Circuit Training Update: Day One

I had my first go at the circuit training programme today. Got up at 7AM, went for a quick run round the estate where I live (just to get the heart rate up) and then had a go at the circuits I mentioned in my last post.

It was tough! Even though it only takes about thirty minutes, it's hard going since you don't really stop during it. I think I did alright, and I guess it was a good sign that I felt like I had ran five miles in a diving suit by the time I'd finished (good in that my body was working hard, bad in that my fitness is shocking!).

Played football last night and going to the gym tonight and tomorrow, so hopefully it'll have a positive effect sooner rather than later.

So I made it past step one. Here's hoping I can keep up the motivation. It's my very own anti-moob protest.

Further updates in a few days!

Circuit Training: I've got a fat belly, can I get a flat belly?

Here's a thought: Should fat people be chastised for their obsession with self-satisfaction? Is getting drunk really worse than sitting gorging yourself on food? Or could it be that getting drunk is perceived as worse because it affects other people, where gluttony only really affects the individual?

Obesity is estimated to cost the NHS £6.3 billion a year, in treating related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. It is becoming a national problem, and people have taken to suggesting various measures in an effort to tackle it. Take the recent example of the Lanarkshire MP who made the ridiculous suggestion of taxing chocolate. Thankfully, the British Medical Association rejected this as bumf.

It seems that shortsighted individuals regularly attempt to tackle problems by taxation. But why should ordinary, self regulating individuals be made to pay for the lack of self control of others by paying through the nose for chocolate or alcohol?

Forget taxing chocolate. People should be encouraged to eat less, drink less alcohol and exercise more.

I could probably be used as an example in this regard. I'm 25, of average height and generally in good health. But I'm slightly overweight, with a 90kg bodyweight and a BMI of 27.6 (BMI can be skewed by muscle vs fat content, but its a rough indicator). I don't seek to blame anyone else for the fact that I could do with losing a few pounds, and I don't think that making me pay more for chocolate or beer is going to help. That whole idea is proposterous.

Rather, what I need is to do is slightly change my diet to avoid processed carbs and excessive sugar consumption, and to get more exercise. The nature of my job means that I'm sitting at my desk for most of the day, and therefore I am not burning as many calories as others who have more physically active jobs. But this leads to a problem which most people come up against when contemplating additional exercise: lack of time.

The monotonous prospect of spending hours and hours on a treadmill or lifting dumbells fills me with horror, and I'm quite a busy person, so I don't get the chance to go to the gym for hours at a time. I go when I can, (usually about three times a week) and I swim and play football. But this is not enough, because my weight is not coming down. So I need something else, in addition to the exercise I currently get. And I think the answer may be circuit training.

There was an article in Men's Fitness Magazine which was a circuit training programme entitled '28 Days to a Flat Gut'. It only involves about 40 minutes a day, and you don't need to go to the gym or buy any expensive equipment (though you can use equipment for certain types of circuit training).

To me, an investment of very little time and money with a high return of fitness and weight loss is 'the holy grail'.

The main benefits of circuits are allegedly; improved core fitness and stability, improved muscle tone and of course, weight loss (when combined with a proper balanced diet). All of this with no cost and little time used. This is because the nature of circuit training means that your heart rate goes up and stays up for the entire duration of the exercise, which increases your metabolic rate and leads to increased energy consumption both during and after the exercise.

So I'm going to start doing circuit training, and will post an update on my progress on my blog. I doubt anyone except me will ever read it, but having this record which I can go back to and which could be read by others will provide me with extra motivation. I'm going to get up at 7AM, go for a short run and then do the circuit training which involves groups ten exercises, each of which is done for 40-60 seconds, with no rest in between. In addition, I'm going to watch what I eat and mostly cut out booze for a month.

Tomorrow is day one. So before I begin, let it be noted that I am 5 foot 11 (180cm) and:

Current weight: 14 stone 1 (89.8kg)
BMI: 27.6
Body fat: 25.4%

Target Weight: 12 stone 0 (76.5kg)
BMI: 25
Body Fat: 19.5%

It's an optimistic target and will probably take longer than a month to reach, but I'm certainly going to try.

Fact of Life #2: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is

I'm in the market for a new telly, since I'm doing up my 'den' room.

I've put a nice leather couch in it, got my desk all set up and the last thing to add is a telly. In the room next door are my consoles, and I want the option of playing them either in the living room or in the den, without having to physically move them or buy new consoles altogether. So I plan to get a 3 in, 2 out HDMI splitter which will allow me to run an HDMI cable through the wall to the den room while not interrupting the TV signal in the living room. With the wireless controllers on 360 and PS3, I should be able to use the machines even though they're through the wall.

