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!

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.