similar, some very personal.
The reasons aren't what is important - what is important is that I (and you, if you're on a similar path) have the determination to stick with it. And I do.
I'm a man that needs a target, and 'getting fit' or 'losing weight' isn't specific enough for me to be driven by. So, using all my knowledge of 'SMART' objectives (Specific, Measurable, Attainiable, Relevant, Timed), I gave myself the following goal:
"To Run A Half Marathon in 2013"
Gulp. Really not sure about the 'Attainable' bit.
After a bit of googling, though, I found this plan: The-Couch-To-5K-Running-Plan.
It started to feel a little more attainable.
Now, I like a good feed and a good booze up (as you can probably guess, given my vital statistics!) so it seemed sensible to leave it until after the Christmas festivities to avoid making an already seismic change in lifestyle even more difficult.
I also used the festive period to put my suggestions to other members of the family to see whether they fancied getting involved. There are now 5 of us embarking on this, at differing levels of unfitness, so hopefully the moral support (and, let's be honest, some goodwilled competition!) will go some way to keeping the motivation up.
To build up my ankle strength (and also, if I'm honest, my confidence) I'll be starting off on a cross trainer rather than running outdoors initially.
It's now 2nd January 2012, and I have no more excuses!
Tomorrow, the plan begins... wish me luck!
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