Making the decision, the first step...

Today I have made a decision to take my journey to fitness more seriously, hence starting this blog...I want to have something to look back on as time goes by and I feel that keeping a record of how things are going will help me to keep focused on my goal of fitness and losing weight.

I am going to be 44 years old this May, and I want to be well on my way to being a fitter and more toned me by the time I am 45...so I had really better get on with it and stop just talking about it.

My aim is to eat a much more healthy diet, to cut out as much processed food and artificial ingredients as possible and to start exercising. This, I hope, will help to lead me to my goal of being fitter, more toned and what so many of us strive for...to lose weight. I am wanting to do this, not just for cosmetic reasons (though of course that will be a nice side effect...which of us is completely happy with the way we look?) but to try and ensure that I keep my body fit enough to carry me through the rest of my life...hopefully many, many years to come.

So where to start this journey?

I have looked into various diets and life style plans and the one that I have found I can relate to best (and have previously had good results from) is The Harcombe Diet. Whilst I may not follow it exactly to the letter, that is where I intend to start my journey...with a five day detox taken from the diet. 

I will start my diet on Monday 18th February, the reason for having that as the date are two fold...
 

Firstly, my partner Paul and I are going away on Friday night (a Valentine's treat) we are booked in to have a lovely meal out, a night away then off the next day for a day out at Beamish and I don't want to be thinking about what I should be eating over this special weekend. Plus starting on a Monday seems like a good starting point (one which I couldn't do today because of point two below).

Secondly, there is a saying that 'if you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail' (I googled it and apparently this was said by Benjamin Franklin) it makes a lot of sense. In the days leading up to the start of my new regime I will be sorting out my food cupboards and using up any foods which will be off limits once I start my new way of eating. I will also be working out shopping lists and meal plans for what I will be eating from now on. I intend to plan, because I don't want to fail this time!

Although this blog is mainly for me, I will be sharing it with a select group of people...folks who I feel might be interested, and most importantly people I trust and feel will support me in this undertaking. If you are reading this, you are one of those people...:-)

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step - Confucius

I know this will be a long journey, but I have taken the first step...