Day 31 Short, fat, hairy legs and kumquats.

So the day has finally dawned and I have surprised myself by making it to the end of Janathon. My Janathonning son had posted on Facebook about his final piece of exercise by 7.45am while I was still sipping tea in bed. I didn't get into the gym till after 3pm.

Last night I slept well, but by 3pm a few stressy things had happened, not least a set-back regarding my outfit for my daughter's wedding in three months time. I say setback; I mean disaster. A dress-making disaster darling! The dressmaker has not been able to source any fabric in the colours I want, so it's back to the drawing board! Well, back to trawling shops for something suitable and I hate shopping.

Still, one thing I have learned this month is that my automatic reaction to such a First World catastrophe need not be tea, cake, a rant and a wallow on the sofa. So off to the gym I went and, get this, I couldn't wait to get on the treadmill. And once on it, I couldn't wait for five minutes warm-up walking to be up and notched the speed up to 8k after two minutes. It still seemed slow, but I decided to increase the length of time running rather than the speed. So I moved myself up to Week Five of the Couch Potato to 5k Programme which is four lots of 5 minutes running punctuated by 3 minutes walking. This meant I got 4k done in 35 minutes instead of 3.5k. I know I'm not going to be threatening anyone's place in the next Olympics, but, for someone who has not run for 30 years and could only manage 30 seconds at a time on 1st January, it is not bad. In fact I'm secretly very pleased.

One thing I tried, on account of being lazy, was slowing my pace. I didn't slow the treadmill, just the speed my short, fat, hairy legs were moving. Since I didn't fall off the treadmill, I must have lengthened my stride and I felt I was a little higher in the air.

And I spent more time watching the usual TV diet of food porn and property porn and less time watching the clock on the treadmill. Actually, I was rather distracted by the kumquat cheesecake that Nadia Sawalha was making. And so was that master of erotica, Alan Titchmarsh, who had to ask for an explanation when he heard the word 'kumquat'.

Oh and I did 30 reps on each of the weight machines for arms, lats etc...

Having blogged on Day 1 that I hated running, am I now addicted to it? I might just be.

Day 30 Who you gonna call?

Stress-busters, that's who. Once again, after a bad night with nightmares and panicky feelings, I felt rough again this morning. I dragged myself to the gym intending to get away with a few weights just so I could blog about doing something, but a strange thing happened as I headed for the weight machines. My feet seemed to veer of their own accord to the treadmill. Not feeling up to the usual routine, I started with five minutes walking at 6kph but soon found my hand twitching and jabbing the button to get it to 8kph. This felt easy and a bit too slow, so much so that my tum was up against the hand bars if I wasn't careful. And not because my tum was so huge. I couldn't decide whether to increase the speed or the duration so did neither and just alternated between walking at 5.6-6kph and running at 8kph in equal measure for 34 minutes. By the time I had showered and left the gym, the stress symptoms had calmed down and I felt almost normal, though it was an unfamiliar feeling so I can't be sure.

Day 29 Know Your Body

I always think I know my body well. I've lived with it long enough in its varying sizes and with its various occupants, that is to say during the incubation of four children. I listen to my body and do what it's telling me, although that is not always wise because it sometimes tells me to eat food I don't really want and drink more wine than is good for me and sit on the sofa instead of exercising. But this morning, after yet another broken night complete with anxiety dreams and some general, free-floating feelings of stress manifesting in a raised heart rate and dizziness, I decided to listen and listen good. So I took myself to the pool instead of the treadmill. The water itself calmed me and I checked my heart rate several times using the massive second hand on the clock by the pool. Usually it was about 120, which isn't too bad after all. After 40 lengths in 30 minutes, alternating between breast-stroke and backstroke (arms-only some of the time), I languished in the bubbles for a while till my pulse was about 85 before heading off for a meeting. Back home with a resting pulse of 70 and a large cup of tea, things are calmer and I hope to hit the treadmill tomorrow.

Today's Exercise. Swimming - one kilometre.

Day 28 Results Are In

Today I taught an adult singing pupil for the first time since before Christmas and she remarked that I look slimmer and quite toned. I was delighted and also pleased to note that my size 12 jeans are sliding down, in fact I can get them off without undoing the button or zip. OK, so they are M & S jeans and I've probably worked them loose by wearing them, but even so.

Because today was such a full-on teaching day, I had to do my exercise (the Living Room Workout) in three short bursts when I had a gap between pupils.

The sum total of exercise today is:-

Tricep Dips 60     Planks (30 secs each) 3    Push-ups  60
Lunges with weights in hands  90 (per leg)
Squats with weights  60   Arm curls with weights 60  
Arm lifts above head with weights  60

Thought of the Day:- could not help mentally re-writing a song I was looking at today. 'I'm called little Buttercup, poor little Buttercup' became, 'I'm called little Buttercup, lift your left buttock up.' Buns of steel!

