Sorry for the long post! Just got to the end and realised quite how long!
So I am trying to make the move away from being a couch potato. I lost a good bit of weight since covid, I think the extra time at home gave more time for thinking about food and reducing some of the rubbish. I was starting from at the very least 17.5 stone or 110kg absolute minimum. When I was diagnosed this summer it was about 95kg and after diet changes is about 75-77kg. I planned on diagnosis to start exercising more, starting with increased dog walking and gym membership but delayed due to a house move which in itself was good exercise with trips to the dump, numerous stairs (split level house, 3 half flights of stairs moving to a town house and 2 full flights of stairs). I should add I'm about 5'10/11" and a 52 yo male who's not really exercised beyond walking the dogs for years,
An investment in a Fitbit Charge 6 gave me a baseline of where I was/am in terms of activity and fitness and is interesting to track various things like sleep. Generally good but disappointed that is has no altimeter and doesn't track stairs and can be hard to switch between activities, would look elsewhere next time. I also got some cheap bathroom scales with body fat percentage, water % and BMI (though I work out the last from weight) to keep an eye on things.
Just before Christmas I joined my local PureGym through work with a cheap corporate membership. Good but very lacking in terms of help getting going with a brief show-round of the place and nothing more as a result beyond stretches and some cardio I've not really done lots else and will have to invest in a session or two with a personal trainer to work on some strength exercises so not the saving it might have been compared to the local council run place (closer and easier to get to though, a few minutes away and open 24x7).
It's only been a few weeks but so far, so good. Not the best time of year to join with all the New Year resolutions but I'm managing 2-3 times per week for 40+ extra minutes of cardio each time vs just walking the dogs (by this time next year we'll have a spaniel with legs like a daschund though 🙂). The scales suggest I'm steady on weight and am slightly improving body fat percentage which suggests adding muscle which is my aim, replace a good bit of the remaining fat with muscle, I used to be a sprinter 30+ years ago but am now looking like a skinny weakling!
The best thing is feeling better, more healthy and not gasping for air or sweating after the slightest exercise any more as well as hopefully helping with the diabetes control. With that in mind I would totally recommend to anyone considering more exercise find something you're happy with, even just walking round the block a few times a week to take the plunge. Longer term I aim to take up a sport again, possibly tennis or squash if my daughter will take part, if not maybe back to the track for the seniors competitions though I'm perhaps a bit past it for that!