Although I have never remotely been what one may deem a gym kinda gal, it has somehow steered me in the right direction...motivating me towards a healthier and more confident version of myself. I remember the first gym I stepped into was on campus during my college years in San Marcos, Texas...thanks to my good friend Carla. Funny enough though, I more so remember she and I running on the track behind the gym more so than I remember us working out inside the gym...although I do remember the day we took a kickboxing class together. Damn, that kicked my ass alright. I sweat buckets and ached for a good two days at least! It was Carla who was instrumental in getting me to see the benefits of exercise, a friend who still inspires me in such a way to this day.
After college, I didn't go to a gym again until four years later in Chicago. A friend of mine generously gave me a gym membership as a gift. At the time, I was juggling grad school, an internship, and work. Stress and fatigue were quite the norm, as you can imagine. My friend's gift couldn't have arrived at a more opportune time. I was in utter gratitude, as working out at the gym was my outlet and gave me an extra boost of self-confidence. As financial circumstances would have it though, I could not afford the membership once I was expected to make the payments a few years later....so I stopped going. Though I would continue to exercise, running along Belmont Harbor in the single digit temps with the potential to slip on black ice just didn't provide the same motivation, structure, and "comfort" of a gym.
While it is certainly not as cold here in Seattle as in Chicago, I feel the same way....I need motivation, structure, and the "comfort" of a gym setting. It's too easy to make excuses as to why I cannot run outside in my neighborhood....too rainy, too windy, too dark, blah, blah, blah. I cannot do this with a gym though, especially now that I have the means (car and money) to join a gym! I made a spontaneous decision about 3 weeks ago that this year fitness is going to be a top priority for me, whatever it takes. Not only did I join a gym, I also signed on for my own personal trainer! I will be meeting with her once a month (though I feel like I have met with her alot already just in the past 2 weeks!).
All of this is somewhat intimidating and weird for me because as I said, I'm SOOOO not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. It's the one thing that has always been my weakness (athletic ability), which is probably why I have avoided it for so long. I've spent much of my life living inside my head with intellectual and emotional pursuits, less so really in my body (if that makes sense). Now I find myself wanting to be less in my head and more in my body.
This doesn't come without challenges and the need for patience. I have a tendency to do too much too fast, or be too hard on myself if I don't reach at or beyond the bar I set for myself when it comes to achievement. I've noticed this is even more so the case with this fitness undertaking. I don't want to disappoint myself or my trainer. She's super sweet and encouraging. My first workout with her was a bit challenging (particularly the exercises to work my core), but I did it and was proud of myself. The second workout I did with her (on Monday) was difficult, as it involved various weight training exercises she came up with for me to do the next 3-4 weeks. Even though I didn't know if I could do all of them, I kept at it and didn't quit...no matter how powerful the burn. The human body is a strange thing. The following day after that workout my legs ached a bit, but I was surprised my arms didn't bother me much (the arm exercises were the hardest for me...especially the three different bicep curls she had me do). The second day (yesterday) my legs were feeling better and my arms were slightly achy.....but today my arms REALLY hurt. I feel like someone ran over my biceps with a Mack truck; no joke.
For some reason, I really got frustrated with myself about this. I think it's because I am trying so hard to stick to my goal of going to the gym 3-4 times a week (I really need to do weight training 2-3 times per week) and yet I haven't been able to go back since Monday's weight training session because of my muscle aches. I don't like doing things slowly, when it comes to important goals anyway. Hopefully my arms will be back to normal tomorrow, as I am meeting with my trainer tomorrow night for her to show me how to do the abdominal exercises on the plan she gave me.
Will I be able to transform what has always been my greatest weakness into a newfound strength (literally and figuratively)? I hope so. Perseverance will reveal itself, hopefully sooner rather than too much later....
After college, I didn't go to a gym again until four years later in Chicago. A friend of mine generously gave me a gym membership as a gift. At the time, I was juggling grad school, an internship, and work. Stress and fatigue were quite the norm, as you can imagine. My friend's gift couldn't have arrived at a more opportune time. I was in utter gratitude, as working out at the gym was my outlet and gave me an extra boost of self-confidence. As financial circumstances would have it though, I could not afford the membership once I was expected to make the payments a few years later....so I stopped going. Though I would continue to exercise, running along Belmont Harbor in the single digit temps with the potential to slip on black ice just didn't provide the same motivation, structure, and "comfort" of a gym.
While it is certainly not as cold here in Seattle as in Chicago, I feel the same way....I need motivation, structure, and the "comfort" of a gym setting. It's too easy to make excuses as to why I cannot run outside in my neighborhood....too rainy, too windy, too dark, blah, blah, blah. I cannot do this with a gym though, especially now that I have the means (car and money) to join a gym! I made a spontaneous decision about 3 weeks ago that this year fitness is going to be a top priority for me, whatever it takes. Not only did I join a gym, I also signed on for my own personal trainer! I will be meeting with her once a month (though I feel like I have met with her alot already just in the past 2 weeks!).
All of this is somewhat intimidating and weird for me because as I said, I'm SOOOO not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. It's the one thing that has always been my weakness (athletic ability), which is probably why I have avoided it for so long. I've spent much of my life living inside my head with intellectual and emotional pursuits, less so really in my body (if that makes sense). Now I find myself wanting to be less in my head and more in my body.
This doesn't come without challenges and the need for patience. I have a tendency to do too much too fast, or be too hard on myself if I don't reach at or beyond the bar I set for myself when it comes to achievement. I've noticed this is even more so the case with this fitness undertaking. I don't want to disappoint myself or my trainer. She's super sweet and encouraging. My first workout with her was a bit challenging (particularly the exercises to work my core), but I did it and was proud of myself. The second workout I did with her (on Monday) was difficult, as it involved various weight training exercises she came up with for me to do the next 3-4 weeks. Even though I didn't know if I could do all of them, I kept at it and didn't quit...no matter how powerful the burn. The human body is a strange thing. The following day after that workout my legs ached a bit, but I was surprised my arms didn't bother me much (the arm exercises were the hardest for me...especially the three different bicep curls she had me do). The second day (yesterday) my legs were feeling better and my arms were slightly achy.....but today my arms REALLY hurt. I feel like someone ran over my biceps with a Mack truck; no joke.
For some reason, I really got frustrated with myself about this. I think it's because I am trying so hard to stick to my goal of going to the gym 3-4 times a week (I really need to do weight training 2-3 times per week) and yet I haven't been able to go back since Monday's weight training session because of my muscle aches. I don't like doing things slowly, when it comes to important goals anyway. Hopefully my arms will be back to normal tomorrow, as I am meeting with my trainer tomorrow night for her to show me how to do the abdominal exercises on the plan she gave me.
Will I be able to transform what has always been my greatest weakness into a newfound strength (literally and figuratively)? I hope so. Perseverance will reveal itself, hopefully sooner rather than too much later....
