Michael Coren, well-known broadcaster and columnist, is shaping up with Powerclub Fitness. Find out what he's up to...
Apparently for some time now, a thin man has been trying to escape from my fat body. Frankly I wish he’d tried harder. I’ve struggled with my weight for years. Or no, not struggled, but blithely surrendered to the massed cavalry charges of the cakes and the infantry attacks of the sandwiches and beer. The white flag was waved with relish. That really nice green relish you put on hamburgers. It’s not genetic, not because my parents didn’t love me, not because I’m big-boned. It’s because I eat too much and exercise too little.
It didn’t concern me very much because my beautiful wife still loved me and, anyway, I was immortal. Until I hit 50. Suddenly I realized that contrary to what I’d always thought, I wouldn’t live forever and, more importantly, if I didn’t get into some sort of shape I might not make it past the summer. Well, perhaps it wasn’t that drastic, but there are issues of quality as well as longevity of life – it’s too late when the first stroke or heart attack hits.
As all this was swimming though my mind, I received an e-mail from someone called Rachelle Bronfman. “I have a gym called Powerclub and believe me I can change your life. You’ll be transformed. I’ll have you train with an Israeli martial arts expert called Erez Cohen and you will not believe how good you’ll feel.” One of the positive consequences of being on television is that things like this sometimes happen. Not often, but sometimes. I suppose what Rachelle really meant was that she’d seen me on the screen and I needed to lose weight. She’s way too nice and kind to say that, but she’d be right if she did.
So I went – self-conscious, unsure, nervous. Then I meet Rachelle, who is not only lovely-looking but also just lovely. She manages to put me at my ease and hands me over to Erez. There are gym guys and trainers who need to prove something, then the guys who really have nothing left to prove. They’ve done it, been there. This is Cohen. He’s an international judo champion, an expert in Russian martial arts and teaches Krav Maga, a form of Israeli ju-jitsu and street-fighting. Tough, strong, and skilled. No need to be pretentious or to pose.
He’s also immediately encouraging without being patronizing, and this is vital at the beginning. He measures my body fat, which I assumed would be around 100 per cent. “Really good, really good,” he says, and then raves about my left hook. Then weights, cardio, punching, kicking, more weights and cardio, then stretching, then…
That’s the real issue. Then. Do I return or is it just another phase?
I returned again and again and I love it. I feel stronger, fitter, better, happier. I’m eating differently, losing weight and look forward to exercising in a way I haven’t done ever before.
To Rachelle, Erez, and everyone at Powerclub, thank you. I’m immortal again.
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