Ok stat fans, this is it. Six weeks ago I listed all the need-to-know facts and figures of what sort of shape I was in.
It wasn’t too bad at that point, but what we’re hoping for here is some improvement after about 25 sessions at the revive gym.
Before we get to the nitty-gritty, I will say that all in all I’m fairly pleased. Whatever the computerised stats might tell us, I feel generally a bit fitter, slightly less porky and I definitely have better defined muscles.
Several family and friends have also remarked upon a visual change, which is nice.
So, without further ado, here we go.
Body fat hasn’t changed much, down to 17 per cent from 17.2 per cent. That might not seem a lot, but it’s within the healthy level and it has gone down – and apparently the machine that measures it is not the most reliable anyway.
On to better news, my blood pressure has dropped from 149/91 at the start (high) to 127/79 after six weeks (normal).
As we all know, blood pressure readings vary from minute to minute, but it’s much nicer to see a green bar on a graph than a red one.
The most encouraging stat is probably my resting heart rate. When I started at the gym it was 74bpm; on my six-week assessment it had dropped to 59bpm. Very nice – this now means I fall in the “good” category rather than the “average” category.
I’m assured that this is a good indication of a general improvement in fitness.
My grip strength has marginally improved, but is still below average. A bit disappointing given the fact I’ve done quite a lot of weights, but I’ve realised that as long as I can hold a pint glass without dropping it I don’t really care how wonderful my grip is.
All my lung-related readings have improved also, which is encouraging for someone who suffers from mild asthma.
Overall, then, pretty good. Some areas have improved more dramatically than others, but the important thing is that they have all got better.
After all, I’m only six weeks in, so really I’m just getting started. And, yes, I will be carrying on.