The Gym and The Trainer

About a month ago I thought about joining a gym. I figured it was time for me to get back into the habit of taking care of myself and my body. And I knew with everything going on with Kathy, that I needed to very actively do something to put myself first. It would be so easy in all the craziness going on around me, to choose to make myself feel better by putting crap in my mouth.

I could hear myself rationalizing another crappy meal choice, "After all I've done, it's the least I could do for myself." "I deserve this for going up to the house and sitting with her." "With a day like this, I need a beer and a burger to make the day better." It's been an endless cycle and I know it all too well.

So when I thought about joining a gym, I decided to act on it- quickly. I took a tour of Equinox, arguably the prettiest gym ever, and signed up shortly there after. The facility is impressive- it's obsessively clean (just as I like it), it's not too crowded, I can bike there and back, the classes seem interesting and most importantly, there is a personal training program that I knew I could benefit from.

With some of the money from my lame white car accident (my poor parked buggy was backed into by a white car at the laundromat about a month and a half ago, only furthering my white cars are totally lame theory), I invested in 12 sessions of personal training (which was actually 15 because of different promos, etc.) and am really really happy with the results so far.

First of all, I'm really loving the gym. Besides it being a pretty person gym (and a handful of semi-famous people work out there too), I've enjoyed being in that environment. I like getting out of my apartment and being around people. As great as Clancy is, I'm enjoying the gym energy. Secondly, the personal training is amazing.

I was fortunate enough to be paired up with a wonderful trainer, Brittany, who is a great match for me. In the six sessions we've had so far, she's pushed me more than I ever would have pushed myself. She has helped me see how strong I am and has gently guided me into a safe and healthy environment. I'm doing things I haven't ever done (or things I haven't done in years) and I'm not letting my weight be a deterrent for trying just about everything that's thrown at me.

My only concern at this point is how I can keep up with the personal training since it's such a huge cost and certainly not something I can keep up with all year long. For now, I'm just going to continue to work my hardest during each session and absorb everything like a sponge!

I've been really honest about my hang-ups and let Brittany know that one of my biggest challenges is that I lose interest if I don't see a difference immediately when I put my all towards weight loss efforts. This is why I'm doing PT three times a week for the first five weeks. I'm also mixing in cardio days and learning how to work out with the aid of a heart rate monitor.

It's an exciting time and I'm happy to say that I'm three weeks in and I can feel a difference in my confidence and my strength. I'm making positive changes to take care of myself during an insanely intense and difficult time and I'm really proud for choosing to treat my body well during a time when I could so easily justify doing exactly the opposite.

I'm looking forward to sharing more good news and results as I continue down this path of physical fitness!