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.



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Location:Yew Tree Close,Exeter,United Kingdom