19: DISASTER!!!

AAAGGGHHH!

It was inevitable that this was going to happen. Luke at Luke Bremner Fitness has been forewarning me and preparing me for this day over the past 6 months.

So it's with a heavy-heart that I have to announce that my stats for this month aren't as good as they've been in the past. Not only have I put a little bit of weight on, both my chest and waist measurements have slightly gone in the wrong direction too. As a result, I doubt that I'll ever go out in public again, in case anyone notices.

I jest, of course… :)

In fact Luke and I had a quite a long philosophical chat about why this has happened during my monthly evaluation: Less intense workouts due to my injured right IT Band; A week's vacation in the sun; A couple of back-to-back weekend's away from home - when I missed doing a workout and had less control over my diet; Anxiety over a hospital appointment and; Introducing poultry back into my diet. One, or all, of these things could be a contributing factor.

Luke always talks sense. He's advised me not to radically change anything, as doing so wouldn't help us to identity what the possible root cause is. To assist us with this new challenge I've said goodbye to Argus, and hello to another new app - MyFitnessPal.

I've only been using MyFitnessPal for three or four days, but already it's pushed every geek and OCD button within me. Thanks to a handy feature that scans the barcodes of products I buy, I can easily scrutinise the nutritional statistics of the food I'm eating. Thus I can pin-point what is good and what is not so good. Based on this new information, it looks like I'll be in the kitchen even more now making meals from fresh raw ingredients.

I'm confident that what's happened to me over the past month is a temporary blip. With some fine-tuning to my diet and exercise programme, plus encouragement from Luke, my stats will head in the right direction once again.

18: With compliments

Last weekend I drove to Cheshire to attend a 25th wedding anniversary event for one of my best chums from art college and her husband. Amanda and Paul had certainly chosen a spectacular location in which to hold their gathering - the Discovery Centre at Jodrell Bank - home the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world.

As part of the pre-supper entertainment we were treated to a tour of the orrery in the Planet Pavilion. It was an ideal opportunity for us to ask those questions we'd always wanted answers to… for example: "What happened to Pluto?" and "Where else do you think there's intelligent life?" Sophia, our knowledgeable guide, made the mind-blowing subject of our planet, solar system, galaxy and the universe easy for us to follow.

For me, what made Saturday evening so memorable, was meeting-up with members of Amanda's family again. As her folks lived not far from mine, I regularly used to see them - and her sister and brother - when I occasionally gave Mandy a lift home from Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication.

That was 27 years ago! - and although I'd met Amanda's parents briefly in the early 2000's - I haven't had any contact with them since then. So it was fun to instantly recognise Mandy's brother, say hello to him, and then watch as he tried to guess - wrongly - who I was. Similarly the same with her mum. When they both realised it was me, their reactions were the same. The compliments flowed about how well I looked.

On Sunday, before I headed back to Scotland, I called in to see friends in Stockport who are also customers of mine. I hadn't seen Mary and David since January of this year, when they exhibited at a trade exhibition in Glasgow. So "the Derek" they remember was the one at the start of 2014. Their compliments about my physique were the same as those of Amanda's family.

Before starting my fitness programme with Luke, I'd read somewhere that it would take approximately two months for me to notice any changes to my body shape, two more months for those immediately around me to acknowledge the changes and a further two for the whole world to see them. Certainly from the reactions and compliments I received at the weekend this seems to be the case.

As Yuri Gagarin said to ground control, during the first manned space flight he piloted on 12 April 1961 - "I feel fine. How about you?"

17: Halftime

I know it's September and it's technically the start of autumn, but I've only just managed to shoe-horn a week off work - a consequence of being self-employed - and am enjoying some much needed time-out in a relaxed Ionian idyll.

The day before departing Scotland I had a monthly evaluation with Luke Bremner. Considering my Fringe Festival naughtiness (way too much alcohol) and the less intensive gym workouts (due to my IT-band problem), the stats weren't bad at all. Waist and chest measurements down, body fat down, lean mass up a little.

Suddenly my vacation, and week away from the gym, feels like a natural halftime for me.

Over the past five and a half months I've achieved a lot with Luke. Looking at my initial goals and incentives - most have either been met or I'm well on the way to reaching them.

My goals were to lose the "spare tyre" around my mid-rift and have a flatter stomach. Tick. I wanted to swap the "moobs" for pecs, start developing my biceps, and lose weight but replace it with muscle. All of these are underway.

My incentives were: new motorcycle leathers. Not on order yet, but will be soon. Be able to change body type status of online profiles from 'average' to either 'athletic' or 'toned'. Tick. Find Mr Right. Tick.

Prior to the evaluation, Luke and I had agreed that I'd continue working with him for another 6 months. I'm loving what's happening to me - both physically and mentally - with his input. I'm now interested to see what we can achieve by March 2015.

However on Thursday Mr Bremner asked me the killer question: "What do you want to achieve in the next 6 months?" My answer was simple. "I don't know. I'm really going to have to think about that."

There's no doubt that my original aims and objectives kept me focused and committed to my fitness regime. I'm also excited to see where the next half of my personal training programme will take me. But in order to sustain my current motivation I need these new goals.

