I have been going to the gym quite a bit over the last three months to keep myself in shape.

The main reason was because I was beginning to get a bit of a paunch- something I had always dreaded because I have always been active. However, in my current job, my boss literally went AWOL for months, meaning I would have to work long hours, and I would always find a reason to work through lunch. and because we had decided to move to the coast, working out before work was not an option. So it led to the inevitable- I started gaining weught, around the lower stomach- and all of this was not helped by the onsite canteen, which nukes the nutrients out of the food, and most of the hot food is so greasy it packed with fat.

added to that, the stress meant I would always find a reason to have a little bit more to eat than I should. It always the little things- perhaps a roll with butter, a garlic bread. And finally, the vending machine in the office only sells crap- chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks packed with sugar. All of it, slowly, beings to take its toll.

Then came one of those 'moments' - the ones that force you to sit up, take notice and do something about your life. For me, it was a picture of me on holiday, sitting on a beautiful beach on Koh samui, playing with a crazy dog who loved chasing splash from the sea. I have iPhoto on my computer at home, so I zoomed in to look at the detail of the picture, and was horrified to see my gut. admittedly I was hunched over, so it made it look worse than it was, but it was because of that I freaked out. that photo still motivates me- when I don't feel like getting moving, I visualize that image and promise myself I would never return back to that sorry state!

Being on holiday I always find makes me relax and think about the things I am missing in my life, so I made a promise to myself that I needed to get back to being fit and healthy. So as soon as I got back, I joined the nearest gym, and promised myself that I would make my lunchtome sacred- i.e. no event or urge to work woulod get in the way. It is my time for me, and one that I need to do in order to deal with the stresses and strains thrown at me on a daily basis.

Going to the gym was quite scary, because the first thing they did was evaluate me- blood pressure was fine, but I had gained 9 pounds in six months. The creepy thing about it is that it is invisible- you just don't notice it until one of those 'uh-oh' moments.

I didn't really start slowly, I just jumped right in. I am naturally athletic, so I have high standards when it comes to working out. So after the first couple of times, the days after of which I couldn't really move I was so stiff, I got into the swing of it. I kept myself motivated with the image of that photo, but also I wanted to feel more confident in myself, feel empowered with knowing that I was looking after my body.

So I now go to the gym virtually every day, although the last two weeks I have been taking it easy because my knee began to hurt from running too much. What is weird now though is that because I do it every day, I feel really grumpy on days I don't go- it is as if I need to exercise now- to get out the tension and the frustration is one of the key benefits for me, beyond just losing body fat.

I got rid of the 9 pounds of bosy fat in a month, but I still have a layer of fat around the stomach I was to get rid of, so I am really going to go for it in the next month. I am meeting up with estranged family in a month's time, and I am going to use this for drive to ensure I lose c.4% more body fat so I look great.

It is certainly not going to be easy, and of course, sometimes it would be nice not to do it- but once you are into it, it becomes addictive, so the extent that I need it so deal with the daily strains. In many ways, the hardest thing is not the exercise- it is the food!

More on that later, dinner time now...