Re: Finally got my butt to the gym!!!

[Guest guest]

DH and I decided to get a membership. We're just going to pay for a

yr upfront with our tax money....as soon as we get it. We've both

had gym memberships that have gone to waste so I'm going to try all

AI can to actually use it! Hopefully everyday or close to it! Any

other gym membership wasters out there? Maybe we can all motivate

each other.

Cheyenne

[Guest guest]

Good for you! That's great!

in OKC <><

238/202.6/under 200

> I finally got to the gym this morning, after about 4 weeks of

saying I was going to. I've been paying for this membership for

nearly a year, and I've used it perhaps a total of two months--I'm

sick of seeing the $$ go to waste. And you know what? I actually

feel darn good. :-) A bit sore, a bit tired (although I only had

to wake up 1/2 hour earlier than normal to get to the gym, and I

went to sleep a half hour earlier, so I'm NOT sleep-deprived) . . .

but I'm just so darn happy that I kept my promise to myself and got

out the door and actually did something good for my body. I started

out slow-- only walked for 30 minutes (2 miles, 200 calories), but

it's a START. I plan on being back tomorrow morning, as well. :-)

I also got a group fitness schedule and found out that they have

strength training in the early AM on Monday and Friday, and I can

take either pilates or aqua training on Sunday. So, if I can do

those, I'll have a fairly well-rounded fitness program going.

>

> BUT-- my goal for this week is just to get the 30 minutes in on

Thurs., Fri., and Sat.-- and perhaps check out the pilates class on

Sunday. I don't want to start out too fast and then burn myself out

on the exercise.

>

> Another benefit of going to the gym in the AM-- I am not at all

hungry, and haven't had breakfast yet (and I normally eat breakfast

at 5am). Perhaps it DOES work as an appetite suppressant. :-)

>

> --

> ~* D.*~

>

> " When will you ever learn? You're

> just an empty cage, girl, if you

> kill the bird. "

> --Tori Amos, " Crucify "

>

> " Initiative is doing the right

> thing without being told. "

> --Elbert Hubbard

[Guest guest]

> I finally got to the gym this morning, after about 4 weeks of

> saying I was going to. I've been paying for this membership

> for nearly a year, and I've used it perhaps a total of two

> months--I'm sick of seeing the $$ go to waste. And you know

> what? I actually feel darn good. :-) A bit sore, a bit

> tired (although I only had to wake up 1/2 hour earlier than

> normal to get to the gym, and I went to sleep a half hour

> earlier, so I'm NOT sleep-deprived) . . . but I'm just so

> darn happy that I kept my promise to myself and got out the

> door and actually did something good for my body. I started

> out slow-- only walked for 30 minutes (2 miles, 200

> calories), but it's a START. I plan on being back tomorrow

> morning, as well. :-) I also got a group fitness schedule

> and found out that they have strength training in the early

> AM on Monday and Friday, and I can take either pilates or

> aqua training on Sunday. So, if I can do those, I'll have a

> fairly well-rounded fitness program going.

Isn't it an incredible feeling when you set a goal and you just DO it!

That's wonderful. I am SO proud of you!

Slow is the ONLY way to start. That doesn't mean don't put in

effort...but it does mean listen to your body and don't overdo it until

you're really READY to push yourself. Then do it for a reason. Say for

example after you've built a habit of exercise set a fitness goal to run

in a race (start with a miler or something) and then you will find you

have a real reason to push when you need to.

> BUT-- my goal for this week is just to get the 30 minutes in

> on Thurs., Fri., and Sat.-- and perhaps check out the pilates

> class on Sunday. I don't want to start out too fast and then

> burn myself out on the exercise.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just get into the habit. Last

year I had some surgeries to recover from. Once I was up to it I got

back to the gym right away. I didn't do a whole lot because I honestly

couldn't, but I'd walk slllloooooooowwwwwly on the treadmill for ten

minutes. Every day I'd do just a tiny bit more. I knew I wasn't burning

calories, but what I was doing was keeping the habit going. I had read

too many posts from people that said " I was exercising three days a

week, but then I broke my ankle...or had a surgery...or whatever, and I

got out of the habit. " So I was determined to NOT do that. (Trust me, it

was not easy. The surgery was huge, one of the biggest they do, and I

had many setbacks...but just keeping in the habit was SO important to

me.)

So maybe even if, on those days you're trying to talk yourself out of

it, you just get into the car and tell yourself you'll go sit in the hot

tub, or just walk for 15 minutes. Do not say " Oh it's not worth it to

drive all the way out there just for that " because it's ALWAYS worth it

if it's a benefit to your body. (Even if you're not burning calories,

building the habit in the long run, is going to be a benefit it.)

> Another benefit of going to the gym in the AM-- I am not at

> all hungry, and haven't had breakfast yet (and I normally eat

> breakfast at 5am). Perhaps it DOES work as an appetite

> suppressant. :-)

It certainly does! Then when you get into heavier workouts you'll find

that you do come home hungry, so you'll want ot make sure if that's

happening that you eat something not TOO heavy before you go work out so

you have energy to complete the workout.

Tory (who totally loves working out...most days)

[Guest guest]

That's super, ! I love to exercise and often do it six or

seven days a week. I find, though, that there are weeks ever so often

that I fall into an exercise funk and don't want to work out. I think

it's just my body getting tired and telling myself I need a little

rest. Usually, I take those weeks and do what I call rest/maintenance

weeks. I still workout, but I don't do my full on workouts everyday.

Instead of four days of cardio, two days of weights, and two days of

pilates, I'll do three days of cardio, one of weights and maybe two,

maybe one pilates class. Instead of my normal cardio workout (running

or elliptical), I may take a long, brisk walk with my husband. I find

that as long as I stay active during those " funks, " I easily slip

back into the habit when it's over.

Best of luck with your new regimen!!

April : )

[Guest guest]

What a neat idea April! Seriously. I struggle with this too. I think

everyone does. And I find myself feeling guilty when I decide to take a

long walk instead because I know it isn't as intense as my normal

workout. I try to battle on through it, but maybe if instead I change

things around, maybe treat myself with a soak in the hot tub instead of

one of my workout units or something, that would be okay.

I had this situation this week. Sunday I just did NOT feel like working

out so instead we went and bowled and did some long walks, which was

still exercise. I felt guilty about it so Monday I made myself run even

though it hurt. Tuesday I biked, and it hurt. Yesterday I ran and it

hurt. Today I've been sore all day. Maybe my body was just saying, " Hey

Tory, give me a chance to recover a bit, will you? "

Today I was out of the funk. I got on the bike, checked the time at ten

minutes, and half an hour later went " Whoa! I've been on this thing for

40 minutes? " I did everything without any complaint, even added some new

weight training to my routine that I think I'll keep 2-3 times a week.

> Re: Finally got my butt to

> the gym!!!

>

>

> That's super, ! I love to exercise and often do it six or

> seven days a week. I find, though, that there are weeks ever so often

> that I fall into an exercise funk and don't want to work out. I think

> it's just my body getting tired and telling myself I need a little

> rest. Usually, I take those weeks and do what I call rest/maintenance

> weeks. I still workout, but I don't do my full on workouts everyday.

> Instead of four days of cardio, two days of weights, and two days of

> pilates, I'll do three days of cardio, one of weights and maybe two,

> maybe one pilates class. Instead of my normal cardio workout (running

> or elliptical), I may take a long, brisk walk with my husband. I find

> that as long as I stay active during those " funks, " I easily slip

> back into the habit when it's over.

>

> Best of luck with your new regimen!!

>

> April : )

>

>

>

>

>