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.