Festivities and Fitness: combining the impossible!

Posted by Andrea Shared Interest Foundation

December 9, 2008

Well it has to be said that the start of the festive period is not the best time to throw yourself into a fitness regime – but thanks to my fundraising efforts for Shared Interest Foundation it has to be done, so I have settled for combining the two!

I started with a Saturday Christmas shopping expedition, which by lunchtime left me thinking it must be loads harder than climbing Kilimanjaro!

I power walked up Northumberland Street to Marks & Spencer and then braced myself for the onslaught of Christmas shopping in December, dodging determined ladies trying to find their grandchildren bargains and concentrating on my balance as people tried to push in front of me as I stood in queue after queue.

However, thanks to the pre-Christmas sales, I picked up a North Face jacket for almost half price so it made the whole experience a little more bearable!

At the end of the day I was completed exhausted so treated myself to a little mulled wine and a night in watching X-Factor (I’m not sure they will have the same type of relaxation technique half way up a mountain!)

On Sunday I managed to persuade my boyfriend to come on a long costal walk with me. Great result….only trouble was that we were going straight on to friends for festive drinks and nibbles that evening and had the issue of how we’d carry the ‘refreshments’ we’d bought for the occasion.

So off we set with bottle of port and champagne. I told myself this was great practice for carrying the three litres of water I will need to take with me at the start of each day on the climb. (Shame it can’t be port and champagne but I’m sure that’s not the best option for rehydration!)

Once again I was rewarded with drinks and nibbles after a pleasant walk; although I really think I need to up the stakes in the next few weeks – you’ll probably be able to hear the screams!

But anyway, in the meantime, there you have it: I have achieved the impossible and proudly managed to combine Kilimanjaro training with a bit of festive fun.