So for the next few days, whilst enjoying the warmth of some late summer sunshine, I'm going to contemplate this dilemma. Regardless of what I decide, I know the second half will be as beneficial to me as the first one was.

16: Ouch!

A couple of weeks ago, whilst preparing to go to Luke Bremner Fitness, I became aware of a slight pain in my right hip. I didn't think too much about it and, as usual, walked briskly uphill from Edinburgh's Stockbridge to Luke's private training studio in Jamaica Street.

After changing and doing a general warm-up, Mr Bremner started to show me some new exercises that he'd incorporated into my home workout routines. As we went through these together, I became aware that the pain in my right hip was increasing.

"It could be something to do with your IT band." Luke said.

Not knowing what he meant, I assumed he was referring to the resistance bands I used at home for exercises like rowing practice. Thankfully he went on to explain what the Iliotibial tract, or 'IT band', is and its function. His final thought of that session was "Let's keep an eye on it!"

I returned the following Thursday and started my hourly session with some squats. However there was little improvement with my right leg. Instead of making things worse, Luke took swift action and decided that we should spend the remaining time looking at foam-rolling and muscle stretching techniques.

Up until then I'd only used a foam roller for thoracic spin exercises. So to start with Luke demonstrated some foam roller exercises that would help to alleviate the pain in my IT band.

Often when I'm the process of doing the final rep of a final set in the gym I let loose a lion's roar that's inside me. However these new exercises had me yelping more like a wounded pup!

We progressed to using a tennis ball to massage other muscle groups in the feet, chest and shoulders. Each exercise seemed to hurt more than the last, so much so, that by the end of the hour I'd almost forgotten about my original IT band problem.

Luke's advice was not to do any more home workout routines. Instead I was to focus on the foam rolling and stretching exercises, which I've been doing diligently. As each day passes, not only does the IT band in my right let become less painful, but the exercises themselves seem to hurt less too.

In order to allow my leg time extra time to recover, we spent last week's workout sessions looking at mobility and posture. As always I've been given excellent advice and techniques by Mr Bremner on how to improve these too.

Yesterday I finally started to lift serious weights again and my right leg, although not 100%, held-up to the challenge pretty well. There's no doubt that all the stretching and rolling I've been subjecting my body to over the past fortnight has really worked. More importantly I'm now doing many of these exercises daily in order to prevent something like this happening to me again.

15: Time for bed

As anyone who has visited Scotland's capital city during August will know, the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are rather jolly and social affairs.

Not only is it the perfect opportunity to see live comedy, theatre, concerts and art exhibitions - but it's also a great excuse to catch-up with friends. Certainly for me it's one of the main times of the year when visiting out-of-town acquaintances contact me and suggest meeting-up for a drink.

In the past I've never really thought about the effect that all this merriment has on my body. However this year is different. 

Last Thursday I sat down with Luke at Luke Bremner Fitness to go through my diet sheets, home workouts, and for him to take my monthly measurements. The results were very revealing. 

I'd already highlighted to Luke - through the colour-coding of my diet sheets - that I'd dined-out a lot more over the past month and consumed more alcohol than usual. This translated into less body fat loss than we had scheduled for, only 0.4% - from 18.4% to 18%. I know it's a loss, which I'm happy about, but it wasn't the full 1% target I'd originally set myself. 

In fact all my body stats over the past month have only had minor improvements. Although my chest and waist measurements have significantly decreased since I started my fitness regime in April - it is now my waistline that is decreasing less rapidly. 

As Luke explained to me there were two reasons - in addition to my recent excessive drinking and eating out - that were the cause of this.

The first was lack of sleep. On average I was sleeping for six to six and a half hours per night. No where near the eight hours sleep that we require. As Luke said to me "Sleep is the body's reset button." There was no real reason why my alarm was set for 06.30, so Luke suggested I push it back a bit. In addition he suggested no 'blue light' for at least half an hour before bed. So for me that means no iPad, iPhone, laptop or TV. Time for me to reconnect with books and magazines again.

The second reason why my waistline measurement isn't shrinking as fast as others is because, as Luke explained, I was failing to eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up. In fact, some mornings it was almost two hours between waking and eating*. As we all require nourishment after sleep, which trigger certain fat-burning chemicals, Mr Bremner's recommendation was that I make a concerted effort to keep to the 30 minute rule.

So far, so good. Apart from last Saturday evening - which included more Festival activities - I've managed to sleep for eight hours each night, and am already feeling the benefit. In addition I've altered my morning routine and now shower after breakfast instead of before it. This enables me to breakfast sooner, although I'm still finding it challenging to actually eat within 30 minutes from waking. Often it's more like 40 minutes.

However I'm interested to see how my monthly stats look the next time, especially when combined with the tougher exercises Luke has introduced me to recently. As always I'll report back on my progress. In the meantime, happy slumbers!

*A consequence of keeping very detailed diet sheets

14: Get Inspired

After the disappointment of not getting any tickets for the London 2012 Olympics, I was determined to at least see one event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games currently taking place in Glasgow.