Day 27 Run of the Mill

Actually, it was more like walk of the mill as today's Janathon exercise with Alison followed one of our familiar routes along the canal tow path from the locks at Hoole in Chester up to the Cheshire Cat in Christleton and back. A scene from this route, taking in the Water Tower and cute houses along the tow path near the locks at Hoole, now features at the end of the Land Rover advert, which is today's Point of (Almost) Interest. An added bonus was that, near the said scene, we bumped into my old friend, musician and composer, Gary Lloyd and his dancer girlfriend, Bettina, who talked to us about yoga and yoga in hot rooms, which is something else to try.

Land Rover #Hibernot tv advert can be seen here http://www.lookers.co.uk/land-rover/media/media-tv-adverts/  and the Chester scene is the last one in the advert at 0.56 secs.

Actual Walk was 4.4 miles / 7.2k

Day 26 Buns of Steel

The Husband had occasion to brush his hand by my derriere and remarked upon its firmness. I am putting this down to Janathon exercise and resisting the temptation to ask 'Are you saying it was flabby before?' There are some noticeable effects from this month's exercise-fest, including improved posture and reduced lower back pain, but I still find running, even at a relatively low speed, quite a challenge. Today, on the treadmill, I made the running bits (two x five mins and two x three mins) 8kph rather than 7.8kph and varied the walking sections from 5.5 to 6kph. That's a slight incremental improvement in the so-called running, but none of it felt any easier than the first time a couple of weeks ago.

Thinking about it, I realised that I hadn't really done any running for almost 30 years, apart from playing games in the park with my children who are all over 18 now and, more recently, with my two year old grand-daughter. Even then, none of it would have been sustained so it is not surprising that it is taking time to build running fitness.

Running was never something I was good at during my schooldays. I was quite a good swimmer, tennis player and floor gymnast and I played 'right back' in the school hockey team. OK, it was the second eleven and, according to my Dad, 'right back' meant 'right back in the changing rooms'. I preferred to think I played a kind of Trevor Cherry* game up and down the wing and close enough to score the odd goal, but the only thing I share with him, it turns out, is a birthday. I am younger, of course.

At the age of 27, a year after my second son was born, I completed an organised 10k run in 65 minutes. Not fast even then and I was about two stone lighter than I am now. So I shouldn't expect miracles and will have to content myself with the thought that I have the makings of 'buns of steel'.

* former Leeds United and England footballer and manager of Bradford City.

Day 25. Short legs.

By the time I was eating my breakfast in bed this morning (porridge and fruit since you ask), my Janathon son had done a Park Run. 5k in 22 minutes 25 seconds, if you please. I remarked to The Husband that this would take me about 40 minutes on current performance and he remarked that my son is a lot younger than me and has longer legs. I heard this as 'you are an old woman with short legs.' Anyway, feeling tired and being short of time (as well as leg) today, my Janathon effort was confined to walking briskly, well as briskly as I could against a fierce wind, for 30 minutes to meet my daughter for lunch to plan her wedding. She had struggled against the wind too and, being only five foot one, has even shorter legs than me, though obviously she is also MUCH younger. After much wedding planning, I returned home to do 30 lunges (per leg) with dumbells, 20 tricep dips, 20 push-ups, 20 arm lifts and 20 arm curls with dumbells and a 50 second plank, where I checked my position in the wardrobe mirror.

Day 24 Mixing it Up

So as to confuse my body further and trick it into burning more lard, I went to Aqua Aerobics today. Actually, the real reason was less pseudo-science and more laziness, though the class members of this class, which is not Easy Aqua, would not thank me for saying so. I gave it my all and enjoyed all the watery jogging, grapevine-ing, jumping jacks and spotty dogs, with and without the foam weights, and it gave my body a bit of a rest from the walking / jogging / weights on land routine. The class ended with us doing jumping jacks to It's Raining Men by the Weather Girls. In the light of the social media campaign to make this song Number One after un-wise remarks from a UKIP member, this had me bouncing about with a great big smile on my face.

Day 23 Running, Ready or Not

Today I did not want to exercise, whereas yesterday I was raring to go. I woke dehydrated and hungry and feeling decidedly sluggish. Drinking lots of water and tea and eating toast with mashed banana and an orange helped. A bit. Teaching in the morning meant that the earliest I could get to the gym was 1.30pm, but I got there at 3.30pm after much procrastination and a five minute 'disco nap'. Maybe that should be a 'treadmill nap'? I decided to mix things up a bit to fool my body into burning more lard, so I started with the weights for arms, shoulders and lats and warmed up with five minutes on a bike. Then to the treadmill where I doubted I would manage a repeat of Week Four Couch Potato to 5k. I was definitely not fit to move onto week five. Maybe this was on account of the 9k walk yesterday, complete with two small sprints? Anyway, I MADE myself do the training and that was 30 minutes, 16 minutes of it 'running' between 7.8 and 8kph. Distance 3.5k.

