MyFitnessPal, Fitness4Less and the Eurythmics

I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions, although I typically have an idea of some aims and objectives in my head which I occasionally commit to paper - and to posts here in years past. This year I didn't specifically identify any but, given that the aims have been repetitive over the past few years, perhaps I didn't need to.

One of the things that has habitually been something I've talked about is losing weight and getting fit. 12 years ago I was 9st 13lb. That was when I was working in Grocery Retailing, on my feet and active all day. Then I moved into office-work and hit my late twenties and thirties and my weight started to go up... and up.

I have at various points over the years tried to stem the tide by either cutting back on food, increasing exercise or both with varying degrees of success. I'm now trying again, but with the help of myfitnesspal.com (which is also available as Android and Apple Apples). After putting in some basic details of your current weight and desired rate of weight loss, the app calculates a target net calorie intake.Then, just log all you eat and your exercise each day.


I've found it a real help with putting in place a disciplined approach which is really paying dividends. I've already lost 9lbs this year and feeling so much better - and I've saved money now I'm not snacking on Sausage Rolls, Scotch Eggs, Pork Crackling or Chips on my way home after work! I've also moved from being, according to my BMI, marginally overweight to being healthy!


But losing weight alone isn't enough (especially when it comes off everywhere apart from my paunch)! I have therefore joined a gym, Fitness4Less. It's not a swanky one, but it is cheap - the clue's in the name. £15 a month (plus a £25 joining fee), no contract and conveniently timed classes, it will do me. I've now been 4 times over the past two weeks and I'm rediscovering how good you feel all night after a workout!

But where, you may be wondering, do the Eurythmics fit into all this. Well, for my first session I loaded my iPod with Eurythmics tracks to keep me company as I pounded the treadmill! Tracks like this:




Andrew

Desert Island Discs

One of my favourite wireless programmes is Desert Island Discs which, like most of my radio listening, is now done via podcasts... My iPod Shuffle being a vehicle for producing my own personalised and remixed Radio 4 (with the odd programme from Radios 1, 3, 4 extra, 5 live and Scotland thrown in for a bit of variety).

But back to DID... in the days before my Shuffle it was a programme that I only caught now and again but now I listen every week - and have also downloaded many of the archived episodes which are now available. It is one of those great Radio 4 institutions which has the ability to surprise and delight on a regular basis whether you know of the guest or not. 

(If you're not aware of it, the format of the programme is simple; the guest picks eight records which mean something to them and which they would like to have if abandoned on a Desert Island. These are shared throughout the programme during which the guest is interviewed and tells us something of their life story. Castaways on the island are given the Bible (or Qu'ran, Torah or other scripture as appropriate) and the complete works of Shakespeare, a book and a luxury of their choice.)

Sometimes you learn new things about the Castaway you thought you knew a lot about and sometimes you're introduced to a unknown person whose life is of particular interest. This week it was the latter, the guest was Lord Victor Adebowale, whom I must confess I knew nothing of. He's a former chief executive of Centrepoint and now heads up Turning Point, a Social Care enterprise in London.

One of the records he picked was The Tourists' version of I Only Want To Be With You. Although a big fan of Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics, I hadn't come across this version of one of my favourite songs of all time. Whilst I'm not convinced this is a great version (how can anyone, even the fabulous La Lennox, beat Dusty?), I do love the video:

DID is repeated tomorrow morning at 9am on Radio 4 and is also available as a podcast here.

Andrew

An A-Z of my CDs: E

This week I've gone for a double-header from two of the finest pop duos that this country has ever produced.

First up, here's a version of The Eurythmics' I Saved the World Today from their 1999 album Peace, sung by Annie... 

(Sadly, all the Eurythmics videos on You Tube have embedding "disabled by request". Given that Annie actively encourages fans to upload her material, one can only assume this is the position of either their record label or Dave Stewart. If you do want to see the official video, click here).

Of course, I could have chosen something more obvious like There Must be an Angel or Here Comes the Rain but that would have been, well, obvious!

Next up it is the much more poppy Always by Erasure:

Who would you have chosen - and who would you choose for F? I think I'll be changing direction with my choice...

Andrew

Damn You, Fopp

 I popped into Fopp yesterday to get this:

And ended up with these too...

Mind you, it only came to £10 in total!

Andrew