In partnership with Protein World
The time for talk has ended
Talking about going to the gym is almost as popular a pastime as actually going to the gym in the first place. You regale your friends, family and colleagues with all the stories of what you're going to do when you get there.
You're going to be at it every day. You're going to be really disciplined, and by God, you're going to look damn good at the end of it.
Eventually though you've got to put your money and you body where your mouth is. That is what I have had to do this month.
Each January in recent years I have spoken - with decreasing frequency - about how I'm returning to the gym and getting in shape, except that now I actually am. And it has been a rude awakening.
Following the workout plan arranged for me for the month of January - the same carried out by Jack Fincham and designed by personal trainer Dean Vallis - I have been combining weights workouts at the gym with high intensity interval training, and using shakes from Protein World's Slender Plan to supplement this.
It was, to begin with, a shock to the system. The occasional run every few weeks really doesn't prepare you for doing actual training. My body is quite sore and I'm a little bit stiff, but I feel really rather good.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/307737559
Add to this the new nutritional guide I'm following, which sees me take on roughly 1,700 calories on a rest day and 2,100 on a workout day, and I'm actually feeling very healthy.
I felt relatively healthy before, but it's not until you're actually being healthier than usual that you realise how enjoyable living healthy is. That sounds boring, I certainly would have said similar before, but it is nice to wake up in the morning with energy rather than be weighed down from the massive dinner I had the night before.
One thing that can often interrupt a switch to a healthier diet can be snacking, which - aside from a packet of popcorn here or some wine gums there - has never been much of an issue for me.
Everyone gets peckish though, so I've been dipping into Protein World's range of oat bars and Protein Clusters, which have done a good job at satiating me.
Overall, a week in, the prospect of going to the gym is not yet something that my mind welcomes with mini-fireworks, but at the same time, nor does it welcome it with dread.
I would say it will get easier as the month goes on, but I know for a fact that my training gets more intense by the week. Ah well.
Find Jack's #SixPackJack journey with Protein World here. 
