Flats Blog: Passed the halfway point

I’m feeling better, I’m sleeping well, my energy is up. I could get used to this.

"You'll feel better all round if you're not twenty stone," my wife affirmed at the bathroom mirror a few weeks ago. "Darling," I said, "I'm just naturally a big bloke." The comments that followed included repeated mentions of my barbecue addiction and more than one casual assumption of impending cardiac arrest. For any normal man, this might have been seen as a seismic conversation. A transformative moment. The day it all changed. Me? No. I spat out my mouthwash and went downstairs for a bacon sandwich. 

You'll feel better all round if you're not twenty stone.

Mrs F

That was then, but this is now, and my reality has altered somewhat. Admittedly, I still weigh more than a Canadian moose, but the numbers are falling. Rob Vickerman, the sadistic individual tasked with improving my chances of making my fortieth birthday without a Yamaha for a heart, has actually helped me. Vicks has hammered home just how impressive these sevens players really are. Honestly, I don't know how they do it. Ok so I'll never likely line up in an elite sevens team, but understanding what true sevens fitness is is proving both humbling and inspirational. 

I still have a way to go in dietary terms, but I've improved so much. I eat less, for starters, but I also eat less rubbish. This in turn has augmented my energy levels as I train, and the whole concept of refuelling with decent, helpful foods has meant that, post-session, I no longer feel so drained.

I'm sleeping less, interestingly, but I'm still sleeping really well. I think I just feel less lethargic all round which, when it comes to being active with my kids or hopping out of bed, is hugely valuable in lifestyle terms.

I've a way to go, and I'll likely never achieve the immaculate physique, but I don't care about all that. I'll continue to feel better, I'll be less and less tired and grumpy, and some of my old jeans might even slip on again.

Find out if they ever will by following my journey @DHLRugby.