GREAT WORK DAVE!

January’s member of the month Dave Smoke was all the proof you need that looking healthy on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean that you are healthy on the inside. Thanks to Fitbug, Dave is now feeling healthy inside and out.

Dave Smoke knew that he wasn’t the fittest, most healthy person in the world, but he didn’t think he was particularly unhealthy either.

So, when a check up revealed that he had high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels it gave him a huge wake-up call.

He says: “After almost two years living in the area, I finally got round to registering for a local doctor.

“I knew - or should I say, thought - I was relatively healthy (after all, I hadn’t had to see a doctor in years!), so didn’t think anything of having a quick health examination with the nurse first.

“I was surprised when she told me my blood pressure was high and suggested I made another appointment to have it checked again.

“I put it down to a busy day at work and having to rush about to get to the doctor’s in time. So when the second test (this time, first thing in the morning) was high as well, I was really shocked.

“I was then given a blood test and the results of that came back that I had elevated cholesterol levels too - this was getting ridiculous!”

After leaving the surgery a little bemused with vague instructions to follow a low fat, high fibre diet, Dave decided it was time to do a little self diagnosis.

He turned to the Internet to find out exactly what he should be eating and if there was anything else he could do to help.

“I didn’t really know a lot about either condition so I went online to find out and it was a bit of a shock to the system,” he adds.

“I’m not even 30 yet and thought I was in pretty good shape; but everything I was reading made it seem like I was on course for a premature heart attack.

“The advice all seemed to be the same - that I needed to follow a healthy diet and take regular exercise - but I wasn’t entirely sure where to begin.

“Then I came across Fitbug, which promised to tell me exactly what to do, so I decided to give it a go.”

Like many of our members, Dave was amazed to find that he wasn’t nearly active as he thought he was.

“During the first week, I discovered I only took about 5,000 steps in an average day; so it was quite apparent that I was going to have to make some changes if I was going to take the recommended 10,000!

“I swapped the station round the corner for one that is a 15 minute walk away. When I get to the other end, I walk across Vauxhall Bridge rather than catching a bus. Then do the same thing on the way home in the evening.

“I was a bit worried that it would mean getting up a bit earlier in the morning, but it hasn’t actually made all that much difference.

“I’ve found Fitbug has made me think much more about what I do every day and I feel so much better when I hit my target.

“I’ve also started to make time to go to the gym in the evenings. Before, I used to try to go three times a week, but actually only went once or twice a fortnight. Now I actually go at least twice and I’ve even been know to turn down a night out for a workout!”

As well as spending more time on his feet, Dave was well aware that he needed to adjust what he was eating too.

But again he found that a few minor changes rather than a total overhaul of his diet worked better for him.

“I try to pack my own lunch now, but if I don’t have the time I’ll buy a wrap or a sandwich instead of the baguette or pastry and a packet of crisps that I used to have.

“I must admit, I have found it pretty tricky to enter my portions on the website, but I do make a conscious effort to try to eat my fruit and veg’ everyday.

“I also feel really guilty when I have to enter any junk, so I avoid the biscuits and chocolate bars that I used to have with my tea in the afternoons.

“I wasn’t particularly overweight before, but my clothes are certainly looser now and I feel so much better and less tired.

“I haven’t been back to the doctors yet, but I’m really hopeful that all this hard work is going to have helped to lower my blood pressure too.”

So what advice does January’s Member of the Month have for other Fitbug members?

“I’m not sure if it counts as advice, but what I have learned is that you really don’t have to do anything dramatic to feel much much better.”

If you think you could be our next member of the month - and receive a free Fitbug membership as your reward, tell us why.