I’ve had a bit of a shock over the weekend. I probably knew subconsciously but chose to ignore it and now it’s payback time. The sun was shining on Saturday and it was a lovely day so I decided to forego my normal blue jeans in favour of a pair of lighter weight summer trousers. As my clothes have been the same size for years it was a bit of a shock when I couldn’t fasten them up. No problem, I thought – must have shrunk at the dry cleaners. That excuse only lasted as long as the time taken to try on the next pair – same result. I had been aware that on my last shopping expedition I seemed to need a size larger than usual but we all know that size doesn’t matter. Manufacturers have no standard sizing in the UK so it’s always a bit hit and miss – hmmm! The excesses of my birthday celebrations combined with the menopause, a lack of regular exercise and a high regard for my social life had obviously taken their toll. Well, to cut a long story short, after howling for a while I knew I needed to take action. Some aerobic activity would shift the pounds. So taking a leaf out of Madonna’s book (I’d been reading an article about her that morning and she does 2-3 hours of physical activity a day) I hit the local running shop for some decent footwear. I had just expected to try on a few pairs and that would be that, but no, I was asked to run on a treadmill so they could check me out. If I had have known beforehand I wouldn’t have waltzed in wearing high heels and skinny jeans. You should try rolling them up so someone you don’t know can check out your ankles and calves. My footfall and alignment was analysed by means of a video which was played back with comments on my shortcomings by Dave, the guy who served me. Very professional. I needed some rebalancing and he even got the size of my shoes right, though I was a bit shocked as these were also a size larger than I normally take. Does everything grow when you put on weight?. I was shown 2/3 pairs of running shoes and was asked to test them with a quick sprint round the car park so I could see which were the most comfortable. By the time I’d finished I felt like I’d lost a couple of pounds already. Brilliant service and so different to what I’d had the day before in Cambridge. On Sunday, it was off to the gym where I ran for 30 minutes – not bad for a novice – and loved it. My bum’s still huge and wobbly but we’re on the right path. Just got to give up the alcohol now and then it’s watch out Madonna!  For more details on the fabulous service I received go to http://www.advanceperformance.co.uk/