Figs, Farro & Farts.....But Fighting Fit @ 40? The Gladiators' Guide To Physical Rejuvenation. by aphrodisiologist

Is this a mid-life crisis? Possibly! The fact is, however, that for me to say I am middle aged at forty, is to assume that I will live to eighty and, all things being equal, that might well be the case. If I take account of the years of excessive; fags, booze, coffee, and junk food, then consider the lack of sleep and exercise along with extreme working hours and self-imposed stress, plus a couple of stomach operations..... Well, this actually starts to look more like an end-of-life crisis. Christ, I am very nearly dead!!!

Now, as a professional caterer who studies Nutritional Therapy and was once a semi-professional footballer and half decent athlete, I do know a thing or two about healthy, active  lifestyles but..... well, see the above. It is time for action.

I want to know if, at forty, after letting it all go, it is possible to, not only stop the rot, but rejuvenate my body completely and achieve something that may have only been possible when I was in my prime. Could I, for example, run a marathon in under four, or even three hours?

The first thing to do, was secure a place in a marathon to start with. That was done by way of entry into next April’s London Marathon through ‘PHAB For Kids’, a national charity - close to my heart- who run local youth clubs for both physically handicapped and able bodied children together.

The next thing to do, was plan my physical rejuvenation. I decided to research some of the great athletic men in history and see if there was anything there that might help me in my quest. The results of my research were conclusive....Early Greek Olympians and, later on, Roman Gladiators, had a pretty good idea of how to look after themselves and prepare for competition. I’ve spent much of this year studying their diets, playing with recipes and testing ingredients in readiness for a new, healthy regime based on their surprisingly advanced and effective understanding of nutrition, well-being and training.

It is widely accepted, that it takes a preparation period of 24 weeks to run a marathon and so, from tomorrow morning (Sunday 8^thNovember 2009), the new regime begins. For the next 6 months there will be no fags or beer and little caffeine, but lots of; functional exercise, bathing, onion juice massage, meal cakes, pulses, garlic, onion, dill, dried figs, faro, orzo, walnuts, barley, fresh cheese, veg., fruit, goat’s milk, water, and........WINE. Thank the gods for their peoples' love of wine!.

I hope you’ll enjoy sharing this experience with me and following my performance and experiences over the next six months.