Point of Possible Interest. Ledbury was featured simultaneously on the telly today as my eyes flicked between a baking programme and a property programme while on the treadmill. I've never been to Ledbury. Maybe I should go there to consume the cakes when my fat-burning gets out of control?

Day 22 Plodding on

After the whingeing rants and mathematical conundrums of the past two days, I will keep this brief. Well maybe after a quick foray into science. Or pseudo-science. I googled lots of things about running and weight loss and found out the possible reasons why I might not have lost weight. Not that I have actually weighed myself yet. They are:-

• eating too much
• not eating enough
• the body getting used to exercise and therefore not burning as much fat
• not running fast enough
• needing to do more weight-training
• needing to do some interval training ie bursts of sprinting

So today I have walked 9k with my friend Alison and this included two sprints. Well, Old-Lady-Sprints and I got too hot in my new parka. For good measure, I added two more on the spot 30 second sprints when I got home, and a plank, 10 tricep dips and 10 push-ups. Might do some more of that later.

Alison and I discussed the above and she said that weighing may not be a good idea anyway in case I've built some muscle. She says the waist and tummy measurements are a better indicator and they are going down. So that's it. Neurosis over for now and I'll keep plodding on.

Day 21 More maths and thoughts of giving up

This Morning

These past few days, I have felt quite tired physically and wonder if my body is protesting. It hasn't had to do exercise EVERY day since PE was a daily occurrence on the school timetable. Yesterday I really had to force myself to do the walking / jogging on the treadmill and even had a five minute lie-down (in my new kit) on the lounge sofa before I left. But I made myself do it and more with the weights and 40 minutes brisk walking to town and back. Today I am teaching at home, but have a window this afternoon through which will plop some weight training.

But I feel SOoo tired and could go back to sleep right now. Reading about the Couch Potato to 5k Programme, there are meant to be rest days between the three sessions a week, but Janathon allows no rest days. I'm mixing it up with swimming and weights, but even so...

I was further discouraged to find my waist has barely shifted in size - maybe a quarter of an inch? In three weeks! No puddings, no snacking and no booze for the first 10 days, then only a small glass of wine on some days since. All home-cooked fresh food, no junk. Actually my tummy has gone down an inch and my size 12 jeans (M&S) are loose, but nothing is different in my size 14/16 upper body. Depressing.

Having lost two stone on the Dukan diet about two and a half years ago, I have kept my diet generally quite light on carbs. Being wheat intolerant helps to keep the carbs down too and I'm not a sugar junkie, but I've gained 10lbs since beginning hormone treatment last March and it is this I am trying to counteract. But maybe I'm fighting a losing battle while I continue to slap on a hormone patch twice a week?

An article in Good Housekeeping pointed out that over-eating daily by only 100 calories - a chocolate biscuit or slice of cheese - will mean a weight gain of 10lbs over a year. Do the maths. 365 days x 100 = 36500 extra calories and with 3500 calories representing one pound that is TEN whole pounds. Any how easy it is to do that. For one thing, most of the food we consume does not have its calorie count written on it. For another, we do not know how much energy we have expended in a day so a lot of guesswork is involved.

Actually I haven't been on the scales yet (I am such an ostrich) but I do measure my waist regularly. It had gone up an inch and a half since the patches and my reckoning is that one inch computes to half a stone, at least it did when on the way down courtesy of Monsieur Dukan. I have read that, for health's sake, one's waist measurement should be less than half of one's height. At 5 foot 6, my waist is currently just under 32 inches so that's OK. Ish. I want it to be less than 30.

So, what to do? I think I've talked myself into a quick walk / jog before the first pupil arrives.

This Afternoon

So I did a brisk 30 minute walk before the first pupil arrived and it improved my mood. This afternoon, an unexpected visitor meant I didn't make the gym, but I did 60 lunges, 10 tricep dips, 2 planks and 10 press-ups at home.

Day 20 Melting Lard - doing the maths.

A gym, where I was once a member, had a lovely sign exhorting all customers to sit on a towel in the sauna because 'it is not fair to expect others to sit in your melted fat.' If only it were so simple!

I have been doing some maths. For someone of my weight (no, I'm not saying because ladies don't) running at 7.8kph 668 calories are used up in one hour. This I find extraordinary as compared to the 293 cals used when I walk at 5.8kph. I discovered this today as I alternated between the two on the treadmill at the gym. This means that by simply notching it up by 2kph I can DOUBLE the amount of calories expended. Anyway, to extrapolate further... hmm I can't without making the maths a bit simpler. Let's say that 8kph burns 700 calories and that a marathon is 40k, that would mean that, with a constant speed of 8kph, a marathon would take me five hours (in my dreams) and burn up 3500 calories which would mean I would lose a total of ONE POUND (I was brought up imperial) in weight! This is depressing. I am never likely to run a marathon, but I guess that all the training for it would burn up a load more calories and lead to several more pounds in weight loss? Providing food intake remains roughly the same. It seems it would just be easier, and less effort, not to eat that piece of cake or bar of chocolate, but that would be missing several points, I suppose.

