Lifestyle stuff

This probably deserves its own entry as it's been a bit of a revelation, as well as completely unexpected.

It all started at the Bento clinic I attended back at the end of July, where there were many exhortations from the great man to develop my ridden position, as well as opportunities to discuss with mates the perils of hitting that particular time of life where you can no longer eat as much cake as you want without developing your own muffin-esque waistline accoutrements. I've no real idea what it was specifically that has galvanised me into action but the effect of it has been quite noticeable and I've ended up doing things that I never really considered as applying to me. I'm wondering if it is the onset of some sort of midlfe crisis and worry that if I'm not careful I may soon be driving a Porsche.

First I decided (after some years of cogitation along the lines of "ah yes, I really should get my beans in a row to do this..", it must be noted) to join a Pilates class for general posture and flexibility. So I looked into the available options and decided that the only feasible way I could cram it in would be to attend a class at the gym at work. It didn't really occur to me that actually joining the gym would be a realistic course of action until I weighed up the financial options, which it turned out were stacked against me:

1) Operate on a pay as you go basis, paying £5.50 per class plus a £25 "admin fee", or
2) Join said gym at a cost of £26 per month

As the people who run things at the gym know very well, two classes per week @ £5.50 a pop make little economic sense, so I was forced to conclude that joining would be the way forward. I tried to persuade a number of friends and colleagues to come along with me but in the end was forced to conclude that I was on my own and must therefore grow a pair and go on my own - feeling, it must be said, like a mildly wobbly fraud at the very idea. So off I toddled, completed the relevant paperwork, handed over my fee and booked my induction.

Meanwhile, back at the clinic my friend Susan was telling me all about how her own Pilates adventures had transformed her riding and how she had consulted a nutritionist to discuss dietary changes to help both lose a bit of weight and gain some much needed energy levels. She's in the same position as me in that she works in London, commutes a long way by train in order to fund the lifestyle, only to find she has very little energy to devote to her homestead and horses by the time she gets home. Hmm. All sounds very familiar, Rachibum, does it not.

Anyway, according to said nutritionist, the mistake that many people make is not having protein for breakfast. Aha! Although I was feeling pretty pleased with my exisitng quite healthy granola, fruit and natural yogurt breakfasts, neither those nor my propensity to opt for a plate full of carbs at lunch were doing me any favours in the energy stakes, so an overhaul was called for. What the nutritionist recommended was this:

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2521&prodid=2786&cid=141&sid=0

First impressions on trying it were along the lines of "Christ, that's really rancid" but in fact it grows on you, and particularly once you realise just how good it is at delivering both energy and satiety for a good few hours. Result!

Next step was to ditch the lunch time carbs in favour of a salad and some protein, which also helps. As a result I have found that my appetite has been steadily shrinking to more manageable levels so I'm eating a lot less at night, too, and what's more I find I am tending towards more healthy suppers, give or take the odd pizza or kebab. I never thought I'd see the day and it reminded me of a "health and wellbeing" course that I attended at work last year which cited all these things - healthy diet, exercise, not so much cake, yadda yadda yadda.

What's more, I've been going to the gym three times a week and really rather enjoying it. Of all the things I might reasonably be expected to blog about, this wasn't one of them. And it's spreading! Sid is becoming a firm fan of shakes, having discovered that if you whisk them well they are much more palatable, and as a family unit we are starting to favour them even as weekend breakfasts for the energy and general good feelings that they engender. Who knew it would come to this? It's very obvious if you then have something like a bacon butty instead just how much of a sap in energy levels that gives by comparison.

So if I sound like a religious zealot expounded the virtues of my new found godhead then so be it, I don't care. It's helped me no end through the weekend's rubber humping endeavours, I can tell you. And I'm writing this not only as an aide memoire should I slip from the path of virtue, but also to spread the good tidings to anyone who, like me, suffers from a lack of energy and really wants to do something lest they bury themselves under a compensatory mountain of cake and coffee.