Took the Plunge
I've been putting off dealing with the fact that I need more exercise for a long time. Yesterday I finally pulled up my big girl pants, joined a gym -- and got a personal trainer. It's not cheap but I feel as if I need one. I hit plateaus that can last for months; that just demoralizes the hell out of me and I do the unhelpful thing: I stop working out. I've never before had a personal trainer. I'm so out of shape right now that I expect I'll see some immediate results (I picture some perky coach telling me, "nowhere to go but up!" but thankfully my trainer seems friendly but not perky) but eventually I'm going to hit one of those speed bumps. Hopefully, this will help me break the doldrums before I allow myself to give up. My membership includes 3 "free"** personal training sessions but I bought a few more because I need that motivation while I'm learning to make this a habit.
The gym has lots of classes, including some that sound cool: dance, pilates, and balance ball. I'll finally try out an elliptical trainer, something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm actually looking forward to dancing again on a regular basis; I've really missed it. There are also the much-dreaded weight machines. It has been 20 years since I last used one. I'm going to have to learn to not hate them but that will be a...challenge.
I still don't want to exercise but I want even less to suffer heart disease and crumbling bones. (And, you know, in the short term I'd like to lose body fat and be able to climb four flights of stairs without losing my breath.) At least, that's what I think now. We'll have to see how I feel on Friday after my evaluation and first workout. ;)
** "free" being code for "already added into the original membership price we quote you"
The gym has lots of classes, including some that sound cool: dance, pilates, and balance ball. I'll finally try out an elliptical trainer, something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm actually looking forward to dancing again on a regular basis; I've really missed it. There are also the much-dreaded weight machines. It has been 20 years since I last used one. I'm going to have to learn to not hate them but that will be a...challenge.
I still don't want to exercise but I want even less to suffer heart disease and crumbling bones. (And, you know, in the short term I'd like to lose body fat and be able to climb four flights of stairs without losing my breath.) At least, that's what I think now. We'll have to see how I feel on Friday after my evaluation and first workout. ;)
** "free" being code for "already added into the original membership price we quote you"
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Go, you! I'm right behind you, as soon as I have a job again. :)
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I'm looking forward to seeing how a trainer can help me. I'm hopeful that I'll learn to do something other than hate the machines; my past club experiences were all about hating the weight machines. But I was young and already in shape from dance; the parents were dragging me there before school, which meant I was starting at 5 a.m. Needless to say, I stopped as soon as I could.
I'm not switching over my yoga classes, even though I could and it would lower my costs, because despite the too early work on inversions, I enjoy those classes right now. Maybe eventually I will switch but for now, I like that I get a lot of focus on form. I still need that. Besides, Amy and I meet every Monday for a Bab 5 episode, yoga at the institute, and dinner. It's a nice ritual.
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Good luck with that AND the gym. I bet you find some things at the gym you enjoy. That is part of the trainer's job, too.
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After your comment confirmed my feelings, I resolved to pay more attention to my body when doing yoga. I tend to put up with a high discomfort level because, (a) everything is uncomfortable when you start, and (b) I want to give it a real try and that means doing stuff I don't want to...But between the pain from the toes and your comment, I decided I need to take a more active role in choosing.
Since I came to that conclusion, we haven't repeated any of those moves so I haven't been forced to sit something out. :) I do like the class and it pushes me in a way I've never been pushed before. Yoga forces a different posture and foot/leg positioning from the ways we learned in dance classes.
You know what I always enjoyed at the gym? Being done. ;) Seriously, I need to play Pollyanna, find something to look forward to even if it's just, "being done," and focus on that. I don't think I'll ever be the sort of person who enjoys exercise, though I'd love to surprise myself, but I am the sort who can logically choose to endure because it gets me something I want.
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I would discuss your antipathy toward exercise activities with your personal trainer. She just might have some good suggestions for you about ways to find an activity you enjoy, rather than always thinking of it as medicine you have to swallow. If you can find one, you'll have a much better chance at sticking with it and seeing the benefits.
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I am, however, a creature of habit. If I can make this a habit and mold my schedule around it, I'm far more likely to stick to it. I love to dance and that will always be a huge part of any exercise program I choose but I don't enjoy physical challenge for the sake of physical challenge. I'm not the sort who will climb the mountain because it's there, but I would try if there were a good book up there. In this one case, the end will have to justify the means. ;)
For as negative as I'm being, I *am* happy that I've overcome the hurdle that I've put in my path in the past. I'm going to make another attempt to get fit but this time around I'll have someone helping me when I get stuck. *That* excites me and makes me more hopeful about my success.
Good point about bringing my attitudes/feelings up with the trainer. I need to go for full disclosure if I'm going to get the most out of this experience. Amy has mentioned several times that she downloads podcasts to listen to while working out because that makes it more palatable. Once I feel comfortable that I know what I'm doing and can safely zone out, I plan to do the same. (Amy is very good at talking about what she does in a non-demanding way but which, in retrospect, I realize were gentle suggestions for how I could take better care of myself.)
I'm trying hard to be realistic about what will work. Yoga has become a habit and I no longer have to force myself to go. (Even when I love something, I have to force myself until it's a habit. I think it's part of my being an extreme introvert.) I want the gym to be the same way.
I haven't yet begun to have some dire physical problems like my mother has. My blood work always come back astoundingly healthy (except for that pesky thyroid thing *g*) and my bone density scan showed that I'm in good shape there, too. If there's one thing I've learned, maintenance is far easier and less painful than regaining ground is. That is a huge motivator for me. Perhaps fear isn't the most positive reason in the world but I'll take it until I manage to find joy in becoming healthier and more capable.