On 12 December 2011, my father passed away suddenly at the age of 62. He had always been a seemingly fit man, cycling nearly every day and keeping active by maintaining his smallholding, which was his passion. He did however, enjoy his food, and was certainly overweight for his age. It wasn’t until May 2014 that we finally received the official confirmation that his passing was related to Ischemic Heart Disease, which, due to his young age put me at immediate risk.
From my own perspective, I had always been overweight; not really considering the impact of what I was putting into my body, as well as having long stints of inactivity. When I received the news that I was at risk of heart disease, coupled with the need to consult my own doctor to discuss cholesterol, and considering the fact that I weighed 18st with a 6-month-old daughter to look after, I decidedthat things had to change.
I immediately started a food diary: cutting my calories to 1,700 per day, and joined a local gym. I made the decision to cut out all crisps, chocolate, cakes, and instead snacked on raw, whole foods. My motivation was spurred on by using the MyFitnessPal app, which really helped me to understand calorie consumption and the need to create a calorific deficit.
In terms of exercise, I started using the treadmill: walking for two minutes and running, albeit slowly, for the same amount of time – building this up until I was able to run for 5K without stopping. I was elated with the quick progress I was making, both from a cardiovascular point of view, but also as the weight began to drop off. It was at this point that I decided to ‘hit the road.’
I continued to run a regular 5K route, slowly building this up to 10K and then 10 miles, pushing it up to 12 miles as I felt stronger. I entered my first 5K race, which was the Perkins Great Eastern Run in Peterborough. I was inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of the running community around me. Excitedly, I entered my next event, The Beast Run: a 5 mile adventure run through an equine cross country course, which I finished in 54 minutes – placing in the top 20%! Today, I weigh 11st 11lbs – a loss of 6st in just 8 months. My nutrition is on-point (I actually eat like a horse!) and I’m running sub 8-minute miles.
I can safely say that running has now become my passion, and I’m glad that I’m going to be able to enjoy running after my daughter for many years to come.
