Ramping it up

I once had a boyfriend who used to go for 50-km cycle rides on Sundays for fun. The relationship didn't last long because, quite frankly, I'm not that kind of girl. In short, I'm not one of life's natural exercisers.

But, three months in, I find I'm quite enjoying my sessions in the park, albeit in a strange, grudging kind of way. Sessions with James are always a bit of a challenge. There's plenty of variety: some days we focus on running; on other days, although the aerobic intensity is maintained, I'm made to alternate between what James refers to as shuttle runs (short bursts or jogging/running/walking), along with walking or running backwards (something I find very challenging) and my new 'favourite' (a pet hate, actually), skipping. James started things off quite easily, a few weeks ago, asking me to skip for 20 turns of the rope. Then he ramped it up to 50, and if I stumble or trip, the count is reset back to the nearest 10 and I start again. Now I'm being asked to skip for a minute at a time. A minute doesn't sound like a long time. If you're fit, a minute may not be a long time. But (as I found out when I used to be a junior producer at a TV station) a minute can be a very long time when you're trying to fill it.

Things got even worse the other day when James stretched an elastic band out, about six inches off the ground, and asked me to jump across it sideways, both feet together. These inocuously named bunny jumps require an awful lot of muscle tension to power them. And landing is pretty hard on the calves, too.

And when we're not doing aerobic work, we're working on my muscle tone and balance. Boxing still plays as important a part in the routine as it ever did, and the moves are still the same – only now I'm asked to reach further, punch faster and a certain amount of choreography is now included in the routine, with jabs, crosses and upper-cuts interwoven with high knee-kicks.

Another old 'favourite' is step-ups onto a bench. James often gets me to start a session by getting me to jog (or walk backwards or sprint sideways) between benches, then step up a dozen or so times leading with my left foot, then moves me on to the next bench, where I repeat the exercise leading with my right.

Gradually, over time, the intensity of the exercises are being stepped up. And although I end up feeling wiped by the end of each session, I'm no more wiped now than I was at the start.