So when I saw an advert in the paper for an auction being held in the Crowne Plaza Glasgow by a company who I will not name, I was intrigued. The advert said something like:

'Fine art auction. Hotel Clearance, Customs and Government auctions.

Valuable paintings, fine wines and champagne, all at heavily reduced prices to clear.

Also available are HD Televisions all with full manufacturers warranty, in sizes from 26 inch to 50 inch, LCD and Plasma. Reserve prices starting from £100.

Laptops, brand new with warranties from manufacturers such as Dell, HP and Toshiba. Starting prices from only £50'

Blah, blah, blah. The auction was taking place near where I live, so I decided to go along and take a look. Having never been to an auction before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I will not be going back to one run by that particular company.

Like the advert said, there was a huge amount of items for sale, including HD TVs of all makes and sizes, cases of wine and champagne, paintings, laptops, furniture, the lot. So I was quite impressed at first, but wasn't sure about the fact that there was only an hour to view the items and there was no catalogue or agenda for when each item would be auctioned.

The guy who conducted the auction absolutely loved the sound of his own voice, and babbled away for about half an hour, desperately trying to build the appearance of a friendly rapport with the huge audience before finally getting on with the business in hand. Since I know nothing about art or wine, I couldn't be bothered with the paintings, furniture or wine auctions, and was hoping that I wouldn't have to wait too long to see what prices the TVs and laptops went for.

After about an hour, the first laptop came up (a Dell Studio 15, average spec) for sale and went for more than you could buy it for from Dell. The price started at £50, and immediately dozens of people put their hands up. Now I know that people can be stupid, but there were so many people willing to inflate the auction price that I can only assume that some were planted there by the auction company. Basic logic would tell you not to bid too quickly, and keep the price low - especially when you consider that there were multiples of most items and that as soon as the first one was sold, the rest of them were offered to other bidders at the same winning bid price.

The auctioneer was a smarmy git. He tried to placate the audience by saying that in the past they had bid too high for items which you can get cheaper elsewhere, and that he would try to keep the prices down in order to give people the best deal. What a load of tosh.

After what seemed like an eternity of horrible paintings, crap redwood furniture and boxes of ties and unknown perfume brands, one or two TVs were auctioned. Dozens of people ended up paying £187.50 for a really crappy 19 inch LCD TV (sale price was £150, then add 10% auctioneer commission and 15% VAT = £187.50) which you can buy for £100 online. RIP OFF (Though to be fair, the additional 25% was clearly indicated on the auction leaflet and by the auctioneer).

They then sold a Sharp 50 inch 1080p Plasma TV for £600 (£750) which you can get for £645 online.

Even though I was disappointed, I was still intrigued by the auction process. So I stayed a bit longer to see what prices the rest of the stuff would go for. The auction swiftly returned to the horrible paintings and crap furniture, with the occasional laptop sale in between.

After three hours in total, I gave up. The whole thing was a farce, and I feel bad for the stupidity of the people who paid a fortune for something they could've gotten from a local retailer for a lot less.

My conclusion then, is this: if you are looking for something specific, do your research. Check out the online prices, because if you go to one of these 'auctions' you will most likely NOT get a cheaper price. Take the easy route, buy your item from a reputable online retailer and save yourself the hassle of being conned by a company who try to give the impression they're looking out for the bidders, but who actually want to fleece them for every penny they've got.

Fact of Life #2: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is

Snowboarding in Scotland: Glenshee or Glensheet? The Lecht or the Shect?

I used to think I was quite good at snowboarding. I've been to France quite a few times, mostly to the amazing resort of Tignes. But I can't even handle a simple poma, I must've fallen off about ten times yesterday!

Anyway regardless of my ability, I think that snowboarding is one of the most incredible things you can do, and I always try to promote it to people. There's nothing quite like thundering down a mountainside, taking in some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet, knowing that the chances are if you fall, it won't hurt that much.

Snowboarding is something that I think everyone should try at least once, but up until recently I would've recommended that nobody go to the ski resorts in Scotland. But since I haven't been able to go to France for a few years, I thought that desperate times called for desperate measures and agreed to go to Glenshee for the day.

It was brilliant! We had sunshine most of the day, and the runs had a lot of good coverage.

There was fresh powder on most of the hills with one or two icy patches, particularly on the Sunnyside run (which was still easily usable, even with the patches), with the best runs to be found at the back of the range, near to the Coire Flonn Pomas.

In addition to the fenced off runs, there were some brilliant off piste areas with powder up to about two feet deep in places, which I did not think was possible in Scotland.

The facilities are a bit bare, and you do need to be able to rush up to the mountains at the last minute when the weather is good, but I think that on a good day you can get some brilliant boarding done in Scotland. It doesn't even begin to compare to some of the foreign resorts, but it's certainly worth the effort.

I'm glad I went up, and will definitely be going next year when the snow returns.