Good morning everyone,

And what a wonderful morning it is!  For the simple fact that, for the first time since July 2012, I set foot into a gym and actually did some form of exercise and I must admit, it feels awesome!  Admittedly I was the colour of a beetroot for at least 2 hours after I left the gym and despite me only finishing my morning work out 3 hours ago the pain of the lactic acid is beginning to build  in what can only be described as a weirdly sadistic yet satisfying way.

However, in a not-so-great-way I was shocked but not surprised at how much lung capacity and general fitness one can lose in 6 months.

Due to my sustained gym sobriety I decided that it best not to go mad on my first day back due to severe risk of cardiac arrest so with this in mind I did 30 mins cardio – 15 mins on the cross trainer and 15 on the treadmill.

Despite my lack of dedication to the gym cause over the course of 2012 I am familiar with gyms and have been in fits and starts in the past so know my limits and also know what works for me when I really want to shed some unwanted poundage.

For me, I find that interval training works best (and it also passes the time much quicker!)  I use the “random” setting on the cross trainer (although it’s sometimes called the “aerobic” setting which consists of you picking an amount of time you want to work out for and then splits your work out into units ranging from 1-3 minutes (depending on how long you want to work out for).  The units consist of commands such as “use only arms for 2 minutes”, “pedal backwards for 2 minutes” etc  I find that the change in pace and variety of movement makes the time pass and is also more interesting than just pedaling away for 15 minutes!

I did a similar thing on the treadmill this morning where I started out at 6kmph and after 2 minutes upped my speed by 0.5kmph every minute until I reached 10kmph and then reduced my speed by 0.5kmph until I reached 15 minutes.

Don’t get me wrong, my workout this morning is not designed for the Mo Farah’s of the world but it worked for me and it was a great way to get my dormant muscles used to the fact that they are actually meant to be used for movement purposes as opposed to sitting and consuming wine and cheese!

As always, these exercises are something I use myself and find work for me but I am no Nell McAndrew so make sure you consult your gym instructor/doc before you partake in any for of physical exercise

Cheers to a healthier 2013!

Ciao for now,

Ginny x