Back in February I went to St Paul's with a friend, well it was a day in London, but this was a big part of it for me. Even though I live fairly close to London it's nice to do the tourist thing, even though I'm not religious I do get drawn to places of worship.
The start of huge changes
Little things can start in unexpected ways, from what was a #dayout with a friend set me on a path of looking after myself and being healthier.
So, to me this is London's most iconic architectural masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral is known for its world-famous dome that to this day dominates the skylines and this was one of the reasons for our visit to stand on the top!
I am soooo unfit!
There are 528 steps to get to that dome and I would like to think it would be a struggle for any abled body person, so there's me overweight, no calf muscles, and the bones in my feet deteriorating. Why would I think this is a good idea!
My head and my legs are in conflict with what I can and can't do.
So, I expected my legs, hips, knees to hurt, my ankles to swell and my feet to bleed. I'm used to that It's not like I haven't lived all my life with my two club feet. For me what hit home was how unfit I was.
It felt like I had to stop to get my breath back every few minutes. Not the fact I was hurting all over. So, it does makes sense that the lighter I am the less weight my legs would need to carry and the more I could do, sure. But that wasn't enough for me to lose weight, I'm a chef, I comfort eat I had been living a life where I was content felt I had a good life and done and tried everything I wanted.
So, I had lost just over stone in weight since Christmas, but this day out has given the termination to carry on, it wasn't all down to the stairs that went on forever but also the new friendship I was making along the way. Things are so much easier when your head is in a good place.
One year on
So, I went back one year later, well, it was a few weeks later but close enough. This time I was 5 stone lighter than before, which probably made a difference, but I'm still not really designed for climbing stairs. For someone who continuously walks on their tiptoes, I imagine it's like anyone trying to do this in high-heeled shoes. My heart was racing, probably from still not being fit enough, and I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew. But then I was told there were only 12 steps to go. All in all, it didn't feel as high as last time.
Coming down is a different story, though. I feel like I fly down the stairs. What was unexpected, however, was the feeling I had once I had done it. Walking around the vast space of St Paul's, I suddenly felt emotional. I didn't know how long my legs would last. Was I pushing myself too much? Should I tell myself to do it all again next year? In my head, I can do so much, but doing things like this does highlight my limitations, or it could of that this time I done it on my own, even though the friend with me last time probably didn't know what a big deal it was for me to do this, as the friendship was new, none the less I shared that moment.