Another day, another workout. Did my routine again, this morning, but once again, I just did not want to. That optimistic post I wrote the other day about starting to understand why fit people like exercise is seems a long way away.

Oddly enough, I don’t mind exercise for a purpose. I will quite happily ride for hours when I am working, and I will walk up and down hills in Scotland all day, if I am “doing something” – but the idea of going for a ride “for pleasure” or just going up a hill “because it’s there” leaves me totally cold.

I suppose it’s part of the thing where if you spend a lot of your time out in the countryside, then being out in the countryside looses its bonus value. Lots of people tell me that they like running or riding because it gests them out in the fresh air, out in the countryside. Well, whoopee-doo. I much prefer working out on a machine where I can watch TV or a video. One of the things I find worst about exercise is the mind-numbing tedium of it. It’s about the only time I spend not using my brain for anything, and I get bored real quick. So, I video things I want to watch but don’t have time for, and then watch them during exercise time, when my mind has nothing to do. Two birds, one stone.

I have virtually given up drinking alcohol. I hardly ever drink any at home now – I seldom did, but every now and then, maybe once a week, I might have had a whisky or a beer. Since starting this little exercise, I have not had a drink at home at all – until last night when I had a bottle of cider. I do still drink a bit when I’m out, and not driving, and cider is my drink of preference. I will be taking a few bottles to an event I’m going to this weekend, and I wanted to try the Magners Irish bottled cider. (It’s pretty good, by the way…)

All in all, though, I have not found stopping drinking much trouble. Bit like smoking, really…