chapter 3

CHAPTER 3. WHAT ABOUT EXERCISE? CHECK THE SCALES First...step on the bathroom scales and check out your weight. You are going to be shown beyond a doubt just how effective the Run For Your Life combo diet/run really is! Now, let's look at some exercises 'cause we're going to get out on the road or better still a grassy area which will be much easier in the beginning for you. Put on your trainers, or comfortable shoes if you don't have running shoes. We'll be discussing trainers/ sports gear a little later on in the book. BABY STEPS Begin by walking briskly. Power-walk style. Swing your arms and breathe deeply. If you get slightly out of breath that's good, not bad. The aim is to get some good cardiovascular training, as well as the flexibility of the body. Keep up walking whilst counting up to100. Then begin to very gently jog whilst counting up to 50. Do not strain! You are not ready for the Marathon yet! Repeat this exercise; walk -jog- walk- jog until you have been exercising for around 30 minutes. Then rest. That will be enough for today. OH, DEAR! The following day, you may have discovered some aches and pains in parts of your body that you didn't know existed! Don't worry, that's completely normal. The pain will go very quickly. One thing to watch for; be sure not to tense up whilst exercising. Try to walk and run in an easy flow. Look straight ahead, don't lean forward. Keep erect. Try not to stoop or clench your fists. The reason for this is to avoid putting unnecessary strain on your back shoulders and neck. I advise you do this for at least 10 days. At this stage patience really is a virtue. DRINK When you do start to run always be sure to hydrate well as I mentioned in the previous chapter. Carry a water bottle if it helps. But do it. You will be very surprised how quickly your body will adjust, and you will be running up to a mile in no time all. You will find that stiffness aches and pains will be no more unless of course you push yourself and overdo it. Don't worry we've all been there! BURN THAT FAT. When you feel ready to sprint a bit, or "give it some welly" as we Brits say, you will discover that you will burn calories rapidly. It is said by the experts that one minute of high-intensity running can account for a loss of up to 60% more calories than gentle jogging. Now you can see how the weight will begin to melt off as you keep up regular running. CHECK YOUR PROGRESS. When I started, I used to keep a log of my runs. I still have them today, some 20 years later. They are a mine of information. I advise you to do the same. Keeping track of your progress is a wise thing to do. You will be able to clearly see just how you have improved over time. Let me explain how you can create your own running blog. Of course, you can get one online at any running site, however, I believe mine is straightforward and simple to make. LOGIT Get a piece of paper, A4 or A5 whichever you prefer, and draw a rectangular box. Draw a horizontal line at the top about 1 inch down, and then draw vertical lines 7 in total to the bottom. The vertical lines should be drawn in such a way as to create seven boxes. In these boxes, we are going to put our information. The first one going from left to right we will write in: the day and the date. The second box we write resting pulse. The third box we write distance and type of run. The fourth box we write time taken. Then in the fifth box, we write weather conditions/hot, wet, windy, snowy, cold. In the sixth box, we put other training such as swimming, cycling, etc. And then in the final box, which is the one at the top right-hand corner, we put comments/how you physically and mentally feel. You could also add your race pace per mile speed. In case you don't know, 10 K = 6.214 miles and half marathon =13.109 miles. And yes, you will be able, if you choose to run that kind of distance. You might have trouble believing this at the beginning of the journey, but trust me- you will be able to hack it. MAKE THE TIME When I first started running, I was in my late 40s, well past the athletic sell-by date as some would have it. But as I have shared I was desperate to improve my health all costs. My sedentary lifestyle working in the media and for a time in show business could not afford me many opportunities to get fit and well. Time was short. I now believe That we all have the capacity to make more time if we truly desire to. I put my hands up, I was lazy and afraid of the hard work involved. There is no point in kidding ourselves -- that way lies delusion! I'm sure that many readers of this book will understand what I just said. Perhaps you have been there too? But what a delight to know that we can do something about it. It only takes a little effort to make a big difference. When all is said and done there is nothing in life as important as one's health and strength. There is a price to pay for everything. My motivation was to get as healthy and as strong as I possibly could in the shortest time. I can tell you categorically that you definitely will also achieve this if you truly want to. No excuses, you can do it! So if you will come with me to the next chapter, we'll take a more in-depth look at training. Incidentally, I hope that you are putting into practice every day the lessons that I'm teaching. If you are you will already be experiencing the many benefits I have outlined for you so far.