Our Head of Features is the first to admit he's piled on the pounds in recent years.

But thanks to a link-up with Springs, Chris is embarking on a battle to shed the pounds. Here is the first of his regular stories.

My diary of shame
Let's get physical
An oarsome performance
Sweets a thing of the past
My first weigh-in
That's phase one completed
Don't give up on training

AH! I remember the good old days.

The days when I flew down the football pitch as a pacy winger before delivering that inch-perfect cross for the centre forward to nod home.

Trouble is, that was 30 years ago. And as anyone at the Mail will tell you, I'm twice the man I used to be.

Chris Cordner in 1978 was a super-fit 10 stones 7lbs of lean, mean goal-scoring machine.

Chris Cordner of 2008 is a super-slob whose idea of relaxation is a six pack of fizzy pop, a tub of ice cream and as much kebab as I can cram in.

I knew it was time for a change. And the team at Springs were the right people to have me back in top trim.

So off I trudged to Hartlepool Marina - the home of Springs - to meet up with Chris I'Anson, the man chosen as my personal trainer.

As I headed for my date with destiny, nerves struck. What was I doing? Why had I volunteered to get fit at all? I was 48 for goodness sake! Surely I should just grow old gracefully.

Then I met Chris and everything changed. One thing struck me immediately about Chris. He's possibly the nicest and most approachable personal trainer in the country.

He is the epitome of pleasantness and brilliant at explaining exactly why fitness is great for anyone of any age.

Within minutes, I felt relaxed, informed and ready to put myself through anything Chris instructed me to do.

Turns out, I didn't do any exercise on my first visit.

Debutantes to Springs have to go through a series of health tests to establish their levels of fitness – or lack of it.

I was soon being tested for everything from blood pressure to lung capacity. Blood pressure was a normal 140 over 75. Lung capacity wasn't too bad either considering I'm asthmatic.

My weight, body fat and grip strength were also scrutinised.

It was the weight test which made me really nervous. My "friends" at the Mail were so keen on supporting me through my first fitness drive, they held a sweepstake on how heavy I would be.

I am still planning my revenge on the person who said I would be 16 and a half stones!

The truth was revealed. I was 13st 6lbs. Get in!

I was overjoyed. Okay, so there was a long way to go but it was the start of the turnaround. I was nowhere near as overweight as I thought I would be.

My fat percentage was 23.6 per cent. The ideal for my weight and height is between 11 and 22 percent.

I needed to improve.

Then came the measurements. A 42ins waist, 40.5ins chest and 41ins hips soon brought me back down to earth.

Then Chris intervened as he saw my confidence dip. "You are down there at the moment," said the man who once had trials for Birmingham City and played against Manchester United reserves.

"But everyone has to start somewhere."

He told me he expected me to do three to four sessions at Springs a week. Two under his instruction and two on my own.

"I will set you programme cards and targets to reach.

"We will monitor your heart rate."

Chris showed me round every facility Springs has to offer, explaining in intricate detail what would be expected of me, how I could get the most out of it all. He encouraged me to ask questions every step of the way.

I had hundreds.

I was so out of shape, I thought. How would I cope?

Chris repeated; "Everyone has to start somewhere and once you get going, the endorphins are released and that really gives you a buzz."

He was the expert. Chris was the man who had knocked in goals galore was seen by pundits as the next "Emille Heskey" type of player who could make his presence felt as a big forward.

Sadly, a cruciate injury ended his hopes of top-level soccer.
Football's loss was my gain.

I asked Chris if he expected me to exercise before my next session. Possibly change my eating habits.

None of that for now, he explained. He needed to get an exact picture of my dietary habits and handed me numerous sheets of paper to record everything I ate and drank over the next week.

"Next time we will get you exercising and see what your heart rate is like," he promised.

"It will be hard work. Remember to bring water," said Chris as he reminded me that next time I'd be doing some real work, and I would be leaking sweat like a sieve.

Still at least I had taken that first step.

Bring on the next one!