My gym progress

A few weeks ago, I saw a Facebook share that was smugly judgemental of people who post their workout progress on Facebook. Well, you know what? Fuck that, and fuck those people… I went for several years with no exercise and when I started at gym last July, I could barely run for 2 minutes on a treadmill. This isn’t about narcissism, and even if it was, no arsehole is going to tell me what I should or shouldn’t share, so I will proudly share my progress both there and here. I won’t be posting any photos yet, not until I have something I feel is worth sharing.

Anyway, I’ve changed my workout a little… Now I only have a session with a personal trainer once a week, on Saturdays (because it’s too expensive), and although I have been doing two workouts in the week, I’m going to increase that. My workout is now mostly about running, with some work on my abs as well. The Saturday sessions involve weight training.

When I started, I strained to finish ten minute sessions on the treadmill, alternating between running and walking for two minutes at a time. Now, I’m up to 25 minutes of running, not fast but a steady jog at a minimum speed of 9km/h, which I increase if I’m feeling good on the day. Today I ran for 25 minutes to a distance of 3.79km. Then I worked my abs and ended off with walking and running around the track a few times. My target is to run 5km a day, and I think it won’t be long until I can manage that. Also, if I increase the time, I don’t allow myself to run for a shorter time than that again. So I don’t push too hard – which is what I used to do when I was younger, as it results in impossible expectations and a target that becomes too difficult to maintain every time.

I’m much fitter than I was a few months ago, but because I’ve still been eating like a pig (I like to eat), I have lost zero weight, although I am noticeably thinner, having converted plenty of fat into muscle. And that’s it… This is the first time I have managed to stick to an exercise program ever, because of not overdoing it, and I am proud to share this. Hopefully I’ll be happy enough to share some photos of my improved physique soon.