cross-training (well, maybe a bit-annoyed-training)

Got my cross-trainer! I have been thinking about this for ages - I used to exercise big-style - first with athletics/running and then latterly netball and competitive badminton and therefore have never really had weight 'issues'. Then I had a serious knee injury a couple of years ago at a netball match, and then took up an evening job and - gradually, weight has gathered nicely around my midriff, thighs and arse cheeks. And chin.




Over the last couple of years I have bought and sold every piece of sports equipment known to the western world (and a few hailing from the old Eastern Bloc too) and have failed spectacularly to keep any of them up regularly for more than embarrassingly short periods of time. The most successful was a dead posh running machine (endorsed by the lovely Roger Black) which, because of my knee, I could only use for walking in the end, but still it was a pain in the arse because I had it out in the 'sun-lounge' (draughty glass area attached to the house) and unless I got up at stupid o'clock to exercise (bloody freezing outside of the height of summer) I was in full view of any interested allotment holder or next-door neighbour. Not nice for either party really.


The least successful was the Kettlebell (endorsed by the airhead Geri Halliwell) which was so unbelievably shite it beggars belief - it was basically an extraordinarily heavy lump of metal with an inbuilt handle which you grasped firmly and then performed impossible exercises with. One of them involved almost flinging it through the TV, and another almost putting myself in traction. That one went straight to ebay without passing Go.


soooo - the cross-trainer, after tentative negotiations and passionate pleas, is going into our bedroom where I am convinced I will be hugely motivated to flop out of bed, into my trainers and puff my way into the day. I have visions of bringing in a DVD player and a radio to assist with things, but we'll have to see. Then I'll set up a minibar and jacuzzi and I'll be well sorted ha ha.