Now that I have mastered 'getting into my Jeans' here's my latest blog post, no its not how to put a T-shirt on ! Read on .........

For 25 years I used to run around a busy aquatic retail shop serving customers, looking after fish and keeping all the aquariums clean and tidy. It was very humid and warm in the fish room as it housed tropical fish and needed a steady temperature. I used to be very thin with running around up and down ladders every day and although I didn't realise at the time a lot fitter than I am now.

6 years ago I was asked if I fancied a change from cleaning aquariums and catching goldfish and began to run the online website of our business selling discounted aquatic dry goods and spend most of my working week with my eyes transfixed on Firefox and Outlook Express. This also means that I spend a proportional amount of time sat down on a chair and I guess this is where the story is heading, I have recently found that I don't feel as fit as I used to do. This could be down to lack of exercise and/or getting a little older, probably both I guess

So I decided it's time to do something about it and start 'Gary get fit 2008 '.

To the shed I went and dug out my Bicycle, the one I bought over a year ago when I started ' get fit Gary 2007 ' What! you never heard of that, no it didn't really catch on and soon got forgotten , but I am back more determined than ever, this time next year it will be the ' Tour de France ' (Yeh right)!

Last weekend on the Saturday, late afternoon, the family and I went out for a ride along the promenade, it was a lovely day and the sun was out in all its glory. We peddled the kids feet off and had to make a few stops now and again, stopping for a drink and then later for an ice cream to quench our thirsts, in the early evening sun

I felt tired when I got back but energised and full of the 'feel good factor' that exercise can give you but boy, I was stiff the next day, I forgot about saddle soreness Now that's something you can do without ! I wasn't on my own, the girls and Pam were all complaining of the same said feeling. God knows how Scott & Rachel must feel after one of their bike rides ? Some people just have more stamina I guess !

Other people keep themselves in trim like Yabba who is the chief gardener down on the field and in the greenhouses (at Dahlia North-West central), with all the rotivating and planting of potential prize winning Dahlia's - he bimbles 'grafts' himself fit.

I stopped and watch the holiday makers eat their chips and above me in the sky a guy in a Microlight flew over circling around above North pier a few times. There was the usual singing people as they shifted from pub to pub in a quest to drink the town dry! Blackpool is famous for stag and hen nights. 10 minute rest was up and I turned around for the journey home. After a few minutes of cycling I noticed that I didn't have the same momentum as I had on the way going, the wind was against me! Luck Gary I thought I made good time going, still the task of the ride home was now all that was important, wind against me or not!. Get a grip Gary, its only 2.5 miles home, its not like you are out in the middle of nowhere, although I was dying for a drink and forgot to take one or any money !

The journey home wasn't that bad, it did take me longer but then I was flagging a little and made a quick pit stop for a 5 minute breather, Oh how I wished I had took a drink

I intend to keep this up and on nice nights after I come home from work, I will be cycling up and down the promenade looking for more ferries that might have ran aground. My aim is to get fitter week by week so that I can maybe one day go further afield, without walking like a cowboy due to saddle sore the next day. Ouch !

One problem I have found with my bike, is that the handles bars are a bit too low down for me. This is because I am quite tall and although I did buy a large frame bike I still find myself leaning right down at the front. I should imagine that if I was in a cycle race then this would give me the edge (aerodynamics etc.) but I just want comfort and not a bad back. I went to the local bike shop and they sold me an extension to add to the bike and the handle bars went inside of this. It raises it by around 4" and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon fitting this, which did mean taking both brake cables and both gear cables off and having to replace them with longer ones. I took my time and managed to get the job done, I was quite pleased with myself but one of the gears wants some adjusting to get the dérailleur to change up and down correctly. Its not quite getting all the gears but I am sure I will be able to adjust this to get it up and running as it should be. Just not know, I always find it best when you have a problem to leave it alone for a while and then tackle it by the horns another day, you normally get it right a lot quicker.

Well that's it for now folks,

Gz

*edited* Gears now mended and working well, couldn't resist another tinker with it tonight