In April, when tickets for the general public went on sale, I scanned through the sports that were on offer looking for something that would be both appealing, and of relevance. It wasn't too long before weightlifting had grabbed my attention. I felt it was appropriate because I'd recently started lifting weights as part of my workouts at Luke Bremner Fitness. 

Knowing nothing about this sport, I did a quick internet search on the different classes and categories. When better informed, I applied for a ticket for the 94kg (207lbs) Mens Weightlifting Final, as this was the closest weight - at that point in time - to my own. 

After weeks of waiting, on Tuesday I made my way to the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow to attend the event. Like London 2012, the venues have been packed with spectators, which is great to see. Whilst waiting for the competition to start everyone was given a brief introduction to the weightlifting format, how it worked and what to look for. This was a prefect guide for newbies like me. The audience were also encouraged to cheer and support all the competitors equally. Once both competitors and judges had been introduced, there was 10 minute warm-up before the competition started.

The first element was the "Snatch". Once this got underway, I suddenly realised weightlifting isn't just about brut strength, but there's a psychological element to the competition too. Participants started nominating to lift heavier weights which altered the order in which people appeared on stage. I also hadn't appreciated that there were time limits placed on each lift. This all made for a very enthralling spectacle.

When Scotland's Peter Kirkbride - who had won a Silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Dehli - appeared on stage, the venue roof almost came off with the noise from our cheers. The pressure of performing in front of a home crowd must have been immense for him. However his first lift was sufficient to take him through to the second element which was the "Clean and Jerk."

It was at this point that the audience became completely impartial. When competitors failed a lift, the noise from our support for their next attempt became even louder. We were almost willing some competitors to make the lift in order to keep the competition going longer.

Ultimately it came down to a battle between Simplice Ribouem from Australia and Steven Kukuna Kari (photographed above) from Papa New Guinea. Mr Ribouem had managed to lift a heavier weight in the Snatch but Mr Kari had lifted more in the Clean and Jerk. At the end of the competition this left them both tied on the same combined weight for the two lifts of 349kg (769lbs). In the end the gold medal was won by the gentleman from Papa New Guinea, because he was the lighter weight of the two men.

The BBC - who are televising the Commonwealth Games across the UK - are asking its audience to get involved by using the Twitter hashtag #GetInspired. After Tuesday evening I've certainly been inspired. I've been given quite a number of new challenges this week by Luke Bremner in his private fitness training studio and, in all honesty, I've surpass all my expectations… well, for this week anyway.

13: Taps-Aff

Scotland has been enjoying some glorious weather over the past few days – quite a rarity for up here. As a result I've done what the saying advises and been "Making hay while the sun shines." Of course it helps when friends from outwith the city come to visit. Last weekend Tom, a friend from Bristol, was in town for the first time, so I decided to take a half day last Friday and show him around.

For those who have never been to my adopted city before – I was originally born in the south east of England but have lived in Edinburgh for 23 years – let me explain that the centre is really rather compact. Despite our fabulous bus system and excellent new tram line, in my opinion the best way to experience Scotland's capital is on foot. Also, due to Edinburgh's undulating terrain, this doubles-up as great cardiovascular exercise too.

After a quick stop at mine to drop off luggage, we ventured to the Royal Botanic Garden for a spot of lunch al-fresco at their Terrace Café. From there we headed to Calton Hill to enjoy panoramas of the city before dropping back down to Princes Street for an afternoon coffee. Crossing to Edinburgh's Old Town we sauntered up the Royal Mile enjoying the free street entertainment on offer, then climbed to the top of the Camera Obscura. We made a final descent to the bustling Grassmarket before allowing ourselves an early evening beer in the beautiful surroundings of Princes Street Gardens. In total we covered 12km (7.5 miles) without really thinking about it.

Walking more has been another part of my fitness regime over the past 4 months – however there are people I follow on the Argus app who are prolific walkers and put my daily average of 5–6km (3–3.5miles) to shame. That said, when Luke Bremner took my measurements at his training studio last week we discovered that I've already hit one of the new targets we set last month - this was to lose another 2.5cm (1") from my waist. Since April I've lost over 14cm (5.5") from my waist and over 10cm (4") from my chest.

It's stats like these that bring me to the photo above. I took this selfie yesterday when I wandered into Inverleith Park to enjoy the warmth of the early evening sunshine. Due to the recent achievements I've been making, through diet and exercise, I have a new level of confidence about my body. Taking my shirt off in public - commonly referred to as "taps-aff" in Scotland - doesn't seem to phase me now, nor does posting a photo of me like that either. I guess it's another example of how Luke's strapline of "Fitter. Stronger. Healthier. Happier" is spot on and summarises how his clients' feel after working with him. I know I certainly do.

As the Fringe Festival starts in earnest at the end of next week I expect the Scottish weather to return to our more traditional wet, and not quite so wet, climate. In the meantime, when the sun does shine I intend to enjoy it a little more at the park.   

