Tales from the Boot Camp with Dan Sheridan

You've met me before. I'm the guy who used to eat whatever and ignore the long-term consequences – one $5 pizza at a time.

But as you know, this disregard can only last for so long. Eventually, the bloke in the mirror wins as the effects of those pizzas begin to take up residency.

For the record, I'm 43-years-old, unfit and carrying a little more weight than I should be. I'm also chained to a desk nine hours a day and boast a working knowledge of my local café's pie menu.

In short, I could use some help. That's where LIFE Personal Fitness comes in.

Fronted by director Dawn Kiddie, the company will attempt to drag me through a 10-week fitness camp, overhauling my diet as we go and introducing me to the benefits of regular exercise and healthy eating.

In preparation for this daunting task, a fitness test is required – a chance for me to gauge the challenge, and for Dawn and her crew to discover exactly what they'd let themselves in for.

Given what you know already, it's not difficult to imagine the scene as I blow through press-ups, sit-ups and a 2.4km run amongst other things. Some gruesome stats aside, it all became alarmingly real.

Starting today, Dawn and her team have their work cut out, and you can track my progress via this column week-by-week. With apologies to my local café and their takings, it begins.

For more information on LIFE Personal Fitness, visit: www.your-life.co.nz

The LIFE team of Renee Deville, Dawn Kiddie, Mike Williams, Allister Field and Liam Knight will guide Dan Sheridan (front, centre) through a 10-week fitness camp.