What Do You Like?

Keeping fit shouldn't be unpleasant, it shouldn't be a chore. Yes, there are days when you just won't feel like getting up early or getting off the couch in the evening. When it's cold and rainy it's just so much easier to go straight home after work, than stopping at the gym first.

I think the secret is finding something you enjoy doing. Whether it's walking along the beach or going for an easy cycle. Every little thing counts. When I was most overweight, I bought myself a bike. I had always enjoyed "riding bikes" as a child, so it seemed more like fun than exercise. I didn't spend much money on the first bike I bought. When I was cycling more regularly, I decided it would be worth it to invest in a better bike. I traded the first bike in (yes, you can trade them in like cars) and got a better one, which gave a better riding experience and meant that going for a cycle was even more of a pleasure. Still, I didn't spend more than R2500 on the bike (mountain bike) and that is sufficient for the kind of riding that I do. You don't have to spend a fortune on equipment unless you want to do the sport professionally. If you're a novice, all the equipment in the world will not make you look like a pro, it will just make you look silly.

So keep it simple:
1) Find out what you like, so that going out and doing it is not tedious. It could be swimming, cycling or even playing soccer.
2) When you're starting out, don't spend a fortune on equipment that will collect dust in your cupboard in 2 months time and just remind you what a loser you are everytime you look at it.
3) Come to terms with the fact that you're going to be the newbie for a little while, everyone was new at some point.
4) Don't be disheartened if you don't look like the Adidas model on the front cover of Runner's World. I assure you that you look better today than you will in a year's time, if you continue being a couch potato!

It may seem implausible now, but I promise you that in no time at all, you'll look forward to your exercise. If you just find out what you like!

In an attempt to build the follower base:

I'd like to start off by saying big up to our follower base, we love you, we would be nothing without you!!!

While Delon is away on a business trip in north west Africa, I'm going to hope he's distracted and I'll be able to get away with doing my own thing here! He doesn't believe readers want to know about us personally, they want facts and tips that lead to six packs and tight butts. Ok, readers do want six packs and tight butts, but I believe that a bit of a personal touch leads to a connection, which leads to loyal followers. So on that note, let me tell you a bit about us and why following us will be beneficial to you.

The most important thing is that we are very different and have very different styles of staying fit.

Delon, as mentioned previously, has always been skinny and has never had any kind of intimate relationship with food. I, on the other hand was the fat kid who ate a lot.

Delon lives in a big city and works for a big company, he drives a brightly coloured sports car and he has a hectic social life. He sometimes finishes work around 7pm and then still goes out for drinks and has to fit a workout in somewhere in between all of this. He also does a significant amount of business traveling, both national and international. So sticking to a fitness routine is challenging for him.
I live in a little town on the South Coast of KZN, I don't travel much except on holiday. Although I do work long hours, I usually have a pretty routine work week. I can plan ahead and decide when to fit in my workouts for the week. I usually don't drink during the week and I'm also studying at the moment, so planning how I spend my time is of the utmost importance.

Delon is into gadgets, he keeps up with the latest trends, he reads the latest magazines, he subscribes to Men's Health and he doesn't mind spending money on a gym membership so that if he has time to go for a run only at 21h00, he can do so.
I am technologically challenged, I usually don't understand why my computer won't just do what I say when I say, the only way I know about the latest trends is if Delon tells me, I don't believe I should have to spend money to keep fit. I believe in working with what I have, I don't belong to a gym.

It's difficult to get a word out of Delon before 7am on most mornings.
I like exercising in the morning, I don't mind waking up early. I'm a morning person.

All of this translates into 2 very different approaches to staying in shape.
So, what kind of lifestyle do you have? What are the challenges that you face in your path to fitness?
Find out what works for you, and develop your own approach.

Getting Started

Starting out on the path to fitness is often the hardest step. I don't think any of us want to be unfit, unhealthy or unshapely, but buying a Bar One chocolate is so much easier than going for a jog!

I speak as a fat person who loves food. I was never blessed with the kind of metabolism Delon speaks of. In primary school I was the fat girl. I never even tried to run, jump or throw things on the sports field. I tried to play hockey and was given the goalie position for the B side, while my best friend played centre and won the 100m sprint.
With high school came vanity and peer pressure. I also wanted to be like the skinny girls who were satisfied by a carrot stick for lunch, I tried crash diets which mainly consisted of trying to starve myself but only resulted in binges after about 2 days.
In short: I'm not naturally skinny, I like food (a lot!) and I wasn't born a sportswoman! Fortunately I came to the realisation that none of this means I have to be unhealthy.

I firmly believe that once you can come to the realisation that being fit and healthy is a way of life, you have already conquered the first hurdle. This is not something that you do for a month to lose 5kg, fitness and health are habits you adopt so that:
1) in the short term you have more energy everyday
2) in the very near future you start to feel good about yourself and so are able to get laid more often, which will only encourage you (although, frankly, this benefit hasn't quite kicked in for me yet, i'm surviving on the endorphins I get from the exercise)
3) in the long term you live a longer and more productive life, not having to spend 50% of your time after the age of 40, waiting in the line at the doctor's office or in the queue at the pharmacy to collect your bag of pills that keep you alive.

Start small, start easy. Dig out your old pair of gym shoes and cross 1 item of junk food off your shopping list. You have already accomplished much, you're getting started.

Finding the Motivation to Achieve a Personal Goal

One of the most difficult things to do when trying to achieve a personal fitness goal is to stay motivated. My motivation is to loose my gut and put on a bit of muscle. I've always been thin but as my age increased, my metabolism decreased - resulting in a bit more unwanted meat around the waist. I didn't realise how fat I had become until I saw a photo of myself and how my belly protruded far beyond my centre.

Seeing this photograph helped me to define a personal goal - "loose the gut". I printed it out and have it pasted on my wall so that I can be motivated not to look like that again (at least not before 55).

Something else which helps me to stay on track is that I often browse through "Mens Health" magazine which always has a cover model showing off his abs and telling the story of how easy they are to get and to maintain. Although they are models they seem very ordinary. Their reason, I'm sure, for staying in shape is to remain employed as models.

If you do want to make a serious change about the way you look, define your personal goal. Constantly remind yourself of what it is you are trying to achieve.

Fit and Healthy

Welcome to this blog. I hope that it inspires and motivates you to loose your tummy and to stay in shape.

I hope to shed some light on nutrition and provide some fitness tips.