Weight a minute!

In the first two or three weeks we spent on Kantara, I lost four or five pounds.  I don't know why.  I was well, eating as normal, just doing different things.  I was pleased about that!  I could happily lose a few pounds.  But recently, I regained those pounds and added a few more to them besides, so now I am the heaviest I have ever been... by a small margin.


Of course, this is down to the fact that, as a teacher, I was used to doing a lot of walking around the campus, hurrying up and down stairs, standing up throughout lessons, and moving around the classroom constantly.  In the boat, there is little walking to be done, and no stairs. We are eating healthily enough, possibly better than we did when in St Albans, but I have really missed the exercise.

Cruising is another issue.  On the cut, I will often be walking ahead of the boat to get to the next lock - it's common for locks to be in groups spread out over a mile or so, so it happens often that I stay off the boat until we have left the last lock.  And then there is the locking.  Opening and closing the paddles at a lock, and opening and closing the gates, takes a lot of energy, not just keeping my weight down, but also building muscle in arms, back, abdomen and legs.  After just one typical week, I really notice the difference.

Victorian Reading Room

Yelvertoft High Street!

Thatched cottage on High Street

But I have done little of that this past couple of months, so I have been rather too sedentary, and I have to do something about it.  So today, I started on my plan to walk every day for at least an hour.  I did a very brisk four to five miles, and returned to the boat feeing the better for it.  I shall do this every day, building up my time and mileage gradually until I am really benefitting from it.  And I join Grace's brother-in-law Mike in my determination to lose significant pounds before Christmas.

Victorian pub