| I have a teenage son who discovered keeping fit | | | | without positive intervention. After that age it's all down |
| about the same time he discovered girls. I'm not | | | | hill. You start to lose your brain cells and 1/2lb lean |
| complaining because it means I have quite a collection | | | | muscle mass every year unless you do something |
| of fitness equipment at my disposal. The thing is, I hate | | | | about it. |
| using most of it. | | | | That's a problem because 1 lb muscle burns 100 |
| However, I do like the treadmill and rowing machine so | | | | calories as compared to the measly 3 burned by the |
| for the last two weeks I've been using them on a fairly | | | | same amount of fat. It's no wonder most people |
| regular basis. | | | | eventually get "middle age spread". No matter how |
| I've also been shown some exercises to do using | | | | active a person may be, unless he or she builds |
| weights. These are supposed to build muscle and firm | | | | muscle to replace that being lost, the fat will pile on. |
| up all the flabby bits without turning me into a female | | | | However, it's not easy to stick to an exercise |
| version of The Incredible Hulk. | | | | programme especially if you don't actually like doing it. |
| It's early days but so far I'm enjoying the workouts and | | | | Often people have busy lives and schedule exercise in, |
| can see the difference even without my glasses. I also | | | | so if it's considered a chore it's destined to fail. |
| feel more alert as the oxygen must be getting to my | | | | In order to build up your fitness and get both quality |
| ever-depleting brain cells. | | | | and quantity from your exercise you have to feel a |
| Looking back over the years I definitely felt at my best | | | | certain way otherwise you can't push yourself to do |
| during my late twenties and early thirties, and I suspect | | | | just that little bit extra every day. It's important, |
| it had much to do with the fact I regularly played | | | | therefore, to do something which YOU enjoy and not |
| squash. | | | | something someone else thinks you ought to do, or will |
| This energetic ball game really gets the heart pumping | | | | enjoy because they do. |
| and the oxygen circulating through the blood. I stopped | | | | At the moment the treadmill, rowing machine and |
| playing after I had children and any woman reading this | | | | weights suit me fine, but as I said, it's early days. If I |
| will most likely understand why. I miss it though and | | | | start to find excuses not to use them I shall look for |
| wish I'd carried on, as I'm certainly no longer "fit". | | | | something else to do because I know if I want to fire |
| Your fitness level is determined by the amount of time | | | | on all cylinders I need to eat properly, increase my |
| it takes you to recover after some form of exertion, | | | | fitness (recovery) level and get plenty of rest and |
| and currently there's much room for improvement in | | | | sleep. |
| my case. I'm working on it though, slowly and surely. I'm | | | | Currently, I need to work on all areas but will get there |
| building up gradually. | | | | eventually. The best advice I can give myself is to think |
| It's not surprising I felt good when I was thirty because | | | | positive and not get stressed otherwise I'll certainly |
| that is the age when you have the most brain cells, | | | | have problems with the last two. |
| and have built up as much muscle as you will ever get | | | | Oh how I wish I knew at thirty what I know now! |