“A new start” Maryan Paszkowski

Two years ago I was living a contented retirement in France enjoying the good life: plenty of wine, food and indolence. Family circumstances meant we had to return to the UK. I weighed in at 17 stones! Horrified I looked for the usual quick fixes and settled on the recently released Wii Fit. Combined with a bit of dieting, jogging on the spot and other exercises I managed to get down to 15 stone. The jogging on the spot began to wear out sections of the rug and I had to get out and about. I live by the River Medway and started a few gentle jogging sessions. This developed into regular runs on alternate days and continued exercise on the Wii. The weight continued to fall: after one year I was down to 13 stone… I now run 10k on alternate days and eat a healthy diet. I have recently joined the local club, the Maidstone Harriers for a bit of group running once a week. It’s great fun and introduces ‘chat’ to beat the fat. Great fun. I am now a steady 11.5 stone, a comfortable running weight. And the downside? I’ve had to change my entire wardrobe!