12. Nuts!

Often in life it's the small insignificant things that provide us with biggest surprises. Last week I posted an image of some Greek Yoghurt with mixed nuts and blueberries on Argus. Most of my usual friends and followers, on that app, indicated their approval of this dish by liking it. One or two even took the trouble to write a complimentary comment about it too.

As the week has progressed the number of likes and comments for this photo has gathered momentum. The last time I looked almost 100 people had given the picture a "thumbs-up." Who knew that this dessert, that was really quick to put together, would fire the taste-buds in others. I'm not sure whether it's the combination of ingredients, with their different textures and flavours that have inspired people. Now seems to be an appropriate time to let you into a little secret though. I was simply finishing up bits and pieces from my refridgerator because they were nearing their use by date. There, the truth is out!

Last Saturday, as I busied around my appartment doing domestic chores, I had the TV tuned to Le Grande Depart of the Tour de France. For 2014 this particular element of the race was hosted in the UK, with the first two stages taking place in the English county of Yorkshire. I was particularly interest to see these, as the riders passed through many of the places I had visited with my parents, when we once holidayed there several years ago. 

It was brilliant to see how the British public got right behind the race. For me, it evoked memories of the London 2012 Olympics, as again huge crowds lined the roadsides and took up every vantage-point in order to see the pelaton pass by. I remember feeling an urge two years ago to buy an bicycle and start cycling again, and these feelings emerged again last week.

For gentleman of my age there is a danger that if we purchase a bike we suddenly become a MAMIL - middle-age man in Lycra - which is a wonderful accronym that I was introduced to recently. Personally speaking I haven't needed to acquire the bike, the regular gym routine has already done it's job in this respect. 

Yesterday Luke commented on a new Nike Pro Combat training shirt I was wearing. As I explained to him, I'd bought it about a month ago but I've only just acquired the confidence to wear it - due mainly to the way my body is changing and the shape it's becoming. For those who don't know, this range of clothing is marketed as a "second skin" and the fit is very snug. As Luke pointed out to me "There's no hiding place in that shirt Derek." And he was right, from now on my abs will always need to be engaged whenever I decide to wear it to his gym.

11: Homemade

Over the past week I've made some extraordinary food. This statement isn't meant to sound boastful or act as an attempt to 'big-up' my culinary skills. I'm using the word 'extraordinary' in the context of unusual but delicious.

One of the challenges I face - as a pescatarian - is trying to find new ways to bring variety and nutrition into my diet. As a 'have-a-go' home baker I've also been missing the 'Will it rise/Won't it rise?' excitement of making cake over the past three months, especially to enjoy with a Sunday afternoon cup of tea.

At an recent event I was offered beetroot burger canapés. Not only were these extremely tasty but they were also a complete revelation. I'd never contemplated making my own veggie burgers before, but a quick search around the Internet and I had a vegan beetroot burger recipe to try out. What's more it was packed with several protein-rich ingredients - so Mexican Waves all round. 

Similarly I found a recipe for a "healthy" fruit cake* - if it is possible to make such a thing. The most interesting concept about this cake was that it contains zero fat and zero sugar. Reduced dates and water become the main binding agent, whilst the fruit provides the natural sugars that sweetens the mixture. I have to honest and say that I was slightly sceptical about whether this would work - but once I'd made it and tasted it, I knew it was a bit of a winner.

Since dropping the Moves app a few weeks ago - please see the footnote on my Squeeze, Ease and Hold blogpost for more info on why - I've since been recommended, and started to use, Argus from Azumio Inc. This is an altogether more comprehensive app. Not only does it record when I'm walking and when I'm working-out, but I now use it to monitor my sleep as well as heart-rate through paid-for bolt-on apps.

The most fascinating aspect of Argus is food though. There's a whole merry band of us around the globe who share photos of what we're eating with each other via Argus's News Feed. As we're all located in different time-zones I'm getting used to looking images of people's evening meals whilst I'm eating breakfast, and peoples' breakfast when I'm tucking into a late afternoon snack.

Of course looking at other peoples' food isn't just about being nosey - although if I'm totally honest there is an certainly element of that for me. I'm also using this feature to gather inspiration for dishes that I could try here at home. In addition I'm using the app to engage with others, who are also on a fitness regime, by chatting to them about their food.

The "healthy" fruit cake certainly got quite a bit of interest when I posted a photo of it onto my activity feed. Carolyn, who is based near the eastern seaboard of the US, and I struck up quite a rapport about the cake. I even provided her with the list of ingredients and instructions when she told me that she couldn't access the recipe via the URL I'd given.

If you're in the market for a pedometer, calorie, nutrition and activity tracker, then I can certainly recommend Argus. It's an app with so many parts to it, that it feels like I now have a Swiss Army Knife for health and fitness on my smart phone.

*There is a bit of confusion with the healthy fruit cake recipe. The instructions contain more fruit ingredients than were listed. I decided to opt for 400g mixed fruit and 50g figs and apricots - and this certainly worked for me.

10: GOAL!!!

So the FIFA Football World Cup is in full swing in Brazil, and there have already been some surprises. Current holders Spain have lost their two opening group matches and are almost on a flight home. Who'd have predicted that a month ago? Certainly not me!

