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.