Since I’ve been writing this blog, the unfatness plan has been through many iterations. I’ve been heavily involved in cycling (until that incident involving a lorry, which ended up with me being checked out at the vets), I had a brief foray into early morning swimming (but as we know from scuba diving, water isn’t really my friend). I managed a few sessions the gym with Sister 1 as support (but she spent more time laughing at me than actually helping….and those machines are definitely designed more for torture than pleasure), and I even did a few terms of pole dancing….but I’ll happily admit that I spent more time laughing than actually succeeding at very much at all.

Proof! (For the record, this was for fitness – never with the intention of an alternative career. There was no chance of that anyway…)

Yoga and a very brisk 30 minute walk between the station and office three days a week are pretty much my only exercise at the moment. I don’t think that’s too bad, but it could definitely be improved on. Which is why a couple of weeks ago, I signed up to ‘fit ball’; it promises to strengthen your core. Based on my wobbliness at yoga (still), I clearly have no core, so I thought it was time to address this. And besides, it involved rolling around on big beach balls. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh. My. God. That was Monday. By Wednesday I wanted to curl up in a ball and stay there for the foreseeable future. Until yesterday I couldn’t cough or move too quickly without the tummy muscles I didn’t think I had screaming at me. Even my hands hurt, (How? Why?!)… Although, I’m actually quite amazed I can feel anything; I spent most of the class giggling so much I struggled to actually do the exercises. These balls are big (tee hee), and the teacher made it look so easy…

“Ladies, stand in front of your balls and glide over over them until your knees are balanced on the top and your hands and head are on the floor. then simply move the ball away and then back towards your hands.” Uh huh.

I came off sideways with a thud and the giggles took hold. Everyone else seemed to slide off their ball at the end of each exercise with the control the teacher requested. I had no option but to fall off in a heap with a bit of a squeak. There was even one point where we had to do a plank against the ball and then….do something. I assumed because I can (just) do this in yoga, it would be a breeze against a ball. I think I was turning purple when the teacher rushed over and told me in rather urgent tones to stop before I did any real damage and perhaps I would be better doing a more basic version of this particular exercise?

A picture on the wall of someone who clearly doesn’t turn purple doing the plank

As it turned out, the more basic version was quite a struggle too…

Another someone with significantly more balance / core / experience than me.

For the record, fit ball is definitely a little more involved than ‘rolling round on big beach balls’. And, as I found out on Tuesday, probably not best followed by a yoga class 24 hours later. Although I feel less like an very elderly lady today on Wednesday the screams of my tummy were joined by moans from my ribs and legs…

Anyway, I’m signed up for 10 weeks. It’ll either kill me or give me some sort of toned tummy, just in time for…Christmas. :o)