That's not the only surprise of the week for me though. Over the past fortnight I've been tantilisingly close to reaching one of my initial fitness goals – that of reducing my weight to 80 kilos (176 lbs). 

This morning I was at Luke Bremner Fitness for a regular review of my diet and nutrition, and for Luke to take my body measurements. When I stood on the scales and 80.6 kgs popped up, my immediate reaction was "Get in there!"

To put this into some context, when I first discussed my original goals with Luke back in April, I'd said that I wanted my weight to be 80 kilos after 6 months. So to achieve this target in 3 months makes all the sacrifices and effort worth while.

However I'm not about to rest on my laurels. Luke and I have already discussed some new goals for me aim at in the next 3 months - one of which will be very tough to achieve - but I'm up for the challenge and it'll be interesting to see how I fare.


POSTSCRIPT: Saturday 21 June
Yesterday Luke published the graphic below which shows photos of me in April and June 2014. I think it goes without saying that my progress is now clear for all to see. For those who were taught metric weights and measurements at school, like me, 13lbs equals 5.8 kilos!

9: Let's get Fizzical

This week has been a "transition week" - as Luke described it. I've certainly enjoyed a couple of lighter training sessions with Mr Bremner, but that doesn't mean I've been slacking. I've still managed to do some exercise at home during the weekday evenings too – so long gone are the days of excuses. Luke has now kindly structured a couple of proper home workouts for me, and I gave Routine 1 a whirl yesterday afternoon. I can honestly say that by the end of it I really knew that I'd been exercising for 50 minutes.

During my scheduled gym sessions Luke has also shown me a whole new set of exercises which, I'm sure, he'll introduced into my workouts fairly soon. This is so we can move my fitness regime to "the next level" apparantly. How I laughed nervously when I was told this. It goes without saying that I was complete pants at these new exercises, that have very manly names like "The wood-chopper" and the "Romanian Deadlift", however I'm sure in time I'll get the hang of them.

The past week has also been very social: design graduate exhibitions; professional networking meet-ups; and just generally catching up friends to say hello, and in one case goodbye. Several people at one of these events, who I'd worked with in the past, didn't recognise me due to my physical transformation. It's also given me the opportunity to reveal to others that my recent weight loss is purely down to regular exercise and dietary changes, and there is nothing else they should be concerned about. The best compliment came from Jen Pearce, who described my facial features as now being "chiseled." I like that – a lot!

Another new piece of equipment has also found its way into my kitchen this week – a SodaStream. I discovered from Luke, in April, that I wasn't drinking nearly enough water to keep my body adequately hydrated. Since then I've tried to consume 2 to 3 Litres (4.2 to 6.5 pints) of water per day. As I have a preference for sparkling mineral water with meals, I became conscious of the amount of bottles I was buying. The SodaStream is a way for me to reduce the amount of packaging and to enable me to carbonate a resource I already have on tap.

One of the biggest delights though is that the plastic bottle, that came with the SodaStream, is BPA-free (Bisphenol A). For those not in the know, BPA is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics such as drinking bottles and cups. Following concerns about BPA transferring to food and beverages, many states in the US have now made it illegal for cups, bottles and plates to be manufactured using BPA. It's believed that this chemical can effect the brain as well as the prostate glands, and more people are choosing to avoid it. 

So I'm going to raise another glass of sparkling water to toast SodaStream for being ethically correct in so many ways. Cheers!

8: Belt-up

It's hard to believe I've reached that part of the month again when Luke at Luke Bremner Fitness measures my body.

I recall reading somewhere, that after embarking on a fitness regime, it takes around 6 weeks before you start to see any physical changes. It takes another 6 weeks before family and friends start to see those changes, and then a further 6 weeks before the rest of the world notices them too.

To say my expectations have already been surpassed would be an understatement. I'm certainly noticing how rapidly my body has started to change. More importantly, so can my personal trainer.

Since 01 April 2014 I've lost 4.3kg (9.4lbs) of weight, 7.8cm (3.1") from my waist and 8.25cm (3.25") from my chest. This proves that it's totally feasible to lose 10 Pounds (4.5kg) in 10 Weeks. If an unfit forty nine year old man can do it – yes I really am that old! – then I'm sure anyone can do it.

A consequence of all these physical changes is that my current wardrobe is starting to feel rather large. Trackie bottoms I purchased two months ago, especially to go to the gym in, are beginning to resemble clowns’ pantaloons. I'm also grateful that both my Dainese motorbike jackets attach to my leather bike jeans with a zip, as they're actually helping to holding them up when I go out motorcycling these days.

Not that I'm complaining. Luke and I reviewed my initial personal goals today. The list included simple things that were important to me e.g. a flatter stomach and, to lose the 'moobs and spare tyre.' From what I see in the mirror, and from what Luke's measurements tell me, these are all happening.

Last week I ventured along the high street in order to buy some new trousers for work. Not only did I have to buy ones with a smaller waist size, but they're slim fit trousers too! Similarly yesterday evening I decided to try on a Hollister sweater. I got it ages ago but have never worn it as it was too small, despite the garment label saying its size was 'large.' It's now fits me perfectly.

