How to Lose a Belly When You're 43 (part 16)

Monday
I had to drive to work today because we needed to put Tilly's car in for its MOT.
A lady at work had brought in homemade carrot cake and was very excited for me to try a piece. That was the end of healthy eating for the day...
Back at home, after I'd made dinner for the family, I set about some weight lifting. I hadn't picked up the weights for over a week but I was determined to not take a step backwards. I set the bar heavier than I had for months and was pleased to discover that I could lift it! I did a successful workout of 6 different exercises with 25 reps (5 sets of 5 reps) on each.
After an hour of that, I was aching all over so I settled back on the couch for some cereal and GTA5.
junkfood, no alcohol, weight training

Tuesday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
I haven't made a dent in my beer gut! Time to get serious: I've got to ride the Mad March Hare in just over a month's time and I need to be as fit and as light as I can for that ride. Some will power is required over the next 4 weekends!
I cycled in to work after a healthy breakfast. I ate cleanly at college and then cycled home to get ready for dojo. Tonight's session was delivered by Sensei Mark. He drilled us hard in basics and then created a kata out of complicated combinations. I did some five-step and one-step sparring with some purple belts.
Still no fighting, but at least I worked up a sweat tonight!
Home for homemade curry and a jacket potato!
Bed at 11.
no junkfood, no alcohol, cycled to work, karate

Wednesday
Cycled in to work in a cold rain - I was glad to get to my desk!
This morning, I did a sports taster session with a visiting school. I did a martial arts warm up followed by circuit training with dodge-ball to finish. One of the lads was obviously a lot fitter and more capable than the rest. I had a chat with him and it turns out that he has had MMA training but gave it up 4 months ago. Happily, at the end of the session he signed up for our sports course starting in September. Hopefully I'll be able to convince him to go back to martial arts.
I cycled home in a drizzle.
Tonight, I did a good, fast weights session before making chicken and mushroom curry for Lucy and myself.
I went to bed early (10:30) and slept like a log.
no junkfood, no alcohol, cycled to work, weight training

Thursday
I cycled to work and back.
I was meant to go for a 10K run today but I'm still feeling the effects of a cold: my nose is blocked up and starts bleeding every now and then. Instead, I did another good weights session.
Dinner was a very healthy mix of fish, chicken, rice, tomatoes and green beans.
I stayed up too late playing GTA5!
no junkfood, no alcohol, cycled to work, weight training

Friday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 126/80
Heart Rate: 56
10st 3lbs is the lightest I've been  this year. According to the plan I put together in August, I should now be 9st 13lbs of lean muscle. Instead, I look like a hairy blancmange.
Today, I had to go to a Project Griffin training session. The session was at our Digbeth campus near the centre of Birmingham so I set off this morning on my weekend bike (the Specialized) instead of the 1974 Raleigh commuting bike. The weekend bike is usually a lot twitchier than the commuter  but today I noticed that the headset seems a little stiff. I'll let a bike mechanic have a look at that.
I rode a total of 16.2 miles but the rush hour traffic and traffic lights lowered my average to a disappointing 12.5mph.
Tonight's advanced class was run by Sensei Mark. We did some higher grade kata such as Empi, Kanku Dai and Hangetsu. The second half of the lesson involved some kumite practice and I was lucky enough to have Sensei Sarah as my training partner. Fast and long-limbed, she did a great job of keeping me on my toes. Martha seemed to have enjoyed the session too, despite being reluctant to actually attend tonight!
At home, I had my first beer of the week (Holden's Black Country Special - superb!) with my huge dinner of gammon, eggs, chips, onion rings, roast tomatoes and salad. It was like a massive pub dinner! Lucy didn't think I could eat all of it. You'd think she'd know me better by now...

Healthy living...

We put Batman vs Superman on the TV, I cracked another beer, and two Jack Russell terriers made a nest on my lap. And relax...
No junkfood (okay I had chips), 16.2 miles of cycling, karate session, 2 bottles of beer.

Saturday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Last night I dreamt I was having a pint with my dad in a busy pub. I was completely naked. Everyone else was dressed. Nobody seemed to notice that I was in the nude! In my dream, I went to have a wee in the gents but two blokes were fighting in there. Analyse that!
Today I did some jobs like putting stuff on eBay, moving a piece of furniture, and some ironing. I was meant to go for a run but this cold which everyone is suffering from has given me a blocked nose. I don't think there's much point trying to run for 6 miles with a blocked nose. Instead, I headed off to dojo.
Sensei Gary ran a great session today  - we got to fight! I only sparred once: I went up against a lower grade adult who defeated me with a nidan geri (jumping kick) of all things! It shows how bad I am at fighting and how far I have to go.
After the lesson had finished, I did some extra pad-work with Sensei Jody and a purple belt lady who used to box. Jody pushed me really hard and I was soon struggling with my fitness. However, I kept going, followed instructions and gave it my best. We practised jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts in all sorts of combinations, as fast as we could go. I was drained, aching and very happy by the end of it all. The purple belt looked like she could carry on all afternoon...
Tonight, we went to Wilmcote for a family get together with relatives from London. I had lots of naughty food, one beer and a hilarious game of Monopoly. A fantastic evening.
Bed at 11.
karate with boxing training, junkfood, one beer

Sunday
Weight: 10st 7lbs
I seem to have put on 4lbs in just 2 days. What's going on?
Last night, I was naked in my dreams again. This time I was in the cinema watching a new Star Wars film. My first karate instructor, Sensei Paul Hexley, came up to me and threw some boxer shorts at me!
Up early and out into the lanes with Jonnie, we set off on the Purity Temple route. It was very cold this morning but the sun was out and the wind was behind us. We took full advantage of the conditions and gave it the beans. We had an average speed of 15.6mph as we approached the Croft Lane climb. Determined to keep as much of our speed as we could, we both hit it hard and we later found out that we'd achieved PRs on our Strava results for this climb. I'd managed to knock 24 seconds off my previous best attempt!
We pushed on and arrived at the cake stop with a decent average of 14.9mph.
In a dramatic turn of events, Jonnie opted for a bacon sandwich instead of homemade cake! Still reeling from this shocking state of affairs, we wandered, confused and fearful, out into the lanes and headed north. The wind that was behind us earlier was now a 12mph headwind. It began to eat into our average...
Jonnie reported that the bacon sandwich was weighing heavily on him but he struggled on, cheered by the thought of a bottle conditioned ale waiting for him at home. We managed to get back with a 14.0mph average which wasn't too bad over 35 miles in February.
I enjoyed an ale with Jonnie, took the dogs for a walk and then headed off to dojo.
It was Sensei Jody's first time in the UK teaching an entire class. He asked me to do the warm up which was a complete surprise. I did a rather uninspiring rush through of basic stretches with a bit of jumping about. Jody's lesson was very good with lots for everyone to do regardless of their ability/grade.
After picking up Mouse, Martha and their friends from the cinema, we had a lovely family dinner with homemade pudding to follow.
I drank a few beers before bed...
35 miles of cycling, karate session, junkfood, 4 beers.