Project: C.H.E.K your health
Guest blogger Charlie de Demko
Everybody needs a pat on “the back” sometimes.
Despite the long stemmed red roses given out to the ladies in the house at Be My Tantric Valentine (Feb 14), the last two weeks haven’t been all that for me… roses, that is.
In the time since I last blogged about my fitness program, I have wavered. Not because it is hard to get up early to train three times a week, or because I have to watch what I eat. What’s the problem?
Stress. My big company job comes with large amounts of the stuff and, at the moment, a massive looming deadline is making me say ‘f*ck’ plenty, buy lots of coffee, drink wine and eat foods I know make me feel like sh*t.
I’m struggling to stay organised enough to have the winning C.H.E.K combo of protein-fat-carb balanced meals at my finger tips so I’ve been teetering on the edge of a downward slippery slope. The only thing stopping me from sliding is Gus ‘The Man’ Rickard.
Gus, my (“f*#king awesome) trainer keeps me fighting for good health in the face of it all. And there’s one thing I’m getting good at – the squat. Today I squatted 55 kilos and Gus is well impressed by my range, the fact that I can squat “beyond parallel”, have “good mobes in my ankles” and “firm glutes”.
He has even – more than once – gone as far as patting them (my firm glutes) to test their state/firmness. Sounds gay, yes.
Putting the pat to one side, he is, in fact, a genious. Never have I enjoyed doing exercise, until now. In the past it has usually meant running, and I’m not built for it. But squats – I can do those all day.
Our regular training sessions are a constant reminder of what I’m trying to achieve. When I’m down, they pick me up and give me belief that I am making and committed to positive change. While there are still some habits of old to break, I am slowly morphing from a desk-dwelling neanderthal into a man with a bit of a swagger.
Anyone for a pat?