Thursday 5 January 2012

I would walk 500 miles

I read today that 60% of us make a resolution to lose weight in the new year. I'm not usually one of those, I try to keep active throughout the year and am lucky that my shape remains pretty constant.

This year however, I have a goal. My brother is getting married in Barcelona this summer and it will involve an (eek!) pool party. I've not squished myself into a bikini since my honeymoon. 7 Years older and 2 children later I'm not exactly confident about prancing around in a two-piece without a bit of, um, sculpting going on.

I listed my aims for the year earlier this week and included a goal to be more active with this in mind. Joanna had a fabulous idea of setting herself a set mileage each day to run, or walk if that's not possible.

I love this idea and it would be brilliant if I could run each day but, with a husband who is away from 6am-10pm each day and no childcare (bar an expensive creche at the gym which is rationed to once a week) I don't think I'd manage.

Getting into running in the last year and long walks with this guy...



...have made me appreciate how rewarding exercising outdoors can be. If 8 years previously working as a personal trainer taught me anything it's that the most successful people in terms of inch-loss and exercise adherence are those who do something they enjoy.

I walk roughly 4 miles a day at the moment to let off the endless labrador-energy harnessed by the above hound. It's easy, cheap and I can take the kids along too. This is fine to keep things ticking over but the time has come to up the ante and shift the last stubborn inches clinging on for dear life.

So, I've set myself a (rather ambitious) challenge of covering 50 miles a week which I can walk, run, cycle or swim to achieve.  It sounds alot now as I'm typing it but with the walks, cycling to work and some runs and swims thrown in, I think I can do it. It'll be a challenge but that's the point, right?

So, picturing myself lounging around the pool in the Spanish sunshine, sipping chilled champagne, I embark on this challenge. 16 Miles covered so far this week I have some catching up to do but am confident I can do it. Anyone want to have a go too?

1 comment:

  1. Sounds brilliant. Not sure about 50 but maybe 2012 which is about 39 a week. I still haven't managed one a day but you're great inspiration, Lydia. Good luck for Barcelona!

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