First Steps

The first attempt at getting fit ended in failure. I bought one of those sit-up contraptions you fit to doors and started doing sit-ups. I promptly did my back in with agonising pain shooting up from the base of my spine. To make things worse, the next day I slipped at the top of the stairs and hit every step with my tailbone on the way down. Sitting winded at the bottom with pain lancing through my chest, I honestly thought I was having a heart attack. I was off work for a week and the sit-up bar has gone unused since.

A few weeks later though, I bought an exercise bike from eBay. Originally from a gym, it's a really sturdy machine with a computerised read-out and built in programmes. I started off doing 6-7 miles at a time which was enough to turn my legs to jelly and have the sweat pouring off my head. I soon moved up to doing  15 miles or so in a 30 minute session on a constant setting.

That's when I made an important discovery. Exercising to the point of exhaustion feels great when you stop. I've read that endorphins are released during exercise that are actually addictive. I think I may be experiencing a bit of that myself.