The points, my extremely un-scientific mind guesses, are that running (even quite slowly) raises the metabolic rate so that more energy is burned and builds muscle so that even more energy is burned. Not to mention the advantages of added cardio-vascular fitness and the health benefits that go with this and weight loss. Last night, I found myself lying in bed in my sheep onesie, contemplating a plank for a Janathon photo and googling 'running for the elderly' on my 'phablet'. Time and again I read about weight loss, indeed weight plummeting, from about four weeks in. I am more than excited at this prospect. At the moment, I do not eat between meals and I do not have puddings as a matter of course, but I still find it hard to control my weight. I am envious of friends who post on Facebook about puddings and afternoon teas, yet don't seem to gain weight. It's just not fair. Maybe they are secret runners? I know it's early days, but I have some goals now. One is to lose about 20 pounds through running and sensible eating over the next four months. The other, well it's a fantasy really, is that I will have to eat cakes almost daily in order to maintain my new low weight once I am running regularly and properly.

Today's exercise. The week Four Couch Potato to 5k drill, which was a total of 16 minutes running and 12 minutes brisk walking and a cool down, followed by three sets of 20 on shoulder press, upright rowing and something else that was for arms that I didn't notice the name for, largely because (I discovered later) I had sat on it back to front! Then I did 40 minutes brisk walking to town and back to collect my new spectacles.

Day 19. Getting Equipped

Bit of a rubbish day exercise-wise. Walked home from a meeting briskly in the sunshine which was very pleasant but only 15 minutes or so, despite my detour. Walked round the shops on an industrial estate, which doesn't really count, but at least I managed to buy some leggings that stay up, a bright pink vest and a black t-shirt with Just Do It emblazoned across the front in pink. I was quite pleased with all this and tried it on at home and then went into the Living Room Workout. End of.

Point of note. Walking today, I felt light even on the one apology for a hill (this is Cheshire, not Yorkshire) and think it must be to do with the power / weight ratio.

Day 18. Getting there

Getting there, actually, is part of my problem. Getting to the gym, that is. Or out of the door even, dressed in (still rubbishy) gym kit. This morning, I had little choice but to get to the gym at a time I call early on a Saturday ie 10am, by which time, my Janathoner son, Matt Webb, had done his Park Run. 5k in 24 minutes to be precise.

Today is a, not unusually, action-packed Fryett Saturday taking in a matinee in Liverpool (Scottie Road the Musical) followed by a Skittles evening (don't ask) in a country pub in the wilds of Cheshire. So exercise had to be despatched relatively early on. Normally I would just count the Skittles evening as exercise. Not that I've ever been to a Skittles evening, not even, to my Yorkshire shame a Beer and Skittles evening. This one promises to be a Curry and Skittles evening so I can't wait.

Before I left for the gym, I measured my waist and tummy area and they have both gone down a bit and my waist seems more defined. Usually when my waist looks smaller, it's because I've added lard to my hips. And The Husband commented that my skin looks brighter and my eyes shiny. He'll be ruffling my hair and feeding me Winalot next.

Anyway, to the main point of this blog. The intention was to do the same Week Four Couch Potato programme as I'd done on Tuesday. Being very lazy, I was doubtful that my hard-wired-Saturday-morning-rather-be-in-bed-with-a-cappuccino-and-a-good-book body was up to it but, watching the opening credits of Murder She Wrote, which showed Angela Lansbury jogging in a fetching coral tracksuit, I thought 'if she can do it and she must be nearly 90, then I can'. And I did. And it was easier. And I quite enjoyed it. I'm just waiting till I start to get addicted to it so that I think I love it, indeed become obsessed with it. Then it will be really easy. Won't it?

Getting there then...

Day 17 Beyond Half Way

At this half way point it might be good to summarise the benefits (and otherwise) of this bout of exercise in Janathon.

Benefits

• Less backache in the lumbar region. A bonus I had not expected and wonder if it is because I have worked the upper back so it takes more of the strain?
• Improved posture. Connected with the above maybe?
• Improved memory and mental acuity. Difficult to measure as it is only a perception.
• Generally feeling more energetic.
• Sleeping better
• Finding out just how lazy I am.
• Finding out just how clever I am (at excuses).
• Realising that I don't stick to plans and constantly shift them.
• Realising how difficult it can be to combine modern life with exercise.
• Realising that I CAN run if I can be bothered.
• Finding that exercise (even running) CAN be enjoyable.

Non-Benefits

• Sleeping too long and therefore missing an exercise class today!

So today I swam non-stop for 30 minutes instead of going to Senior Circuit.

