New to Van Clarke? Subscribe to our newsletter for 15% off your first order. Start your haircare journey today.
I won't ask for my money back, but somehow I didn't quite reach one of my targets, the running. And of all the things Gaby knows so well, she is a London Half Marathon winner after all. But just between me and you, I didn’t follow all her instructions.
"Dad..." said James, "As we get bigger and stronger, you get older and weaker!" "Thanks James" I replied, "Indeed, such is life."
Keeping fit for me, is also about keeping up with the boys for as long as I can. Shopping Bag was a game I started with my daughters over 20 years ago. They would hold onto my arms pretending to be shopping bags and we'd see how far we could get to Waitrose, a few hundred yards away in Marylebone High street.
This was a test for their strength holding on, and mine as they got bigger. So at the moment the boys are letting go before me, but they are 6 years old next month and eating like horses.
'Tree' is another game where I adopt the shape of a tree. Legs bent, arms out is easier than tall straight pine. And they race up to sit on my shoulders. Easier for me if one at a time, but they like to race each other too. They are still learning the sensitivity needed not to rip out my hair, poke me in the eyes, or put their feet where it hurts.
Hoping to stay strong enough to keep up with this for a few more years.
These were my 8-week goals
• Chest - plus 2” - target achieved
• Upper arms - plus 1” – target achieved
• Waist - minus 1” - target achieved
• 5k run – minus 2 minutes – must try harder
• Body fat % - below 20% - target achieved
This is how it turned out
|
|
Week 1 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
Week 8 |
Target |
|
Chest |
40” |
41⅔” |
42½” |
42½” |
43” |
42” |
|
Upper Arms |
12” |
12⅜” |
12½” |
12¾” |
13” |
13” |
|
Waist |
35½” |
35” |
35" |
35" |
34½” |
34½” |
|
5k Run |
25m 15s |
23m 50s |
23m 55s |
23m 32s |
23m 40s |
22m 59s |
|
Total Fat % |
24% |
20.6% |
19.6% |
20.5% |
19.7% |
19.9% |
Chest – This seems to respond the quickest for me
Upper Arms - Hard work - more Shopping Bag needed
Waist – Target achieved but I feel this is the hardest to maintain
5k Run – Sadly I didn't quite get the speeds I wanted.
Body Fat % - I’m using smart body fat scales which blue-tooth into a Feelfit phone app giving data on weight, bone mass, muscle mass, body fat and separately – the visceral fat.
Related links
Gaby’s Case Study Workout – Ten Years Younger
Gaby’s Case Study – Ten Years Younger – Week 3
Gaby’s Case Study – Ten Years Younger – Week 4
Gaby’s Case Study – Ten Years Younger – Week 5
Having a milestone birthday was a good target for me to stay with the health programme. I'm thinking through the next focus point to keep my strength and fitness on track now. Hmmm....maybe mountaineering or surfing?
Michael Van Clarke
None of us know what’s going to take us out. Life’s full of surprises. But we do know that the body starts to degenerate from about age 30 (more cells destroyed than created, barring excess weight gain) and also, crucially, that we can affect the speed of that ageing process.
Introduced by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century, and adapted over time to suit Japanese tastes, this light bouncy sponge is considered a traditional Japanese speciality. More delicate and airy than a regular sponge cake, castella ( カステラ, kasutera) is famous for a fine and moist crumb.
