When I was in my early teens, my dad used to joke that he could play a melody on my rib cage, so prominent were the bones. To say I was thin was an understatement: I made a stickman look big.
I’m not really sure where this ‘thin’ gene (or ectomorphic to give it its proper name) came from. Neither of my parents were particularly slender: my mum has had a lifelong battle with yo-yoing weight and my dad had developed that middle age paunch that affects so many of us (although he had these little skinny legs).
No, my only clue was to skip a generation and look at my grandparents, my grandmother in particular. Rumour has it that she was a handy runner ‘back in the day’ although the stories about her competing for Blackheath Harriers are yet to be substantiated. Still, despite a diet that consisted almost primarily of Liquorice Allsorts and Cadbury’s Milk Tray, she maintained a whippet like physique right up until her death at the ripe old age of 85.
I like to think that I inherited my skinny genes from her, as well as my capacity for eating sugary products. Ironically, looking at my daughter, she seems to have inherited her grandmother’s physique: funny how genetics works.
Anyway, what is the point of this blog? Well, other than a trip down my family history lane, it’s to say that I’ve realised that weight loss (or rather weight control) is more intrinsically linked to running than I’ve ever given it credit. I’m not stupid: I realise that running helps you lose weight. It’s not that, it’s that only now I’m the wrong side of 40 that I realise just how important running is to my own health and wellbeing.
The problem is that, nursing an Achilles injury as I have been, running has had to take a backseat. I’ve been swimming three times a week but while this is good aerobic training, because your weight is supported by the water, it’s not great for calorie control. Which is why I found myself choosing between the raspberry trifle and the lemon yogurt (I went for the later – 2g of fat less).
Since I’ve eased back on running, my weight has started to creep up; I’m not going to say I’ve turned into the Ghostbusters’ Marshmallow Man but slowly but surely I’ve been adding pounds to my weight total. Arguably, I look better for it, but because I’m not running much, training is noticeably harder.
So what to do? The first thing is to try and run more. This has to be a priority, now that my Achilles pain is finally starting to ease off. Secondly, I need to cut down on the Jelly Snakes and Cadbury’s, two vices that really do nothing for more. I’m determined to do both and rid myself of my growing love handles. Watch this space.
