Week 9 - Row, Row, Row My Boat

The start of my Monday night PT session coincides with the end of RockSolidCircuits at the University of Exeter Sports Hall. These circuit training sessions, run by Martin Hewlett, are tough enough as they are, but some people then come into the gym afterwards to do weights. Hats off to those people.

Ash, the man behind www.rocksolidrace.com, came into the gym on Monday to watch me train and decided to take some video of me on the rower. Lee had given me a programme rowing 100 metres in under 22 seconds, followed by 40 seconds rest. This is then repeated for a further 7 rounds. Sounds easy doesn't it. Well it's not!! The first few are okay but by number 5 you are still recovering from number 4 when you have to go again. God it's tough. Below is a link to the video Ash took. 2 things you should know. First the footage shows me on the 7th round with one to go. Second Lee would like me to point out he's not chatting up some girl in the background, merely answering her question. Lol. I can vouch for this as often people in the gym don't realise the instructors are in the middle of a one-to-one session and just need a quick answer to their questions.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=em-share_video_user&v=GILUbxhvXrM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGILUbxhvXrM%26feature%3Dem-share_video_user&gl=GB

And yes it was every bit as tough as my reaction suggests. The previous day I had bit the bullet and decided, as I'm entering a 10k race, I should start doing some running. I arrived at the gym fully intent on doing 3k on the treadmill as a starting point. I warmed up as usual on the cross trainer but instead of the normal 5 minutes, I decided as I was in no rush, I would carry on for 20 minutes before moving onto the treadmill. That done I began my run and set the pace at a steady 9kmh. I ran for 20 minutes to reach 3k but felt okay so slowed the pace to 6kmh and put the incline up to 2.0 and continued like this for another 5 minutes. I was still feeling okay so increased the pace back up and continued until just before I reached 5k when I then sprinted for the last 30 seconds. In the end I ran 5.04km in a time of 34 minutes. This gives me hope that I can master the running skills needed in the next 16 weeks. I'm sitting here writing this on Thursday evening having so far since Sunday done a 5k run and 2 x 1 hour sessions with Lee and I fully intend to do another 5k on the treadmill this Saturday.

I'm beginning to understand I'm capable of more than I think. I watched a programme on the Team Sky cycling team and in it a sports psychologist talked about the monkey in the brain that tells you it's time to quit and that you can learn to control it and overcome it. Bradley Wiggins, unsurprisingly, swears at his!!! But the point is I'm now listening to my body rather than my mind when exercising. I know it's tough. I know it hurts. But I also know it will be over soon. And if I still have the ability to do it I haven't reached the point of failure so I can carry on.

http://sport.exeter.ac.uk/aboutus/

But the gains are there. I went clothes shopping yesterday and tried on shirts that were size Large. Large!! That for me is progress. Before I embarked on this everything in my wardrobe that fitted me was XXL. So large is a great improvement. And a brilliant feeling. I met up with a friend in Oxford yesterday who I last saw at the end of March when I went to a wedding. Below is a comparison picture from the wedding to yesterday. When I saw the pictures taken at the wedding I was horrified at how I looked and maybe this was the catalyst for me eventually starting the long road to change. But I can see the difference physically now as well as feeling benefits such as more energy, better breathing and better health.






I had another Skype call with Morna Jardine last week and she is very pleased with my progress too. I've agreed to do a mini-detox mid-December and, having looked at what I can and can't eat for the duration, there isn't much I have to do differently to what I'm doing now. With one exception. SALT!!! I'm a big fan of salt. I'd go as far as to say I love it. Those of you of a certain age will remember Salt n Shake crisps from the 70s and 80s. These were unsalted crisps with a little blue salt sachet inside. I seem to recall tipping the contents of this into the bag then, if at home, using the salt pot to add more.

Anyway I know salt is bad for me as it encourages weight gain so I'm cutting back to start with before cutting it out altogether. I know I can do this. I used to drink white coffee with 2 sugars. Then I switched to black coffee with sugar. Then black coffee, no sugar. Now if somebody were to give me sugar in a brew I would find it too sickly sweet and undrinkable. But for now its hard giving up salt as my food tastes so bland without it. However I've discovered if I cry enough tears into my food the salty tears are a good, albeit a soggy substitute.

