Rod Wark's wake up call came whilst on holiday in Belgium during August 2004. His wife is a regular gym goer and had recently taken up running. When she said she was going for a training work out through the woods by their hotel, Rod said he'd go along too and keep her company. He thought the run would be a breeze but it turned out to be more of a wheeze, with his lungs bursting for air and his legs calling for a time out.There are many who could tell a similar story. We're active at school, lean, fit and trim. Next we start work and follow a career. The years slide by. You've guessed what happens next�. you've got the picture. Responsibilities kick in; activity takes a tumble and the weight piles on and on. But when Rod Wark reached his mid forties and his weight was 22 stone (141 kilos) he decided that enough was enough and was determined there and then to do something about it. Rod left Leeds University in 1980 and he weighed a trim and fit 13.5 stone (86 kilos). He was an active sportsman especially enjoying competitive table tennis, representing his college in a local league, captaining his rugby team at school and has always enjoyed playing badminton. Rising through the ranks of the West Yorkshire Police Force to become a Chief Inspector his weight increased. In 2000 he first decided to make a change to his lifestyle. Rod takes up the story: At the gym I tried rowing and had a half decent technique. I even competed in the 2001 British Indoor Rowing Championship, finishing seventh in a time of 6:24. But I stopped training - I needed a focus and the weight piled back on. Then in December 2003 I bought my own Indoor Rower. I didn't have a routine or follow a programme so progress with shifting the weight that had returned was very limited. Back to August 2004. Still on holiday after his failed run, Rod had some free time to plan. So when he returned home he was determined to follow a training programme on his Indoor Rower together with joining Weight Watchers. This brought him face to face with planning daily routines for training and recording his progress. It also gave him the chance to look at his eating habits, including portion size, when and where he ate his meals and the number of times each day he'd be snacking. And when it came to preparing his menus his wife was with him trying out new recipes made from freshly bought food rather than ready-made convenience food. Weight Watchers' weight loss plan is based on a set number of points individually calculated for you each day, matched to your height, weight, body type and daily level of activity. Food by type and weight is given a points value. This dual approach of exercise and monitoring food intake gave him the incentive to begin in September 2004.Healthy sensible eating together with Indoor Rowing saw the fat drop off. I had regular rewards when I reached weight loss milestones. I bought a new pair of trainers and a half-day visit to Harrogate Spa. There I enjoyed massage, a session on a flotation bed and hydrotherapy treatment. Next was the purchase of a new bike. This is for my next fitness venture, which will be cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats for charity.Also I marked every kilo shed with a similar amount collected in bags of sugar as a visual incentive to maintain the onslaught on my waistline. On the table in my office the bags of sugar increased over the months. Every day I was reminded what had been achieved. Things got to a head when the cleaners found that sugar was spilling from the pile. They said they couldn't manage to clean any longer so when I had a sugar mountain of 46 one-kilo bags (100lbs) I decided to donate this to a charity. When I had colleagues visiting my office they were interested to know what was happening. They also noted that I was drinking much more water. I'm certain over a dozen people have decided to follow me and lose weight the same way. Rod has brought his weight down by 42 kilos (six and a half stones) in nine months from September 2004 to the summer of 2005. Throughout he achieved a sensible weekly weight loss of � kilo (1� lbs) so overall this reduction is within safe limits. In November 2005 he weighed 92 kilos (203 lbs). Mid-January 2006 he was down to 88 kilos (194 lbs) so he's close to reaching his target weight of 86 kilos (189 lbs) in April. This staggering weight loss enabled him to achieve a remarkable 2,000m time. At the 2005 British Indoor Rowing Championships he was in the lead for the first 1,000 metres of the race but came in seventh in a time of 6:32.2, just 18 seconds behind the gold medal winner. Setting goals is behind this successful weight loss and increase of energy. So Rod raised the bar and gave himself more challenges. He completed a sponsored 26 mile marathon row (2hours 57 minutes) at the Caring For Life Open Day at Crag House Farm in June and made �1,400 plus a further �100 on the day from well wishers who paid �1 to guess the time it would take him to row the distance. Visit www.caringforlife.co.uk to find out more about this charity that has really helped people in Leeds. And also for this charity, last summer Rod and some biking friends completed the 136-mile Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle ride in three days from Whitehaven to St Bees, Sunderland. So what's next? The immediate plans are to continue with the controlled weight loss in the run up to his target weight in the spring - and along the way he is inspiring others to try. He is totally committed with his Indoor Rowing and there's a strong chance he'll be racing for a medal at the 2006 BIRC. His sponsored fundraising activity this year is to raise money for additional facilities at Crag House Farm, the headquarters and Day Care Centre of Caring For Life. A cycle ride is planned from Land's End to John O'Groats. This works out at 80 miles a day for thirteen days. And for this marathon ride, Rod builds up the mileage by cycling to and from his home in Burley in Wharfedale to work in Wakefield, which is a round trip of 44 miles. If some one as badly out of shape and overweight as me can be successful, then I honestly believe that with appropriate levels of support and determination anyone can do it.I now view my purchase of a Concept 2 Rower as one of the best investments I have ever made. I have to say that having it conveniently available in the garage at home meant that there was never any genuine excuse not to climb aboard and compete with the likes of Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent! Logging my times and distances on the Concept 2 website enabled me to monitor my progress and watch the metres build up. Achieving my first million metres just before Christmas was a fantastic milestone for me to reach � now I'm already well on my way to my second million.Rod has also supported an initiative in West Yorkshire, which promotes activity programmes at Leisure Centres across the region. Tim Quirke, Deputy Marketing Manager for Leeds City Council Leisure Services says that Rod has been an inspiration for many people. If you live in the area or want to find out more information about the Smarten Up! and Get Off The Couch! health campaigns visit http://www.smartenupleeds.com. Rod Wark's Land's End to John O'Groats Sponsored Cycle on 18�31 May 2006 supports two worthy charities:Caring For Life www.caringforlife.co.ukThe Multiple Sclerosis Society www.mssociety.org.uk If anyone is interested in supporting Rod with sponsorship, or wants help with starting out on a weight loss programme, he can be contacted by e-mail: [email protected]