ROCKHAGGIS

Well several things have happened to give me a wake up call as to the enormity of the challenge ahead!

I managed the other day to catch one of the few remaining sunny days of the season to cut the grass. It had grown a little shabby and unkept. I borrowed the neighbours petrol mower, much more powerful thing than my whining electric job. Just as well I did! It was tough going, even with its powered drive, each single pass nearly filling the clippings basket full. I managed the front and rear lawns in one session but my back was killing me......, being overweight just puts too much pressure on the suspect areas in my lower back. That was wake up call one! Must get serious about getting under the 200 lbs mark for the trip, more even better.

Follow up:

A short while later I got a more ominous wake up call.... a dull slow pulsating pain in my left arm. Not so painful you'd focus on it but to one who has been through the whole cardiac failure cycle twice before I recognised at once that, I must have overdone the mowing..... my heart was beating too fast, much too fast and the pain indicated that something had shifted!! An event had occurred, a minor one, but non the less still quite worrying!

So not only must I loose weight, for all the benefits that will give, but I start today on my fitness regime in earnest! If I'm to have any chance of even starting my quest, I have to change my physical status to one of 'confidence', which is lacking at the moment!

So its the rowing machine, today and every day from here on in ... no excuses, no dithering, no bollocks.... rowing machine, bike and later some swimming !!

AT MY AGE AND WITH MY MEDICAL CONDITION, IF YOUR NOT MOVING FORWARD, PRO-ACTIVELY MANAGING YOUR WEIGHT AND FITTNESS, YOUR GOING BACKWARDS FAST. JUST EATING WELL AND BEING GOOD AND TAKING YOUR PILLS, IS JUST NOT ENOUGH!!!

BEGIN!!!!

LATER:

Feeling better - Did 40 minutes on the rower, clocking nearly my min target of 1200 strokes, managed 1175. Happy with that for starters, no pain, good workout.

And

Reference my post, 'day-210', about my lack of a pan foot for the tripod. I sat down with a cuppa and with my selection of eclectic tools, whittled a piece of wood into the required shape, fitted the screw and heh presto - it works. its as good as the real thing. What a sense of satisfaction. I wonder if its something in our society we're loosing. The ability to use our initiative, imagination and the will to solve problems for ourselves, rather than always seeking an off the shelf solution from B&Q or the like. I really feel good about it!

All to do now is give it a gun metal finich using some black polish :)

Job done!