The sugar test

Two days until I undertake perhaps the toughest personal challenge of all -- tougher than someone riding the Tour de France route twenty-four hours behind the actual athletes: The abandonment of all sugars (baring those found naturally in healthy foods) from my diet for the next forty days and forty nights. Yes, I'm giving up chocolates, biscuits and other assorted treats for Lent.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy chocolate and in the more general sense, sugar. It's not going to be easy, there's going to be mood swings and there's going to be many tempting moments when I try convince myself that just one Twix won't hurt anyone, but all being well I'll come through and in a couple of weeks get used to the fact it's not going into my system.

This hasn't really got anything to do with my winter training -- I give something up most years for lent -- but it won't hurt either. Sugar is a big hinderance to me when it comes to shedding a few pounds and getting as fit as possible in the gym. When you don't have the weather to go out in mid-February and knock out 50 miles worth of calorie burning, you have to be more cautious with what goes in your mouth and when, like me, sugar is one of the last things to go, you're only slowing down progress.

All being well if I come through it I'll come out the other end feeling much better for it and I can spend Easter Sunday treating myself to a big milk-chocolate Easter-egg.