SINCE my last blog about one man's quest to get fit I've been rather busy, as you can from see the shot above.

The story picks up one day after I left off, with an appointment with Southport-based dietitian Amy Dunne, who went through with me exactly where my largely junk food-based diet was going wrong and how to bring about changes for the better, but in easily-digestible chunks. I'm still not a fan of salad, but it's amazing what a spot of fruit here and there can do.

She also suggested that - even though it's horrendously slippy at the moment - I get off my backside, leave the office and go for a walk for ten minutes each lunchtime. It might not sound like much, but it all adds up to a big improvement in the amount of exercise I do (up, I'm afraid, from very little indeed).

But those steps on their own didn't lead me to being sat on the bottom of the Nye Bevan swimming pool in Skelmersdale, pictured, in what has to be the most fun feature I've done in ages. Thanks to the efforts of the Phoenix Sub Aqua Club, a couple of mates and I have found out what it takes to be a scuba diver, and how easy it is to have a go yourself. I won't reveal too much just yet, but if you check out Wednesday's Champion how much of a laugh - and a way to keep fit - it really was.

Finally, I've decided to overcome my fear of gyms and take out a membership, with the Victoria, based on Southport's Promenade. After a trial visit last Sunday, I discovered it wasn't filled with the Lycra-clad Men's Health readers I'd long suspected were the only people to frequent gyms, so I've decided to take the plunge and put my money where my mouth is. Whether it'll make a difference is anyone's guess.

As The Champion's resident fat bloke I reckon it'll be much more revealing to see whether it'll make a difference to me, rather than our more slender members of the team, so I'll continue being the unlikely guinea pig for all things fitness.

It'll make a good read, and it's a handy benefit if I end up healthier as a result.

David's piece on scuba diving will be published in this week's Champion, due out on Wednesday, December 8.

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