Check out Morna and what she does here.
http://vital-nutrition.co.uk/about-us/

Another benefit of reducing in size is when I take one of my numerous baths I no longer resemble an iceberg. At the beginning 80% of me was beneath the surface but my belly would jut out above. However my belly now enjoys the warmth of the water every bit as much as my legs and back. Lol.

Finally this week I'm about to break my alcohol fast. I haven't drank any alcohol since my weekend away at the end of September. But this Saturday I'm cooking Christmas dinner for my whole team (11 people including me) and judging by last year's efforts, large quantities of food and drink will be consumed by all. It will be exactly 8 weeks since my last drink so I need to pace myself but I'm looking forward to a night off from being good and I'm not going to worry about it. My next session with Lee is on Monday so I will quickly be back into training mode after the weekend. But I predict Saturday will be messy and I'll get my apologies in now ahead of any misdemeanours.

As always thanks for taking the time to read this

An ever decreasing Dave.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Yew Tree Close,Exeter,United Kingdom

Week 7/8. The Good News Just Keeps Coming

I had some great news last week. After possibly my toughest training session so far I was really struggling with my recovery. Usually whilst warming down on the bike and then doing my stretches I have a chat with Lee about my progress but this time I was fairly quiet as my body and heart desperately tried to catch up with the fact that the hard work was over. After ten minutes or so I was beginning to feel better and asked Lee if I could be weighed. We went into the assessment room and I was thrilled to discover I'd lost a further 11lbs in the last 4 weeks. Since beginning with Lee my total weight loss is 11kilos or 24lbs!!! With what I'd already lost from watching what I ate which started a few weeks before then that's a total loss of just over 2 stone. And I'm really chuffed with that. But I'm not finished yet. My long term goal is being able to do the full 10k and not the 5k version of www.rocksolidrace next March. With just under 18 weeks to go its within my capabilities.

I've just watched a BBC1 Inside Out regional programme about a 51 year old presenter who is overweight and diabetic. He had tests, nutritional advice and met up with a PT instructor. His initial concerns was being old and fat in a gym full of fit young people. But, as I've found, nobody pays you that much attention and you are too busy concentrating on the task in hand to worry about what others think. Or so I thought. Tonight a girl who regularly trains when I'm there came up to me to tell me how she's noticed how hard I train and that she's reading my blog. Wow. That was such a good compliment. At such a great moment too as I'd just finished my 3rd circuit and was totally knackered. So if that was you and you are reading this thank you so much.

On the subject of training I've noticed 2 things. Firstly the running is starting to get slightly, and I do mean slightly, easier as I shed pounds. However on the flip side of that the circuit stuff is getting harder because as my technique improves Lee is giving me more weight for the squats, lunges and shoulder presses. But again I am beginning to see the effects. My press ups are so much more controlled and generally, everything is better even if I'm still destroyed immediately after and for the next couple of days.

Unfortunately one problem I've encountered recently is slightly sore knees. Once I've warmed up it does ease off so I'm booked in tomorrow with Martin Hewlett for a sports massage and to assess if there's anything else going on. I can't praise the help and support I'm getting from Exeter University sports faculty enough. Anybody living in Exeter looking for a good gym check them out

http://sport.exeter.ac.uk/aboutus/

Well Movember is over a third of the way through and my 'paintbrush' is taking shape. I keep forgetting I've got it until my patients pass comment. It is such a worthwhile charity so if anybody does want to make a contribution here are my donation page details

http://mobro.co/davidsmithwick





I got to see Skyfall last week and its fair to say Daniel Craig does sartorial elegance very well. Tailored fitted suits and overcoats look amazing on him. In a non-gay way obviously. Lol. And it got me thinking that setting goals are important for weight loss so why not aspire to get to an endpoint where I could look that good in a suit. Then I remembered even when I was much slimmer I NEVER looked THAT GOOD. Lol. So I'll stick to my original goal for now.