Next on my urgent 'to buy' list are some new belts. All of my current ones are too large, and I'd certainly hate to have a Carry On Films 'Whoops! There go my trousers…' incident in public.

7: Whey to go!

It's hard to believe that yet another week has hurtled by. 

Luke at Luke Bremner Fitness has been challenging me more than ever. In general I've been managing to achieve all that's been asked of me, but not necessarily in the most tidy of fashions. As the exercises become increasingly complex there is more to focus on: posture, technique, breathing and apparatus. However it's all gradually coming together albeit slowly.

As I was getting ready to leave after today's workout, Luke mentioned that he hadn't talked to me much about my diet or nutrition as he felt he didn't really need to. He said that I'd seemed to have embraced all the recommendations he made at the beginning of April. 

This is true. Open the cupboards in my kitchen and you'll find that boxes of breakfast cereal have been swapped with bags of mixed seeds and nuts, protein bars have replaced chocolate, and packs of whey protein-shake powders reside where cartons of sugar-loaded fruit juice once sat. Similarly a quick look in my refrigerator reveals nothing but fresh vegetables, some dairy produce and basic, but healthy, raw ingredients. 

About three years ago I decided to refrain from eating meat. This wasn't a decision taken on moral grounds. The fact was that I'd been seriously ill and during my recovery period I couldn't entertain the idea of consuming poultry, beef, lamb or pork. Once I was well again, I continued on this regime. I still treat myself to a little fish from time to time – especially as Stockbridge is home to Armstrong's – which is an amazing fishmonger.

Adapting my diet to suit my fitness regime and new healthy lifestyle hasn't been that difficult, even being a pescatarian. It has just given me more of an excuse to go into the kitchen and experiment with different combinations of vegetables and foodstuffs in order to create tasty, textured dishes. This week I made sweet potato and parsnip mash to accompany one meal, and tried butternut squash stuffed with quinoa and olives as a main course for another. Both super-tasty and healthy. In addition they're both definitely on the "play-list" of things to make again.

I guess I find it strange behaviour for anyone to pay a professional for their expert advice and then to choose to ignore it. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, a good physique is made as much in the kitchen as it is in the gym. If, like me, you've mentally decided to change your lifestyle, then listen to your personal trainer and/or nutritionalist and adopt everything they tell you. If you don't, then the only loser will ultimately be you!

6: Strictly Disciplined

Last weekend I high-tailed it from Scotland to Northamptonshire in order to join family at the wedding of my sister and her husband. As I hadn't seen my parents or my siblings since mid-March, it was great to receive comments from everyone about how good I was looking.

I kept the biggest surprise until the following day though, when I turned up for the wedding in Highland dress. After living in Scotland for 23 years I decided it was about time I wore a kilt, and feeling great about about how I'm currently looking and feeling, made the whole experience even more enjoyable.

I also took advantage of my sister's nuptials to provide myself with a little treat. I had my first alcoholic drink in almost two months.

If you've read Luke Bremner's free eBook 21 Tips to Burn Fat Fast! - which you can download from his website - you'll know that alcohol is not only very high in calories, but also food eaten around the same time is more likely to be stored as fat. I'm convinced that some of my weight-loss, over the past couple of months, is purely down to being disciplined and avoiding booze of any kind. 

Despite the family celebrations I remained strict with myself, and kept my alcohol in-take to a minimum. It didn't stop me enjoying the weekend - in fact on Saturday night I was probably on the dance floor for the longest amount of time than I have been in years!

Back in Edinburgh, Luke threaten me at the gym on Tuesday. He told me that he was going to create a 'swear jar' with a difference especially for me - it's called the 'sorry' jar. He explained that every time I said "Sorry!" I'd have to put a pound in the jar. I'm glad he was only joking - or at least I hope he was - as he'd already be quids in!

What I often forget during my training sessions is that I'm pushing my body to new limits and not being able to achieve everything I'm asking it to do is actually okay.

That said, I'm finishing the week knowing I did two great workouts with Luke. We've increased the amount of weight for my barbell squats and dead-lifts, plus my technique for a whole host of other exercises continues to improve. So in summary a very positive seven days or so all round.

5: Oh no! I'm now average

The figures are in.

A combination of my physical endeavours at Luke Bremner Fitness - plus dietary changes and regular mini-workouts at home - are starting to pay-off.

In the past 5 weeks I've lost 3kg (6.6lbs) of weight. My waist has shrunk by approximately 7.5cm (3"), my chest has shrunk by 5cm (2"), but my arms are slowly starting to develop and increase in size. This all indicates that bad body fat is being replaced by lean fat. In summary, and to quote Ian Fletcher, "So basically that's all good!"

Looking at the figures, and consulting his charts, Luke congratulated me this morning on my body now being "average" for my age and height. My response was direct. "But I've never been average at anything!"

Each visit to Jamaica Street is often met with a new challenge set by Mr Bremner. On reflection, this is exactly what I needed - limits to be pushed and boundaries to be reached. As Luke reminds me, when I'm standing in front of the barbell ready to do a set of deadlifts, "It's just ten kilos on there Derek." Psychologically this is a great way to think about the 50kg (110lbs) that I'm actually about to lift.

