Daily Archives: May 25, 2009

The Joy of Exercise

The Joy of Exercise

Ah, exercise.  It’s one of those things like marmite that you either love or hate.  I absolutely love it.  I love how it makes you feel (although for me that’s always just after I’ve finished, definitely not at the time) and I love how it changes your body shape when you’ve been doing it regularly for a while.  I tend to go through phases of doing tons of exercise followed by phases of doing bugger all because for some reason I think that once I’ve got to how I want to be I can cut right back.  I’m sure I could, if only I didn’t eat so many pies and cakes, drink so much tasty beer and think of “cutting right back” as “stopping all together”.  I’m my own worst enemy.

One thing I don’t love about exercise, however, is how I look immediately after because you can definitely tell that I’ve been doing it.  My face is usually purple, my hair is soaked with sweat and dripping, I look an absolute mess.  Even when I’m at my fittest and slimmest I still sweat like a fat bird and it doesn’t help that my exercises of choice are running and spinning.  So I would like to know why it is that there are women in the gym who seem to be putting in as much effort as I am yet look fresh as a daisy at the end of their workouts?  And why do they all have much nicer exercise gear than me?

And what about those orange women who turn up in full faces of make-up?  Why on earth are they paying £50 a month to half-heartedly fanny about on the cross trainer for 10 minutes?  Could it be that they’re making eyes at the meatheads over by the free weights?  Or hoping to pick up a personal trainer?

I don’t go to the gym any more, partly because of the cost, partly because of the annoying women and partly because I got really fed up every Monday, especially at the beginning of the year, when hundreds of extra people turned up and used all the machines or took all the places in the classes.  It was frustrating that those of us that were there week in week out got no privileges for loyalty and I remember being so annoyed one evening that the spinning class I usually attended was already full half an hour before it started that I went home without doing anything, via the chippy.  Of course these New Years Resolution types are exactly the kind of people the gym owners love.  They turn up every day for 2 weeks then never go again, but are stuck in a year’s contract that they probably forget to cancel at the end.  Score.

Luckily for me running is something you can do without gym membership.  I much prefer road running but am pretty limited at the moment thanks to my pesky daughter so run at home on our treadmill.  It can be very boring and is hard to stay motivated so I watch TV programmes while I’m doing it and at least in the comfort of my own home no-one can see me in my ridiculous get up, including clown style running shoes that are 2 and a half sizes bigger than my feet.  Curse these stupid long narrow feet.

Over the years I’ve found it’s important to have something to aim for so this year I’m running the Race for Life in July (5k) and then the Great South Run in October (10 miles).  I’ve done them both before and am hoping to get round in good times.  My main aim is losing the vast amount of weight I put on during my difficult 3rd pregnancy and I can’t quite believe how long it’s taking.  But I will get there and since I’m running both races for charidee mate hopefully I’ll do some good as well.

And if you’d like to sponsor me do please feel free ;)

Race for Life is for Cancer Research:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/fionaflaherty

I’m running the Great South for the NSPCC:

http://www.justgiving.com/fionaflaherty1

There’s a very fetching picture of me on there.  Go on, dig deep!