?Bye!? calls Susan cheerfully as she closes the front door and leaves her family to do the washing up. Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, like clockwork, you?ll see Susan parking her Fiesta on the Avenue ready for her jog.
With her new Nike Air Max shoes, iPod charged up and power drink in hand, Susan certainly looks the part as she sets off towards St. Aubin. Her family and friends can?t quite understand why, after three months of regular jogging, Susan hasn?t lost any weight at all. If anything ? she might be looking a bit tubbier.
If they followed her down to the Avenue, they?d discover why. Susan?s a lazy jogger. Rather than running ? or even jogging ? Susan shuffles. It?s walking in a sort of jogging motion. She?s read an article that says novice joggers should be taking it slowly at first, so she makes sure she doesn?t go much above walking speed. That way she avoids getting sweaty ? or even out of breath. After all, she wouldn?t want anyone from the trust team seeing her all red in the face.
The same article said that just ten minutes of brisk walking can make a difference. And of course it would, if she laid off the Lucozade Sport. It probably doesn?t help that her jogging route finishes at the burger bar. ?But I?ve burned all those calories,? Susan thinks to herself, ?I?ll treat myself to a double cheeseburger and a coke?. All those cafes along Victoria Avenue certainly come in handy when she has a stitch. She always has to sit down for a bit to recover, and a nice cup of tea and a chocolate bar helps her to get her breath back.
Sue loves being out in the evening air, away from the kids with their noisy Xbox and endless football matches. Her evening exercise is a great time to meditate, think over her day in her head, and occasionally to catch forty winks. Those ab-crunch benches thoughtfully placed along the bay make a perfect place for a snooze. And sometimes she even dozes off in the Fiesta.
When she arrives back home she makes sure she does the ?cool-down routine? she?s seen on her Davina McCall workout video. A good ten minutes of gentle stretches, accompanied by plenty of wincing and puffing normally does the trick ? convincing the family she?s given her hamstrings a proper hammering. Then she collapses on the couch and demands tea and biccies. After all, she deserves it.
Sue?s turned evangelical about her evening exercise and keeps the rest of the office up to date with her progress. ?St Aubin?s and back yesterday!? she announces proudly to the team ? failing to mention that she caught the bus back to her car after a cheese toastie at the St Aubin?s café.
All the enthusiasm is contagious, and she?s found a weekend jogging partner ? Liz from accounts. They?re planning to really go for the burn on Sunday ? all the way from Sue?s house to St Aubins and back. If they walk fast, they might make Happy Hour at the Boathouse?.
