SLOW AND STEADY

I've never really understood the point of personal trainers. If a person is motivated enough - then surely they can devise their own work-out regime, right?Wrong. Or so I was to discover......Last week a friend and I flew out to his sublime house in Umbria (here's a view of the lake; beautifully bare in her stark winter robes) in an attempt to atone for our festive excesses. We were accompanied by personal trainer Henry Barratt - who is one of the nicest men you could ever hope to meet.
How hard could it be to exercise with an ex-rugby professional who has played with some of the most prestigious clubs in England and charged onto a pitch at Twickenham in front of 54,000 spectators? I mean, I already run. I do classes. I walk at lunch-times if my characters are refusing to co-operate. Surely I could fall into the category of "fit"?
Hmm.Let me just say that Henry's idea of a "slow and steady run" was light-years away from mine. (Inexplicably, he doesn't start the clock from the moment you finishing lacing up your trainers!)We alternated our morning runs with interval training - short spurts of sprinting in between the "slow and steady" pace. This was one of the toughest things I've ever done - but having someone convince you that you can do it is incredibly inspirational.In the afternoons, the men went to the gym while I power-walked up the fierce inclines of the surrounding hills.
Did it work?Well, for once, I didn't need to shoe-horn myself into a pair of jeans and I came back feeling more energetic and empowered than I'd felt in a long while - but I'm sure this had something to do with the second part of Henry's philosopy.Any ideas what that might be?Come back tomorrow and I'll reveal all.