Day 16 The Best Laid Plans

The plan today was to walk with my friend Alison (who also runs) and intersperse with bursts of three and five minutes of running. In the end, we just walked because Alison felt unwell with a cold. But she felt better for the walk, which was 5 miles and took us an hour and a half. Hurrah! I'm halfway through Janathon.

Day 15

Went to Aqua Aerobics. Gave it my all. It was easier than last week. Too busy to write today.

Day 14. Couch Potato Running

I must start by saying I didn't think I would last this long with Janathon. Also by saying how cleverly I have deluded myself in recent years into believing I was exercising everyday as a means of controlling my weight, mood and menopausal symptoms. Actually the organ that has had the most exercise has been my brain, constantly modifying the plan and allowing the body to get away with doing very little. No wonder I had turned into a flabby old werewolf. Even during this month the plan has been modified many times, but I have to accept that is how I am and it comes with the territory of freelance working. Today, however, the plan changed from some sort of light exercise in the midst of a heavy teaching day to an actual visit to the gym thanks to a 90 minute lesson being cancelled. Normally I would have spent that time emailing and facebooking and lesson planning, probably with another milky coffee and a packet of crisps. Today, instead, I decided to do the programme for week four of Couch Potato to 5k on the treadmill. And I did. This included two lots of three minutes and two lots of five minutes of jogging- that's a total of 16 minutes of actual running - interspersed with 90 seconds or two and a half minutes of walking. With a five minute brisk walk as a warm-up and a three minute cool-down it came to about 30 minutes and I clocked up 3.5k. Then I did some weights for arms and upper back. Quite pleased with the jogging. Oh ... and I almost enjoyed it.

Day 13 Not According to Plan

A meeting that over-ran meant that I didn't! Run that is. Or more to the point, I didn't go to the midday Aqua class. So I did a brisk 30 minute walk instead. I know it was brisk because I reached the bank in 10 minutes instead of 15 and I couldn't easily talk, not even to myself. I did manage to plan, in my head, to do the NHS Couch Potato to 5k in nine weeks programme. I reckon I can start on week four because I can 'run' for more than five minutes continuously. Maybe if I do this three times a week and put weights, swimming, aqua, circuits etc on the other days that will shift the lard and raise the mood? Once home I did some of the 'living room circuit' ie press-ups, tricep dips, and things with weights for my bingo-wings!

Day 12 The Morning After

Yes, Dryathon (or Dryathlon) went spectacularly by the board last night at a great Snow Queen send-off. Today was a very slow start and I eventually went from dressing gown to gym gear at about 4pm. This is what I managed. Ten minutes on a bike, 10 minutes on the cross-trainer, 13 minutes on the treadmill and some sit ups in the rocker and some weights for arms and back strength. The only notable thing, other than surprising myself by doing anything at all, is that I ran (if you can call it that) for SIX WHOLE CONSECUTIVE MINUTES on the treadmill at 8kph. For me, who is not so much Gym Bunny as Mad March Hare, this is pretty good.

Day 11 Twixt Cup and Lip.

So will there be a slip regarding Dryathon? Actually I have belatedly realised it should be Dryathlon! I feel a slip coming on in honour of the after show party tonight, but I think it's justifiable after a five week run of The Snow Queen.

Back to Janathon. Today, after not enough sleep courtesy of The Teenager coming in late last night, I went for the less hearty option of swimming. Less hearty because it is weight-bearing and when you are carrying extra weight, as I am at the moment, being weightless is a very attractive proposition.

I started off in the kiddie pool, because it is warmer, but managed all of seven minutes before the kiddie dive-bombing became too hazardous. In that time I had done 30 push-downs with the foam weights under water and 30 of the same with added knee-bends followed by 12 lengths of the pool, half of them arms only on my back. In the training pool, I didn't count the lengths, just swam continuously for 20 minutes, alternating back and breast stroke. Without my glasses I failed to notice, till I had finished, that I had occupied the fast lane. Slowly. All the same, I rewarded myself with 10 minutes in the bubbles and five in the sauna.

Day 10. Many a Slip...

I nearly ended my Janathon experience today by slipping on the wet floor in the gym / pool changing area. Fortunately my new improved core strength saved me and I live to blog another day. Today I tried out the 'Senior Circuit'. Normally you wouldn't get me doing anything that suggests I am a 'certain age'. I won't contemplate Saga Holidays, for example, and harbour all those prejudices and stereo-typical views of 'the elderly'. I remember my Nanna protesting that she didn't want to go into a home and have to sit with 'all those old people'. 'But Nanna, you're 80,' we would say. But I digress.

 

I lay my vanity aside on the basis that the 'Senior Circuit' might be easy. Certainly easier than trying to keep up with the young gym bunnies in the regular classes. It's all relative I suppose and they all seemed very fit to me as they ran round the perimeter of the gym as a warm-up for the main event. I wondered if this was a room full of those hearty sorts who loved PE at school and were in all the sports teams. Far from being an 'old folks' home in lycra', these were a fit and vibrant lot, very chatty and gave a rousing rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to the baby of the group who turned 50 today.
 

