By Helen Le Caplain, Mancunian Vintage
After the gluttonous escapades of the last couple of weeks including consuming exorbitant amounts of cake, a fair amount of alcohol (it was my birthday) and then the chocolate-fest that is Easter I’ve decided to regain some self-control.
Don’t get me wrong I haven’t put on a massive amount of weight but, like the hand luggage on a Ryan Air flight, I’m a couple of kilos over my limit and I’ve decided to do something about it.
The prospect of a family wedding, a christening and a sun-drenched week in Portugal on the horizon has provided me with some much-needed motivation to step away from the cakes and into the warm, if sweaty, embrace of healthier eating and exercise.
Again, for those who don’t know me, I’m not a takeaway addict living off burgers and chips but I am shy of my 5-a-day fruit and veg portions and I tend to overfill large dinner plates with plenty of hearty grub.
So the aim is to approach this with a sensible mind-set; no faddy diets, no starving myself (I get grumpy when I don’t eat enough), and no depriving myself completely of all sweet treats.
The plan is to simply eat a little bit less and move a little bit more. Should be simple, right?
I already have a 30-minute walk as part of my daily commute so I’ll be upping the ante with a few workouts during the week thrown in for good measure.
Having discovered that Anthony Padgett of JazzSwingDance holds a weekly class just around the corner from where I work, I’ve been heading there to Charlestonercise every Thursday night.
For those not au fait with what Charlestonercise entails, it’s essentially a vintage version of zumba with 1920s tunes and moves to match.
Against the backdrop of silent films and cartoons it’s the perfect retro-inspired way to shimmy away those pounds, socialise with a new group of people and above all have fun.
Be warned though, you need a will of iron to keep away from the table laden with drinks and naughty-but-nice sweet treats including biscuits, cakes and chocolates.
Here’s hoping that a sensible approach to to health and fitness will yield some crackin’ results… wish me luck!
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