Who was I kidding!!

Rude awakening at the gym assessment yesterday. Some of you may not like what I'm about to say - but I just feel I have to. Because I kidded myself for years that being overweight was ok - so was having high blood pressure, I told myself that this is what happens with age, it wasn't me causing it - just one of those things.... This was called burying my head in the sand. I was young and invincible. Being overweight didn't matter - or so I told myself. Anyone else telling themselves this - don't kid yourselves, sit and take another think! Do it now while you have the chance. I'm sure you get away with living like this for a time but then it turns around and bites you.

OK - so my blood pressure is a lot better, the medication is a quarter of what I used to take - but for some reason it was way up yesterday. I couldn't complete the fitness test once again because my heart rate got up too high. Got to the last minute and the bike just stopped. I was gutted - although the instructor showed me there was an improvement on the previous one. He showed me a flyer on what to do to reduce BP - all stuff I know and do anyway! But for years I abused this body - and now I feel I'm paying for it. I know I hold back with cardio work, as soon as I feel a bit puffed I ease off - because I feel almost like it's dangerous with high BP but the instructor told me I need to feel like that. What I've been doing is nowhere near enough. I go back for my new program tomorrow. I felt I had faith in the instructor, I need to push myself a lot more, and I'm going to. I've got to a stage this is not about losing weight but improving me! If I can push myself, do more, hopefully my blood pressure will drop. The instructor did a weekly plan for me. He told me to stick with the daily aqua but the plan is going to be something like this:
Monday
Gym - aqua

Tuesday
30 minute or more walk - aqua

Wednesday
Gym - aqua

Thursday
30 minute or more walk - aqua

Friday
Gym - aqua

Saturday
Walk - maybe gym if at home for the weekend

Sunday
He said I could have a REST DAY!! Don't think so somehow - will be catch up in the garden or walking on the beach!

I'm going to have to be organised - plan is:
Mon, Wed & Frid go to the gym at 11.00am and then aqua straight after at 12.10pm. If time is a bit short, I miss aqua not the gym session!
Tuesday and Thursday - walk during the day - then night time aqua.
The gym sessions will be full ones - no cutting corners Anne!

Other interesting things that came out of the assessment. Don't know how the scales work their magic with some of the info they produce.
Weight up 2k to last year:(
Muscle mass up 2%
Arm measurements down a couple of cms??
Other measurements - much the same.
Water in my body was around 46% - should be 55%ish? Need to drink more.

Thanks also to my dear daughter who has such a way with words at times:
I told her that I felt useless not being able to compete the fitness assessment, telling her that people older, bigger than me can do it but I can't!
Her response - You aren't useless, at least you aren't sitting on your bum doing nothing. If you kept on going like you were you probably would have been dead by now!
Charming isn't she!!

Please don't kid yourself it's ok to be overweight. Don't do what I did to my body because it's bloody hard work to reverse the damage!

So a new determination, I'm on a mission! I've also decided not to weigh in again until my assessment in six weeks, when I will be weighed and measured and hopefully beat that damn bike! The scales are in the garage..... So I'm drinking more water, tracking and hitting the gym!!

Devin (sad little man) is now the proud owner of a couple of inhalers (just like his grandad so he's stoked and why he thinks it's great) but the doctor still isn't sure if it's asthma or a lengthy virus. He did have an inhaler but not the mask to go with it - which the family doctor thought being six he may not be getting the dosage without the help of a mask.

Better go - will update after the gym prgram tomorrow.