Today it was about half and half men and women and opportunities to flirt abounded. I mused that these were probably the same men who flirted with me 25 or 30 years ago. If I had met them then. I may have met them then, but without glasses and with the passage of time, it was impossible to tell. The music was the same as 25 or 30 years ago as well, in the days when aerobics and Jane Fonda were all the rage and I used to cavort energetically to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and Kylie's Locomotion cover while my kids were in the crèche.

Anyway, to cut to the chase (no pun) I did skips, weights, steps, tricep pushes, press-ups, cycling, balancing on big balls (no pun) a total of 9 minutes jogging and loads of other things I can't remember. It was actually fun. NO, I didn't say that. Up-date on Dryathon. I've been alcohol-free up to now, but the show finishes tomorrow and we are hosting the after-party so I am very likely to fall off the wagon.

Day 9 The Law of the Changing Room

Once again a change of habit. My usual default after a morning's teaching at home and a lunchtime meeting with an actor, would have been to make a mug of tea and mess around on Facebook for a while. Or, if it was the run up to Christmas, make a mug of decaff coffee with Baileys in it. Perhaps with a chocolate to go with it. Today, I got my inadequate gym bag (a Cath Kidston shopper) of inadequate gym gear and went to do some cardio and weights. The daytime telly was on - mindless quizzes and antique shows presented by a man who looked as though he had had a run in with a bucket of creosote and the gym, at 3.30pm, was morphing from elderly day care to after-school care. I did 13 minutes on the treadmill and am proud to say that five minutes of this was actual running, well jogging, at 8kph. I know it's not much, but it is an achievement for me and I was actually liking it. And not holding onto the bars. I followed this up with 10 minutes on a bike, 5 on a cross-trainer and 30 reps of each of four lots of weights to do with arms and upper back. I don't know what they are called because I didn't have my glasses on. Also some crunches with one of those rocker things that supports your head. Then it was time to experience what I call The First Law of the Changing Room; namely that whenever you want access to your locker, people using adjacent lockers are already there, doors flung open and belongings strewn all over the place so you have to pick your way through. I marvelled at this irrefutable law, had a shower, dressed and went home. Off to the theatre now for more Snow Queening.

Day 8 Skipping and a-Jogging

I have noticed in the past two days that the aches and pains from the first 'jog' and the 'living room workout' have been subsiding and I am hoping that is because of the sustained effort of using those muscles each day. Also my chronic lower back pain is easing a little and maybe this is due to building up a bit of core strength? So, suitably encouraged by this and making it to the end of week one and my son Matt, who is also a Janathoner, blogging that he is proud of my efforts, I set out for a walk this morning. Dilemma. Does this count as exercise because walking regularly with my friend Alison is usual for me? On the other hand, we have not done so for over a month because of Christmas visitors, my show etc... Decided that, although five or six miles on the flatlands of Chester IS usual, jogging is not. Alison does jog regularly, but she is not doing Janathon. She is a proper athlete and her running has kept her weight down without having to diet for the past 18 months, so I am hoping for the same. We had a good catch-up and, when I told her about a proposed theatrical project, she was so excited that we broke out into spontaneous skipping. We then added in three lots of deliberate jogs. She had to slow me down so we could still talk, I told her I jog quickly because I hate it and want to get it over with. Actually, I found myself secretly quite enjoying it.

Day 7 Bad Day

A full day of teaching and lots of rain has impacted today. In the end I just did a few weights, a plank and some hoola-hooping. Pretty poor show, but I saw on a  Janathon Facebook post today that what counts is doing something you wouldn't normally do!However, I was dismayed to read that cycling two miles to work is not exercise. Normally, in non-Janathon times, my main form of exercise is walking to meetings and appointments. Alas. Still managing to be 'dry' as well. All a bit of a struggle today.

Day 6 More Epiphanies

Epiphany Number One. I find it hard to schedule exercise into my days. Or maybe that should be I find it easy to find a reason NOT to exercise at all? Today was my first 'desk day' since the start of the silly season and I sat there trying to sort through papers so I could actually see my desk and answer emails which included several requests for singing lessons when I'm already maxed. My immediate feeling was to make more coffee and stay put until I had ploughed through the lot, rather than keep my appointment with myself to give Aqua Aerobics a whirl at midday. Frankly, had it not been for Janathon, I would have done just that, but a promise is a promise so off I went.

Epiphany Number Two. I don't actually like exercise. The gym had a very different feel to it on a Monday than it had at the weekend. In fact it was like an old folks' home with lycra, but fair play to them - these 'senior' people are keeping fit in for their twilight years. Come to think of it, at 56 (albeit possibly the youngest client in the building), that's what I'm doing too. Actually that is probably Epiphany Number Three. Sobering thought. And, what with Dryathon, I am very sober.

