The Couch Potato’s Guide to Fitness

Most of us are unhappy with our bodies . Many of us feel we are overweight or that our bodies are not in proportion , with a “beer-belly” accounting for too much of our body weight .

Many of us are also unfit . If you work in an office , or somewhere else where you spend the best part of the day sat down , you may feel you just don’t have the time for exercise . The Autumn and Winter months are the worst when it’s a real wrench to leave the warm couch or the warm pub in order to get some exercise . It is difficult to show the self discipline , to think of your long term goals rather than short term comfort . I myself suffer from poor self-discipline and poor fitness . I have been over-weight for three years now and I have spent two years trying , but ultimately failing , to get fit and healthy . With this in mind I have spent a lot of time researching diet and nutrition and exercise advice , trying to find a plan that not only works but is easy to stick to .

My intention over the next 28 days is to drop a waist size ( from 38 down to 36 ) , loose a stone in weight and get in a routine which improves my fitness .

This is my 28 day fitness plan , and remember if I can do it so can you .

Week 1

On the first day I have a breakfast of porridge followed by a banana . Tuna and pasta for lunch with pork chop , jacket potato and salad for tea followed by fresh fruit . This becomes a fairly typical days food for me throughout my diet as it provides a good balance of most of the main food groups and if you cut the fat of the chop then it’s also reasonably healthy as well as being easy enough to stick too . In terms of drinks I allow myself 1 coffee in the morning and 2 more hot drinks within the next 24 hours . I also have one glass of fruit juice with my evening meal . It is best to stick to water as much as possible .

Week 2

Exercise

I start off with a 25 minute walk after lunch . I make sure that I do at least 25 minutes of exercise a day and 3 or 4 times a week I also have another 30-45 minutes which I spend either jogging , swimming or cycling . Two times a week I also do some anaerobic exercise with dumb-bells .