Gym'll fix it ...

... not that there's anything wrong, but I couldn't resist the bad pun! Yes, I joined a Gym a couple of weeks ago and so far am enjoying it a great deal. I am going about twice a week and find the programme of exercises I have been given to be within my capabilities, but sufficiently challenging to be useful; there is a target for improvement over the intitial two months and I have already inched a couple of the exercises up the scale with comfort. In the last few years several Gyms have opened in Inverness, but the one I go to is one of the LivingWell group and the one here is well equipped and very pleasant to use. I tend to go toward the middle or end of the morning for two or so hours and at that time of the day it is not too crowded at all - a mixture of males and females, mainly middle-aged. After the programme of exercises I spend roughly another 45 minutes in the pool, steam room and sauna. I particularly enjoy steam rooms - it really opens up the pores. My main aim is to improve my general well-being, increase my stamina a little and to strengthen my upper body; I have never been an athletic person.

Soon after starting to lose weight on the Atkins diet I began to do brief periods of light jogging during my daily walks with the dog - this has helped to increase my general stamina already and some of the lower-body muscles, but I felt over the winter, when I wasn't doing so much, and no cycling at all, that a regular programme would be helpful. I had been thinking about it for a while, but never having been in a Gym before was a little hesitant to take the plunge - a friend at the wine society brought the subject up at a recent tasting and invited me along as a guest, so that got the ball rolling. I must say I am quite pleased that he did.