But back to number two. During the 45 minute class, I must have looked at the clock at least six times. I would have looked more, but the clock was behind me and it took all my concentration to stay upright during a pacey class. We did jumping jacks, spotty dogs, grapevines, jogs, walks, runs, squats, straight jumps, twisty jumps, boxing - all the things I used to do in exercise classes 20-odd years ago, but on land. I was glad of the water to support my body; the same could not be said for my bright pink swimming costume that struggled to contain my bouncing baps and belly. We then did all of the above again with weights. They looked heavy, but were actually light, being made of foam. However, in the water they assumed much more weight and resistance, but at least I was in no danger of dropping them on my toes. I wondered whether I will come to love exercise if I manage to do it every day this month. We'll see...

Epiphany Number Four. I am not as fit as I thought I was. Up to now I had felt smug about my regular brisk 5 or 6 mile walks with my friend in the flatlands of Chester and that I had coped well before Christmas with 7.5 miles on the Sandstone Trail, complete with token Cheshire hills. But my body seems to be reacting to these new exercises by aching and making me feel generally more physically tired and I'm not finding it easy. Maybe my body was to used to walking and it's in shock at being required to do something else - something more aerobic, using different muscles? On the plus side, I feel fitter (that is probably just psychological), am standing straighter (this will be good for singing) and breathing more deeply (ditto) and am sleeping like a log.

If only I could just enjoy the process, rather than the benefits...

Epiphanies  - 4         Squats, jumps, twists, runs etc - far too many to mention.

Day 5 An Epiphany

The plan today was to take my making-do gym kit to church, then walk to the gym, do some weights, then walk home. I managed the first bit - getting the kit to church, well actually I left it in the car, but wimped out totally when it was time for the five minute walk to the gym, because of the pouring rain. Decided going home, in the car, for a decent cup of coffee was preferable and further procrastination set in once I got there. However, the prospect of The Husband yelling at the telly for the next 90 minutes while West Ham got a pasting was enough to propel me out again, though I had to make two trips because I forgot my membership card the first time. The up-shot was sampling a few machines while watching silent simultaneous screens of West Ham losing to Notts Forest and Sheila Hancock losing out in a mixed race romance. It turned out right in the end (for Sheila Hancock, not West Ham) and staying to find this out, necessitated me doing 5 extra minutes on the treadmill and 5 on a cross-trainer that was going backwards. I rewarded myself with 10 minutes in the sauna and a further 10 in the bubbles. Not the ones that fade and die!

I haven't mentioned yet that I am also doing Dryathon, that is to say no alcohol throughout January. So far, so good until I got to the communion rail this morning. To sip or not to sip? Or change my beliefs to the doctrine of transubstantiation? A conundrum for mind, body and spirit.


Treadmill  - 20 minutes
Cross-trainer 10 minutes
Steps - 5 minutes
rowing machine - 5 minutes
Various weight machines for arms and legs that I can't remember the names of - 20 reps on each & 20kg weights

Day 4 Procrastination is the thief of time...

Day Four. QOTD 'Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.' Charles Dickens.

Day four - last visitors gone and excuses running out. Or are they? First, I urgently needed to write yesterday's blog, then load the washing machine, then email another actor with an idea for a project. And another actor. And chat to a friend on Facebook. Then  eat a bowl of soup. Home made broccoli and stilton, if you're interested. Then take down all the Christmas cards ahead of getting all the dex down tomorrow. The plan had been to walk to the gym, do some weights and come home. Mindful of the lack of gym kit, this changed to 'drive to the gym, buy some kit in the shop and go for a swim.' The flaw in the plan was that the gym no longer has a shop that sells gym kit, but the genius of my procrastination was that I arrived there at the same time as two lovely thespian friends and, mindful of the time my procrastination had thieved, I collared them. A quick chat and social arrangement was made with one before she headed off to the treadmill and I went for a swim with the other. In the children's pool. The advantage of this is that it is warmer than the main pool, but you have to dodge children including, on this occasion, triplets. Surely actually getting triplets and oneself to the pool and changed into swimming gear is enough? I'd just change them back and go to the café. Anyway, my friend and I caught up on all Christmas-tide gossip, swimming slalom-style, in the children's pool and lounging in the hydrotherapy pool. She then made for the steam room and I headed for the lanes in the serious pool. Shower, sauna and home.

Time swimming (and talking) in obstacle course children's pool - 30 minutes
Time talking in Hydrotherapy pool - 25minutes
Time swimming in serious pool lanes - 15 minutes
Time washing hair - 15 minutes
Time drying hair 45 minutes

Day 3 Stealing Time.

Day Three. Visitors still here and nails had to be done. Gels, I'm a slave to them. Then we had to leave at midday for the matinee of The Snow Queen. These are my excuses up-front for being squeezed for time for exercise. So much so that it is Day Four now as I write this. So, quickly before I try out the  local gym for Day Four's exercise.