I've also discovered that Mr Bremner is a bit a sneaky. Whilst I'm off focussing on a different super-set exercise, he'll slip an extra 5kg (10lbs) on the barbell for my next set of deadlifts - but doesn't tell me. However the upshot is that I leave enthused and invigorated after each session by what I've managed to achieve.

To say that 'I'm surprised' or 'delighted' about my rate of progress would be an understatement. I know that there is still a long way for me to go, before I reach the original goals and incentives I set myself. However the Luke Bremner Fitness strapline isn't wrong, when it reminds me each week, that I'm now fitter, stronger, healthier and happier than I was before I started.

4: And breathe out…

On occasions it feels as though I'm swimming against the tide. Being a Piscean must have something to do with it. For the uninitiated, that star sign is represented by two fish swimming in different directions. There has to be a conflict of interest within me somewhere. If there's an easy and a hard way to do something, the chances are I'll choose the more difficult route.

Who knew breathing could be so difficult?

As I pant and struggle my way through the super-sets of exercises, that Mr Bremner has lined-up for me each week, one thing has become apparent. I appear to breathe in when I should be expelling air and vice-versa.

I can feel Luke's - and my own - frustration. I often start exercises with the correct breathing pattern, but somewhere in the middle of a set something happens. Suddenly I'm out of sync again. Thankfully I'm told not to worry about it too much - plus I'm beginning to get better but only slightly.

In addition to my twice weekly visits to Luke's Jamaica Street gym I'm regularly working-out at home too - mostly stretching exercises to strengthen my core muscles and make my body more pliable. To help me, I've recently invested in a gym ball and a foam roller.

Unfortunately I received a malfunctioned gym ball. It's mischievous and misbehaves at every opportunity. If I try to roll it towards me using my feet, it'll decide to have a laugh and go left or right instead. At the moment I've put it in the "naughty corner" until it decides to play nicely.

Another thing that I've discovered is that foam rollers are not soft - in the same way that snow is not soft when you act like Bambi on skis and crash all the time! It's not often that the words 'foam' and 'Ouch!' go together, but one seems to follow another quite quickly in my currently vocabulary. I'm yet to be convinced by a tweet I read from a sporty nephew who assured me that "…foam roller exercises were fun!"

That all said, what's clearly evident is that after one month's personal training at Luke Bremner Fitness I'm slimmer, lighter, and more flexible than I was at the start of April. Plus I got a chat-up compliment from an assistant working in a local shop yesterday. Bonus!

3: Tipping the scales

Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you I've always been an early adopter of technology. I won't deny it - I simply love new gadgets.

Prior to starting my fitness training, Luke asked me to keep a record of everything I ate over a four day period. This was to help him analyse my diet, and provide recommendations to me on what I needed to change. On reflection I only did an adequate job of this task. Everything was sketchy and rather vague. A cup of this… a portion of that. 

After I'd submitted my half-hearted attempt, Luke then showed me an example of somebody else's diet sheet. Every item was weighed and all the information was formatted into regular meal slots - making it precise and easy for Luke to review and comment on. It was then that I realised a good physique is made in the kitchen as well as in the gym.

I needed to get my act together and up my game. My thinking was that if I'm serious about getting fit - which I am - I need to be able to present Luke with clear information about my diet so he can pass professional judgement on what I'm eating and drinking. 

I decided to take advantage of Apple's iCloud feature and created a diet sheet template in Pages. This enables me to fill in my diet sheet on my laptop, iPad or iPhone. As the form is always with me it's easy for me to note down when and what I eat or drink.

For the first week I religiously weighed food items and measured liquids. The main problem I encountered was the inaccuracy of my kitchen scales - which were themselves nearly twenty years old. It was time to invest in something more modern.

Without thinking I was on UK kitchen and homeware retailer Lakeland's website and discovered their Sensor Scale. The product description included terms like super-shiny, LED display, futuristic form and touch-panel. Every geek-button in my body had been pressed. Not wishing to wait for an online order, I was soon marching along Edinburgh's Princes Street to buy one from my local store.

The feature I like most about these scales is the tare function. I can continue to reset the scales back to 0 grams (or ounces if you prefer imperial weights) and add another item. This includes putting mixing bowls, salad boxes, and plates on the scales before you add the ingredients. Suddenly preparing food and recording what each item weighs became a whole lot easier. 

On Thursday Luke took my body measurements again to see how I'm progressing. To say I'm thrilled with the results would be an understatement. I've already lost 5cm (2 inches) from my waistline as well as my chest. My body fat is heading downward as is my weight - I'm 2.3kg (5 lbs) lighter than I was when I started exercising and eating correctly two weeks ago.

I'm aware that everything will probably plateau out soon - but for now I'll take the compliments that I've been receiving from my professional network and from family about "the slimmer" me. 

2: Squeeze, ease and hold

My driving instructor, Mrs Wiles, was a real character. As a 17 year old I spent six fabulous months getting to know her, as she taught me to manoeuvre her car around the roads of suburban Surrey.