Finally, my blog views for last week was sitting at about 50 when it was shared on the RockSolidRace Facebook page. Since then it has shot up to 120 and I've had some fantastic feedback, follows and friend requests so if you are one of the folks sharing my journey a massive thanks to you all.

Best regards

An ever decreasing Dave.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Yew Tree Close,Exeter,United Kingdom

Week 6 - Photographic Proof of Progress

Well I've had a great week so far!! So this week I've decided to talk less about my training and diet and more about the positive effects this journey has had on me.

On Sunday I went with friends to see Top Gear Live at the Birmingham NEC. It was a fantastic experience and I didn't worry once about 'clean foods' but just enjoyed it for what it was. A day out!! No restrictions. No guilt!!

Clarkson, May and Hammond were on great form but I do worry that I'm turning into a grumpy old man. I'll explain why. We sat in the arena in tiered seating to watch the show but the new 'thing' when watching live events seems to be people holding their oversized smartphone or tablet above their heads to record the whole event. These people seem oblivious to the concept of tiered seating. That is they are deliberately below the people behind so as not to obscure said people's view. I found my view distorted by brightly lit Galaxy Notes and IPads. I wanted to say something but my friend James told me to relax. Lol. For me this is right up there with kids listening to music on their phone's speaker on the bus. Like I said I'm a grumpy old man. Ha ha.

I have agreed to take part in Movember again this year which is for a very worthwhile cause. I did it last year and went with a style that I've just researched and was alarmed to discover was either labelled the "Motorhead" or, more worryingly, the "Pornstar"!! I hate shaving at the best of times but have to do it every day I'm working as I don't so much get designer stubble as clumpy mess. Plus if I ever attempt to grow a beard now I have to start it at the beginning of a week's holiday so that by the time I go back to work it has grown sufficiently to resemble its intended look. But even then I'm now of a certain age that it has a 'salt and pepper' appearance due to the grey and white whiskers mixed in with the black. So not having to shave my top lip should make life easier. But does it? When I shave normally I can drag the razor across my face randomly, moving from jawline to upper lip at will. But when you have to maintain upper lip hair there is more skill and attention required to ensure you don't leave yourself asymmetrical. Or worse still remove an essential element of the design. There is a significant danger that, one sleepy morning, I could go from a standard 'Painters Brush' to a 'Chaplin' or, as this is more worryingly regarded, an 'Adolf'. Below is last year's effort.






Briefly, with regard to my training this week, I had a great session on Monday but then on Wednesday I looked to kick on from that and found the tank empty. I really struggled on the treadmill but coped better with circuits and Tabata. Lee restructured the session to maximise what I could do. I realise now that no matter how willing my mind is sometimes the body won't be quite so able. It's important to recognise this and not get too disheartened. Simply come back the next time and go again. But more importantly my mindset towards training has changed. I still dread the sessions but now arrive knowing its all over in an hour and just get on with it. As always I'm so grateful to Lee Kirk for all his guidance and pushing. I'm actually amazing myself at how much I can still do long after I would have stopped if I was training on my own.

http://sport.exeter.ac.uk/aboutus/

Finally I've spent the morning trying on clothes that have lain dormant in my wardrobe over the last few years. It has been a very satisfying morning as practically everything I've tried on now fits me again. That is the best feeling in the world. It's probably worth mentioning that nothing in my wardrobe will ever go out of fashion. It's more functional than fashionable. Not so much Giorgio Armani as George at Asda and more M&S than D&G. I would point out that this is more because of my size than my shopping preferences. And hopefully that will change in the coming months.

And to end this week check out my progress on the below comparison photo. The left image was taken in July this year. The one on the right yesterday.





Regards and thanks for taking the time to read this.

An ever decreasing Dave


www.rocksolidrace.com


P.s. Don't forget to check out the RockSolid website. With bands, beer tent and 6 Nations rugby post race it's gonna be one helluva day.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Yew Tree Close,Exeter,United Kingdom