Getting rid of the dad bod: Part 2

Annoyingly, I’ve been injured. It always seems to be the way – when I was training for a half-marathon a few years ago, I ended up twisting my ankle and being unable to train. Maybe this is an unconscious desire I have to sabotage my attempts to get fit…

But no, I hurt my leg and as such, I haven’t been able to engage with the process of exercise as much as I would like to. That’s meant that the Marlow Club has annoyingly seen very little of me. Not by design, I should add. And when I’m there, I’m inspired to run and I’ve been meaning to take my gauntlets (bought during a fighty mood in the summer) to the outdoor bags and pads. I’m really annoyed I haven’t been there as much as I could have done because it’s as welcoming as any gym I’ve been in (I also really fancy a steam). Again, now that’s it’s December, my plan is to push hard for this month leading up to Christmas.

Carrying on with the EDFIT programme has been great. I didn’t tell anyone that I haven’t been able to actually train, but I’ve concentrated on the mindset elements of Ed’s plan instead. And I’ve improved that side of myself – drinking less, eating less snacks and chocolate. Just consuming…less. I’m not ready to weigh myself yet. I don’t think I’m there yet, but progress is happening. Ed sends his clients a multiple choice survey to fill in at the end of each week and last week’s was the first one I was pleased to fill in.

So I haven’t been as vociferous in my regime as I would have liked. That’s okay. I have though embraced the concept of a smart watch which has been a revelation. I’ve always shied away from having something like that on my wrist, but the Polar Ignite 2 has been a joy. It feels more like a watch than a smart device, than a piece of fitness equipment. And yet it does all the things I want the latter to do – checking my heart rate, monitoring my steps and training, on top of sitting nicely on my wrist. I’m not sure why I was so averse to a smartwatch – yet another device, I guess – but the Ignite 2 is a perfect balance. It’s a watch, but it doesn’t compel you to read texts on it (you can do it if you want to), or show it off on public transport. Yet it looks good (the various face designs are ace) and does all the things you want it to, including personalised suggestions, sleep tracking and GPS, allied with an intuitive app. It also benefits from impressive battery life.

As my time on EDFit comes to a close, I’m now focused on making some real impact before Christmas. My stomach has finally gotten used to not being fed so much food. I’ve come to like porridge rather than a pastry for breakfast and some miso soup for lunch with no treat in the evening.

While I’m behind on this journey that I realise I set out on a staggering two months ago (that is nuts), I’m really keen to finish strong.

Continuing to engage with Ed and watching his sessions back is one part of that. The other is listening to the beeps of my watch and getting into the gym whenever I can, because hey, it’s getting cold out there.

And while this has not been exactly the way I planned, I still feel like I can get some real value – and real results – from this experience.

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It’s time to get rid of that dad bod

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