Matthew Pincent's got nothing on me!

At my first, and so far only CBT session, the therapist suggested that for the moment I should continue as normal with my eating habits, but keep a diary around the emotions I feel when snacking throughout the day. She also recommended that I try to start exercising, but to find something that I enjoy.

Exercise? That I enjoy? Was she having a laugh? I am to exercise, what a fish is to a bicycle!!

I've tried several things in the past - I went to a 'proper gym' some time ago, not a poser one where the women look like Barbies - but one where men sweat, and the women glow - well ok, they sweat like pigs too, but there wasn't a bit of pink lycra in sight, so it was all good. I went for about 6 months, going in my specially extended lunch hours, or even before work on occasion. But I didn't feel comfortable there. I managed to 'pop' the blood pressure cuff on my first assessment visit. I'd like to say that it was due to my bulging bicep - but no, my arm was too fat. This gym also had a small pool and a jacuzzi, and as I became bored with the tedious monotony of bikes, cross trainers and treadmills, I swam more, and jacuzzied even more - so I stopped going.

Then I tried swimming with a friend, before work again, but although I like swimming, swimming up and down is monotonous too, so that ended.

Then my mom suggested that we went to a new style ladies 'gym', which involved 30 minute sessions where you spent 3 minutes on 10 machines - you could do it in your normal clothes as it didn't make you sweat. Great stuff I thought, but in hindsight - and isn't that a wonderful thing - how can exercise possibly work if you aren't exerting yourself - and I normally break into a sweat just putting my clothes on in the morning :-) So yep you've guessed it - that one got the boot too!

Then, at the height of the 'Strictly' phenomenon, a friend decided to set up a ballroom dancing class - so, I spoke to the other half, who was shockingly up for it. Ginger and Fred we weren't, (although obviously I was gazelle like in my grace) and we waltzed, tangoed and quick stepped it round the room for a good few weeks, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it - quality time with the OH and feeling like I had 'done something' exercise wise, but without feeling dead on my feet - but the OH's work got in the way, and that put the stoppers on that.

Purely by chance, I saw an ad for belly dancing - now that, I thought, I could do - I certainly had plenty of belly to shimmy! Probably not too enticing to watch, but heh, you've got to do what you love eh? So roped my mom into that, and we went for a couple of weeks, and then couldn't make it one week, and never went back - ridiculous eh?

So, I have been giving my new exercise some thought, and can't really think of anything I really fancy.... I would love to do some proper dance classes, but until some kind dance instructor decides to run some classes for porkers, I aint shakin my booty in public! (public collectively sighs with relief).

In the meantime, I think I may have to just try to do something a couple of times a week whatever it is, until I have the confidence to get my leotard on and shake it Beyonce style!

Last weekend I made a start on this, with a friend, and we walked 5 miles of the Greenway at Stratford. We felt particularly smug with ourselves despite stopping at the half way point for lunch - but I am slightly embarrassed to say that I was absolutely knackered after, and had to go to bed early!

This week the OH came home with a rowing machine, and I decided I would try it out, so I set the seat to where I wanted it, squatted in preparation over said seat, and lowered myself towards it. A normal person would have landed on the seat, and started rowing, but no, not me. In true weeble style, at the point of no return in the sitting motion, I miscalculated, missed the seat completely, landed with a thud on the bar, and then keeled over and landed in a heap on the floor crying with both pain and because I could imagine what it had looked like!

Anyway, after the first painful encounter - I thought I'd give it another go. So I set it all up again tonight. The dog legged it, obviously knowing I could lose control of my motor skills at any moment and land on him this time, but I soldiered on, managed to get on the machine without injury and rowed away merrily for a whole 12 minutes 47 seconds!! Wahoo - as I said, Matthew Pincent's got nothing on me!

So, the plan is to try to exercise for at least 1/2 hr, 3 times a week, and see how I go, I am so unfit that this could take a while to build up, but I intend to persevere.

Thinking of bikes this weekend - although that could spell a whole other lot of potential injuries - eek! I may well be blogging from A & E next time!