A Step Up

What a fantastic summer break, and after two weeks in Sunny Spain I couldn't wait to see all those lovely photos. Beautiful white beaches, our gorgeous villa with its sparkly blue pool, the kids having the time of their lives ... my thighs. Seriously, I had no idea I'd grown so huge. Last summer I'd spent months getting into shape. No question, dieting was getting harder but I'd done it - I was (just about) proud to be seen in summer clothes. But in the 5-6 months that followed, my summer body swelled like a magic flannel in the bath - and I sucked up that 2 stone just in time for Christmas. So, by this summer you can imagine I was a weight I didn't want to be and seeing those photos - and videos thanks to DS2 the resident cameraman - was more than my vanity could bear. Last year's pride had turned to repulsion. Something had to be done.

I turned to the tried and tested solution. The calorie controlled diet. I installed MyFitnessPal on my new phone and I was off. A small plain yoghurt for breakfast, 500 for lunch, 600 for tea - no cheese or pasta of course (or anything else that quickly eats up my quota) but it'd be worth it.

I lasted two days.

This dieting thing gets harder every year. 2015 will go down as the year it became impossible. But, what other option did I have?

After a trip to the Science Museum, the answer came to me - via a notification from my new phone. "You have reached your daily goal of 6000 steps." I didn't know I had a daily goal or even that my phone had been tracking my steps. I actually felt a modicum of shame that in the week the device had been monitoring me, I hadn't achieved this goal sooner. But, that was it. My new regimen was born. Steps.

A little research told me that the American Health Organisation recommend a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. The NHS introduced their own version - The 10,000 Step Challenge - but with a less prescriptive attitude. More like a 'fun idea', 'do this if you can be bothered' kind of approach. I have a vague memory of some research stating that it's impossible to be overweight if you achieve this daily goal, but I can't find anything confirming this. But, I have hope, so 10,000 is now my long term goal.

In line with my new program, I have bought a FitBit Surge (I love it!!). This measures ALL my steps, not just the ones where I'm carrying my phone, and has the option of measuring a 'run' or a 'hike' so I can see a map of my route and graph of my heartrate throughout the workout. Did I say, I love it? My daily goal is now 8,000 steps (approx 3.5 - 4 miles). I've really enjoyed fitting new little routines into the day to increase my count, and at the weekend we had a lovely family walk in Oxfordshire to White Horse Hill. The plan is to increase my step-count to 10,000 fairly soon. With all that walking, I have to lose weight. Right?

I'll let you know.

Wendy Booth - Portrait Artist