Getting fatter versus getting fitter

I am on a quest! A quest to get fit again! A quest to fit into my best summer clothes! A quest to look and feel good! A quest to have a body that others are envious of! So where am I on this quest?

I started two weeks ago... running, playing Badminton.. and running.. and then running some more... I have a plan and I am hoping that I will atleast be able to stick with it somewhat.. Don't be mistaken.. it's not like I am huge and trying to thin down.. I am actually pretty ok but like most people I have a couple of pounds that I would like to get rid of- for good! I am an appaling 58 kilos from 52 last year and I think to me this is an unacceptable increase for someone like me who loves staying fit.

All my life I have been active- being active is what I do.. I play sport, I swim, I get out there in the sun and have a good time and I would play any sport... that was until about a year ago when I moved to Colombo, Sri Lanka the so called pearl of the Indian Ocean. Suddenly I was living in a country with an ongoing civil war (although the authorities would vehemently deny this despite the many killings of civilians and abductions that happen daily). There are no known running tracks and being out of the home outside daylight hours is not considered safe. So what about gyms?? Yes you could go to a gym, that is if you are willing to put up with all the stares- not the nice kind, and you have to make sure you are properly covered.. but who wants to work out like that? I want to be free, to do whatever I want, and knowing that 5 males are not looking at me, at the gym right there (There is an extent with which we girls to feel uncomfortable with men staring). So I resorted to the only means that seemed available.. being new in the city I did not have many friends, so I started to swim in my small pool and then running.. but I had to stop that too... running in public spaces where others also did it proved difficult.. ask me why? Well firstly, men here have a totally different understanding of what it means when someone is exercising.. I had people follow me.. I had people stop their cars, roll down their windows and look at me running, round and round this square... how much more exciting can it get now... my first instinct was to ignore it, which is how I have learned to deal with many strange things here.. but that did not help things and eventually I was forced to re-think my running... to be continued... 'cos I have to go now.

Back now.. going back to what I was saying, I then hooked up with a friend to run. This was good and was getting better when my dear old friend met a girl and eventually this girl become his girlfriend.. first one really.. and then I was once again left alone and unable to get into this oval that we were running around because my friend belonged to the club that owned it. So there goes! Bye bye to running again! But you can't say I did not try, because I did!