Like all novice drivers I found there was almost too much information to take on-board at the start. Coordination - especially with a manual gearbox - is key. Mrs Wiles had amazing phrases that helped her students to remember what to do. "Woodpecker!" she'd shout, if you'd forgotten to cancel the indicator. On twisty country lanes you'd be told "If you can't see stay in three. If you can see some more, get into four." which aided gear selection. Hill starts were always accompanied by "Squeeze, ease and hold. Squeeze the accelerator, ease the clutch and then hold them there m'dear." Ah! Happy memories. She really was unique.

This whole exercising correctly business is just as confusing as learning to drive was. Again there's lots of information to take on-board and remember. Over the past week Luke, at Luke Bremner Fitness, has introduced me to some 'helpful' phrases which are designed to assist me whilst I exercise. 'Start in neutral', 'Soft knees', 'Lots of chins', 'Back pocket' and 'Pencil' are gradually being engrained in my head. 

Luke is still taking things at my pace - which I'm very thankful for - plus he's continuing to evaluate my overall posture, balance and flexibility. It's amazing how sharp his eye for detail is. Often it's the simple things that he gets me to do - like standing correctly - that have the biggest impact. Suddenly I'm finding that I'm walking around town with my head-up, shoulders back and chest out. I know it sounds a bit old-school, but I feel as though I've become a good five centimetres taller over the last few days.

I'm used to walking around Edinburgh as it's a relatively compact city and often find it faster than taking public transport at certain times of the day. Walking has been even higher on my agenda since starting my fitness regime. Patrick, a design chum of mine, showed me an app recently called Moves*. It has a beautifully simple timeline interface and is a breeze to use. What I've found astonishing, since buying the app, is just how far I walk each day. The app doesn't just cover walking, it automatically recognises when you run, cycle, or take some form of transport. You can add places and tell the app when you're in the gym. In addition you can export your data, which is all very clever indeed. If you're the owner of a smart phone and are looking for a pedometer with lots of additions, then I can certainly recommend Moves. For me, its already been worth the money I paid for it.

06 May 2014 - As a footnote to this blog Moves was recently acquired by Facebook. Despite assuring users that Moves would remain independent, updated Terms and Conditions enable Moves to pass personal data to Facebook. As a result I've removed the app from my phone and am now looking for a similar one which does the same thing.

1: No more excuses

"There seem to be a lot of excuses in that sentence Derek."

This was the very frank response I received from my chum Simon, earlier this year when I was in Bristol, and we were chatting about why I hadn't been exercising.

He was right of course.

Fast forward to March and I read a post on LinkedIn from personal trainer Luke Bremner which informs his professional network that he's moving into his own gym in Edinburgh's New Town at the beginning of April.

I'd helped Luke with the branding for Luke Bremner Fitness a couple of years ago. He suggested then that I ought to get into the gym - but I'd quickly erected barriers and made more excuses.

For many of us there is a catch 22 situation regarding regular exercise. For me personally I've wanted to get into shape for a little while, but have never investigated any of the mainstream gyms. The thought of being in a room with people who are already "in-shape" is rather intimidating. On reflection this is just one more excuse.

After reading Luke's post I decided to that it was about time I invested in me i.e. in my fitness and well-being.

I've now taken the bull by the horns and signed-up for 2 one-hour sessions each week for the next 6 months. My thinking was this length time would demonstrate (i) my commitment and seriousness in what I want to achieve and (ii) enable Luke and me to work on toning-up my body gradually - so things aren't too much of a shock to the system.

On 01 April I met Luke at his new gym. It's a nice space. It feels private and relaxed - despite the array of gym equipment that's positioned around the room. At this initial meeting Luke explained his approach and we went through my goals and incentives - of which there are many. A nice gentle introduction.

The following day I was back in Jamaica Street and Luke was taking body measurements and photos of me. An important procedure, as we need them for comparisons in the future. This was followed by a full and detail analysis of my diet - which I thought was relatively healthy - but turns out to be loaded with sugar and carbohydrates.

Instead of overwhelming me with info, Luke has just focussed his attention on one aspect of my diet - breakfast. I need to get that right before moving on and looking at the other meals. However within the space of 24 hours I'd started making changes everywhere. Yes, I have been focussing on breakfast as Luke requested, but it's amazing how easy planning and structuring other meals of the day have suddenly become.

For my final visit of the week Luke assessed my flexibility and posture. I was rubbish - as expected! However some kind and motivational words from Mr Bremner kept me going. Despite being a driver and a motorcyclist I still have problems identifying left and right. So trying to sort out my front/back pelvic motion was a bit of a nightmare all round.

This is other thing that has happened in the last week. I've suddenly started to acquire a whole new language - gluts, quads, triceps, pecs. Yes, I did anatomy at art school - but we only drew skeletons we never learnt what bones or muscles were called.

Anyway Luke has set me excersies to do this week, which I've been endeavouring to do to the best of my ability. In summary, I've made a start and there are now no more excuses. That in itself already makes me happy.