I walked to the nail bar and back. Half a mile max. Then attempted to be extra vigorous in the Umbrella Song in the show, adding a twirl, a perambulation and extended arm reach in umbrella waving. I added 20 lunges per leg in the interval but it upset the backstage crew so I had to wait till I got home. Once I had made the soup and pudding for our visitors, I retired to the bedroom with my dumbells to exercise in private before we served up and cleared away after a lovely three-course meal - the last of many we have served to visitors this past fortnight. So, not a great day for exercise, but so far I have seen the difficulties with setting aside time to exercise and why I have never done enough of it in my life!

Crunches 16    Lunges 50 per leg (with added dumbells)    Squats and dumbells 20    Curls 20  Lifts 20    triceps 2 (the end of the bed was the wrong height)    push-ups 25     Squat against the wall  60 seconds. Walk outside  0.5 miles. Walk inside (waiting on etc...) many miles.   Umbrella twirls  several.

Day 2 Toddlers and Housework

Day Two and we still have visitors, but two of them, my son and daughter in law, are also doing Janathon. Their two year old daughter, my granddaughter Grace, is not. However she decided to join in. This mainly entailed pulling away her princess pillow, which I had put under my elbows for my elderly version of planking, or climbing onto Matt or Claire's back when they were doing proper planking. She also did some crunches. All in all, what with running around and shouting 'that's enough', a sentiment with which I heartily agreed, Grace probably did more exercise than the three of us put together. We were further challenged by the cleaner mopping around us. Come to think of it, she probably did more exercise than the rest of us too! There were three circuits of squats, lunges, planks, crunches, press-ups, but I went to make the coffee after two of them and Matt went for a run. I did a few circuits of the outside of the house with Grace including mad dashes to retrieve her from bushes and puddles. After a spot of bed-changing, tidying up, polishing and ironing ready for my parents-in-law's arrival, I wondered what else I could do to make this a good day of exercise, aside from alarming them with some hoola-hooping sans sports bra and decided to walk the two mile journey to the theatre where we are coming to the end of a five week run of The Snow Queen. In the end, I opted instead to make the most of the last hour of daylight and walk to Morrisons to take my coat to their dry cleaners. Unfortunately The Husband decided I should take a couple of his suits as well and a pair of trousers with chocolate on them. I'm guessing that the heavy bag also counts as weight-lifting? After a brisk walk there and all items checked in, I was told that I had to pay the £27 up front and I had only brought enough cash to buy more milk for the many cups of tea we need to provide. So the The Husband had to come and bail me out and after a tussle with the self checkout for the milk (unexpected item in the bagging area) I succumbed to being driven home.

Squats 50    Planks 2     Press-ups (well, HALF press-ups)  30     Lunges 60 per leg      Crunches 50 (not very good ones)    Wall squats (50 seconds each) 2      Tricep things    about 20    Miles jogged 0 Miles walked briskly 1     Weight-lifting with right arm 20 minutes      Weight=lifting with left arm 0
Thought of the day - maybe cleaning IS exercise?

Day 1 Putting the Jan into Janathon

I'm not going to lie. I hate jogging. As someone once said of me, 'You're built for comfort, not speed.' So I begin with What To Wear? I fished the redundant-for-several-years, sports bra out of a drawer and wore it on the tightest fastening. As my main form of exercise these past seven years has been walking and swimming, suitable jogging-wear was woeful, so I made do with some leggings and a t-shirt over a shape-wear vest. This would have been alright if the leggings were not trimmed with lace at the ankles and the electric blue t-shirt did not have a low V-neck thus exposing most of the white sports bra and squashed baps. No matter, these things I covered with husband's sports socks and an old cagoule; respectively in case you were wondering. At least I have some trainers. Pink. NYE hair had drooped so I scraped it into a ponytail and added a baseball cap that I found in the porch. I thought I looked a bit like Madonna on her power walks - same age but about four stone heavier with less scary arms. After a brisk walk for a warm-up, I started jogging in the park and thought it was going well, easier than I had feared, till I realised the wind was behind me shunting me along. The only problem at this point was the shape-wear vest riding up and hugging my ribs while allowing my post-party season belly to do a jog of its own. Wrestling it back down while on the move was tricky what with all the dog-walkers about. At least my boobs stayed in place. To be honest, once on the pavements, I alternated walking and jogging. To be totally honest, mainly jogging only when a dog-walker or car was approaching. Then there was the added problem of the leggings riding down so the waist-band was on my hips and the gusset fast approaching my knees. But I blundered on, wondering why a 10 mile walk is a doddle but one mile part-jogging is more effort. Maybe it's the outfit? Maybe it's being 'in flight'? Anyway, I made it one mile which isn't bad, in the wind and rain, for a menopausal Janathon virgin. In fact it was rather invigorating so I topped it off with a bit of hoola-hooping.