One thing I wanted to get back into this year was working out on a regular basis. It's one of those things that I know I should be doing, but have never really been super excited about it. I feel a little lost when I walk into a gym and end up just hopping on a bike or elliptical and going until the "calories burned" is an acceptable amount. And then I go home and undo it all by eating M&Ms. :P
So, at the end of January, I joined one of the local gyms in Waunakee. As part of signing up, each new member gets a complimentary training session with one of the personal trainers. I signed up for my session and thought nothing more of it.
I showed up to my training session not really knowing what to expect. I met the trainer, Michael, who was nothing like Bob or Jillian on The Biggest Loser. The workout was really hard and the entire time, I kept thinking I hated every minute of it. Afterwards (well, the next day), I met with the "head trainer" and we talked through why I joined the gym, what goals I have for myself, and the reality of achieving those goals based on my current lifestyle. It was very informative. I never really thought I had a horribly unhealthy lifestyle (I didn't), but I quickly learned there were a couple things I could change to make a big difference (eating a bigger breakfast, eating little snacks more often to keep my metabolism going, etc.). When it came to the part where I had to decide if I wanted to sign up for personal training, I had a hard time deciding (if you know me at all, you know this isn't a surprise :P). It was expensive and I hated the workout the day before, but something inside of me liked the idea of investing in myself and the thought of someone helping me attain my goals that I felt like were not realistic on my own. In the end, I decided to go for it. I've never really invested in myself before...29 seemed like a good year to start. :)
I've been working with my trainer for a month now. In the beginning, he had me run a mile, do sit ups for a minute, and do push ups for a minute. Now that it's been a month, we did it again to see how far I've come. I expected a little improvement, but I didn't expect the results I got. I ran the mile almost a minute and a half faster (11:40 to 10:19), did 7 more sit ups, and did 15 more push ups. And, I lost 4 lbs (1 lb/week which is what we're shooting for), which we discovered after measuring body fat percentage, was all fat.
I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but one of my goals was to "tone up", which in reality is losing weight. While that goal is being worked on, I'm learning a lot more about myself through this. At church, Pastor Chris talked about how effort put forth = results gained. Little effort (in this case, he was referring to reading the Bible) results in little change. Especially when life gets hard or busy, I put in little effort into things. I kind of shut down and do the minimum to get by because it's tiring to think of doing more. But, this program at my gym meant that I not only was going to have to work out regularly, I was going to have to make changes to my diet and schedule...and someone was going to hold me accountable. I've learned that I can actually do it...and it's not that hard! The thought of getting up 30 minutes earlier to actually cook and eat breakfast, versus just eating a granola bar in the car, was a horrendous thought...until I did it. Getting up earlier and actually eating a good breakfast gives me so much more energy during the day, therefore making it easier to do each day!
Probably the biggest thing for me has been my perception of myself through all of this. I remember blogging about this a few years ago (read here), but I've never considered myself athletic. I've let other people tell me things that are ultimately untrue, but I've believed them and as a result, haven't ever let myself take the risk of trying to change that. I believed these lies way back in middle school, which led me to never join a sport in high school, and to see myself as a sub-par frisbee player. Early last fall, a few of us biked to New Glarus (about 20 miles one way) for a friend's birthday. I love biking and was told the pace would be "no one left behind", so I thought I'd be able to survive it. Well, 10 miles in, I found myself left behind by my friends. When they took a break and I finally caught up, they'd take off again, leaving me in the dust. I somehow made it to New Glarus, but I felt horrible. Not only did my knees hurt more than they've ever hurt before, but my confidence was shaken and I felt horrible about myself. It brought up so many feelings and thoughts I had grown up telling myself were true. I wanted to just curl up in a ball in the corner and cry. But this training program has done wonders for my mind and confidence. Having someone tell you regularly that you're "rocking" all of the exercises given to you (which is partially his job, but I've seen him train other people, and he doesn't tell them that all the time) is encouraging. I've even had people at the gym watch me while I'm training with Michael and they've said things like "Oh my gosh, if I tried that, I'd fall flat on my face!" or (from another trainer) "That's hardcore, man!" They're talking about me! I've never impressed anyone with something I can do...ever. I've always felt like I was always a step behind other people...not fast enough, not strong enough, etc. And now that I'm able to compare how I did exercises a month ago (more like struggle through them) to how I can do them now and feel strong when I do them, it only boosts my confidence more. This seriously is probably one of the best things I could've done for myself...and I'm never looking back.
For the first time in my entire 29 years on this earth, I can say that I am strong, confident, and athletic. And this is only after 1 month of this program...I can't wait to see what 6 months will bring. :)
