Getting fit!

A while ago I blogged about some of the things I hope to do in the next two years and two months, before I turn 30. One of them is getting fit. So for the past six weeks I have been back at the gym training hard. I have combined that with a few simple lifestyle choices such as giving up fizzy drinks and chocolate. It has been hard and has meant spending hours pounding the treadmill and rowing machines but six weeks into my programme and I have shed just over two stones, reducing my weight from 16 stone 4 to 14 stone. I still have another half a stone to go to my target of 13.5 and an awful lot of toning work but I am really glad I have gone on this journey. It has been a very spiritual experience for me. I have been having to learn to break some life long habits and praying about some of these has brought break through and strength. Fizzy drinks and chocolare have been in my daily diet for as long as I remember. My bro Glen and I always joke about being weened on Pepsi, but up until six weeks ago I would have been necking about 3-4 cans of Pepsi a day and throw in a few Mars Bars and very basic rugby training and 1 game a week and the result is a steady weight gain over the past four years. Quitting Pepsi is not just about losing weight though, it is about looking after my insides, my heart, my blood sugar (I have been borderline diabetic for the last few years) and also my teeth. I have had to go cold turkey and six weeks in I am now excited about drinking water (I could never have thought that possible)
Getting fit, for me, is not about looking good, rather it is in response to God's call on my life and in obedience to some of the things going on deeper within my soul. Leading YFC is going to take energy, passion, enthusiasm and more energy. As I find my fitness levels increase I find myself sleeping better at night, I am more alert and have higher energy levels during work, my stress levels are low and my clothes fit better.
The next stage of the journey is going to be more difficult, losing that next half a stone is gonna be tough. Diets don't work so I have not gone on one, I want the weight to stay off, so I am just eating what I normally eat, lots of cereal, bread, milk, pasta, chinese, pizza, all the yummy stuff.
I'll let you know how it goes.