"a low level of daily physical activity not only doesn't help your current health status, it could be the reason you got sick in the first place," says Frank Booth of the University of Missouri. -  http://www.ohsonline.com/articles/60035/.

Dusted the bike off this morning...beautiful 21 gear mountain bike that I should ride more often, pumped up the tyres and then it was time to get on it - and hit the road. One thing i did notice on my 20km circuit was - it didn't matter which way I was riding, the wind was in my face.

Gym work is all very well, but you can get off a gym bike at any time and go and do something else. One thing with road work is this - unless you want to catch the bus home, you are going to have to ride home as well as ride there....which is of course why I ride / run circuits,. less chance of getting bored, plug in the MP3 player and away you go.

Which is something to consider if you do get bored - choose a route that takes in different scenery....otherwise you might be tempted to give up half way and go back....and I don't like to admit defeat. Even if my lungs / legs and butt all thought I was trying to torture them this morning. I could have stopped a couple of kilometres from home, and gone - someone come and pick me up....but I didn't...I pushed harder, rather than slow down. The mind soon stopped misbehaving....well when your muscles are screaming, the mind can't focus on anything else can it?

It's true, in sporting terms I am in the vets category. But that doesn't stop me from having a go, and a damn good one at that. My problem is - I want to keep up with the younger generation, but yes I will admit it "older" age and the occassional injury kicks in and stops real progress.

My daughter wanted to know when we were going running again? So, after a 37 degree day and humidity that came as the temperatures dropped - we hit the pavement. My daughter is nearly 30 years my junior - but I kept up pretty well. And as I said to her, I was after distance / time not speed. Speed can come later, much later, when the muscles are used to the work again.

Why the hiatus? Well to be honest there hasn't been a big one, just a lack of posting.

After pulling my groin last year, it took a couple of months before I felt able to run - so I didn't - opting for long walks and gym work instead. Then came Christmas and a trip to the UK. Now back into the swing of things, I have ramped up the work again, adding cardio to the floor work that I have been doing. I can now do "boy" push ups, and can manage to do them on my knuckles as well as flat palmed. Not bad for a woman with virtually no upper body strength before being shown the correct techniques. Then it has been pure guts and determination to get to where I can do 10 decent ones before landing flat on my face. My goal is 100....yes you heard that correctly.

Oh yes, and just to mix up the training just a little - I have booked in for 6 beginner pole dancing lessons. If that doesn't improve core stability and upper body strength I don't know what will. I will of course keep you posted on that one.

Yes it is back to the gym tonight....

Someone once asked me what I was training for. To which I answered - participation in this thing called LIFE - the fitter you are the longer you are in the race.

The new exercise program is in place and I appear to be getting better, in that I now have slightly better flexibility this week than last. And the key? It seems that opposite's are important. As in opposite elbow to knee - works the obliques (sounds like I know what I am talking about doesn't it!!)

Didn't go to the gym yesterday, but did do the program at home, followed by another couple or three hours in the garden. I have more weeds than flowers, and certainly more than can fit into my bin this week. But I have almost re-cleared a garden bed. And with only a few weeks til summer, I need to get it finished and mulch down. Something I've repeatedly failed to do over the years.

What has gardening got to do with exercise? Well fat is merely an energy store. And with about 51lbs of fat on my frame - yes i know - yuk...horrified me when i saw the figures, i decided any kind of movement that makes me use muscles and makes me sweat has to be a good thing. And as an added bonus, i get to drink more water, and because i'm busy I'm not eating as much either. And therein lies another key to losing weight and keeping it off and being healthy at the same time. Set a goal that makes you become better than you currently are. Rise to the challenge and take control of your shape and your destiny. 

I tried out the new programme yesterday morning. I woke up far too late to go for my customary 2 hour walk and be back in time for breakfast with a friend, so I went to the gym instead.

Andy had advised that I start off doing some of the leg work at a skip/jog pace....I would;ve if i could stop laughing. Oh boy, talk about embarrasing - I've always said I would never and I do mean never get to the stage when bits wobbled when I jumped....err - not a good look I have to say. it's amazing how fast wobble takes over when you simply don't do enough exercise. And the right kinds - or so it seems.

So - what can I say except that my fear that I had become lazy and not doing enough exercise was actually true. I got to use muscles that I had forgotten I had. Today my shoulders, pecs, ribs, upper back, hips, butt and just about everywhere else - is sore. OK, I'd also done 40 minutes worth of gardening yesterday afternoon and helped clean a friends place today, so some of yesterday's soreness can be attributed to other things I suppose. But even so.

But I shall be very interested to see how fast the new exercise regime starts to become easier - Andy has said that it will become easier very quickly if I do what he says. Which is why he has also given me additional work for when it does.