How much can you do on your own?

My exercise yesterday was my lunchtime spinning class, taken by a really good PT instructor who I've known for several years. I guess he is about as old as I am or maybe even older. Why I'm mentioning this is to indirectly say that he isn't one of these youngsters that you get at the gyms. Don't take me wrong, I have nothing against the young ones but I have a bit more respect for someone who is older than the average trainer but is still a very good PT instructor and who is keeping his body in tip-top shape.

We all know that as you get older your body slows down, even for men and it takes more and more to get and keep those flabby bits off.


I had this brilliant idea whilst I was spinning away during the session to ask him about PT sessions, so after the class I plucked up courage and went over where he was packing his stuff away. To say that I was shocked was putting it mildly! The sessions starts at £30 per session and if you buy bulk (7 sessions) then it is £10 off. I have to admit I don't know anything about PT sessions so maybe this is the going rate but I didn't know it was that much. I politely took his number and said I will get back to him. He said that a session isn't just an hour. It is more like 2 or 3 hours so it might be worth it.

Back in the cloakroom I started pondering about this and finally decided that it might be a very good idea but only if we can do it my way. What I have in mind is 7 sessions, one per week which enables me to build onto the base that he is setting during the PT session and that would also not be so hard on my purse. My time also doesn't allow me to have more than one session per week. I haven't yet spoken to him but will present this idea soon and see what he says...

I know that £200 is quite expensive but hey, there is only so much you can do on your own. I have now been training since 1 February and I'm still not riding the bike as quick and easy as I would like, thinking that I'm not probably in my 7th week of training? Remember my earlier post on the LL diet that I couldn't do due to the rigid way they structure it? I was then thinking that all the money saved (£66 per week) could buy some PT sessions!

My cautious nature has however kicked in and I'm already thinking maybe I should only buy one session as a taster and see if I like it before splashing out on 7 sessions and depart with £200. What if I don't like it or think it is not for me? Maybe I can ask him for a taster session, maybe at a reduced rate? I don't want to come across as too cautious though. Remember I will be at his mercy when I'm exercising and he will definitely stretch me far!

I will give him a ring tomorrow (too busy today; on the train to London and his number is at home anyway) and speak to him, setting out what I want...be firm!

Hopefully I can step my training up a gear. I'm sure coming 12 June I will not regret the efforts I've made to get fit.

Cough cough

I'm ill.

What a disappointment. I started to feel unwell on Saturday midst my prep for my schooldays party and it has now really progressed to a full-blown cold. I woke up in the middle of last night with runny eyes and nose. There was no chance of me going back to sleep so I spent most of last night, well between 1am and 4am, watching ice-skating from Vancouver. It was really beautiful stuff but it was also a very lonely time. You can (almost) hear yourself breathe! Nobody else is awake and you know that! Everyone else is sleeping (snoring) away and here you sit and feel sorry for yourself.

Well. It certainly interrupted my training. I was due for a double spinning session today, one this morning and one this evening but being sensible, I cancelled. Another wasted day. Urghh.

Due to work commitments, I won't be able to go to any spinning tomorrow either but hope to go on Thursday.

On another note, I was invited to submit interest to attend the Copenhagen Velo-City 2010 conference in June. What a shame, but I will have to skip it as I will be in Scotland that time cycling the last few legs of the LEJOG.

I've submitted the link and description to the conference below, it really looks like a fabulous opportunity! I hope a lot of UK planners go so that we can get real cycling provision in the UK.

End of the week - here comes the weekend!

Now who doesn't look forward to a weekend? The scales this morning told a lovely story. I have so far 'only' lost 6lb since I started but my bodyfat has consistently crept down and this morning it changed from two ++ to just one + and came in under 40% bodyfat.

Now the hard bit starts to keep that up and keep it going down. I couldn't keep my spinning class today which was a big pity. I think every one missed is a missed opportunity to keep weight going down. I went to town and came home too late to unpack the grocery bags and to leave for the gym. That sounds like a real feeble excuse now that I wrote it. At the time it just doesn't feel that way. I like being on time and really must be in the car 20min before class start to get there, get into the gym, up the stairs and onto the bike. People flock to the class and is spinning well in advance of the class, so eager are they.

My next class is at 13.30 tomorrow and the masterplan is to keep going after class for another 30min (take my own music) as there isn't another booking for the studio after my class. I burn on average 500cal at a session so hopefully I can push this up to about 800cal tomorrow!

I do need it as 1) I missed tonight and 2) we have a party on tomorrow evening which means there will be drinking and eating.

Even though I'm off the alcohol I can't really guarantee that I would totally abstain tomorrow night. The party would be fun! I haven't been to something quite like this for a while. The theme is schooldays and it is a 60th birthday. In honour of the birthday boy I took some effort today to get me something which resembles a school uniform. I'm not sure about my new shirt though. I fitted the white one but it was too tight and too see-through for my liking. I then went for the black one but the comments I got back was "Mum! It looks like you will be going to a funeral!" as my skirt (a nice shortish one) was also black and so is my pumps.

Maybe I should get the white shirt but maybe at another store? I will see how I feel tomorrow.

We have another episode of '24' to watch so I need to get going...thanks for reading. I will let you know tomorrow what my Cal burn rate was!