Summits up.....

I went for a walk today - and got home in celebratory mood. The reason? Because my walk was actually a rugged hike up Helvellyn in the English Lake District. For those who are not familiar with this part of the world. Helvellyn is the second highest mountain in England, standing at 950m. The reason for my celebratory mood was because the last time I managed to ascend a mountain of these proportions was about six years ago. Since then, because of my obesity, I have only managed to climb up about 3-400m maximum. More than this has been beyond me. Even climbing up a small hill has previously left me totally breathless, usually with a blinding headache - presumably the effects of lack of oxygen!! Worse than this has been the embarrasment and humiliation I have felt when walking with others. It's just so unbearably awful to be walking with people who are so much fitter than you - you just feel so rubbish, so fat, so slow and such a hindrance.

But today was different. I'm not saying it wasn't an effort, but relatively, I sailed up the mountain - and down again. I did the total walk in a very respectable time and frequently overtook others walking along the same route. This is evidence, not only of the fact that my lighter body requires less effort to move it along, but also of my increasing fitness. I was a little worried about how my knees would behave on the way down - since years of excess weight have weakened them. However, I did not need to be anxious - they were fine and gave me no pain. This is a particularly encouraging sign because it suggests that the damage I have done to them over the 'fat years' may not be permanent. I'm not ready to run a marathon yet (!) but it looks as though there is nothihg stopping me from continuing to work at my fitness levels. Who knows, this time next year I may be tackling bigger mountains! I've always wanted, for example, to have a go at Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in Britain, standing at about 1380m. I have also been inspired by a recent walk that some celebrities did for charity - don't laugh - Mt. Kilimanjaro. Who knows......?!!