I
got back
to the gym finally this morning (YAY!) ... and it felt SO GOOD!
Honestly,
I was very happy to be back working out again.
[If someone had told me, 2 years ago, that I'd feel like this?
I would've laughed till I cried, then told them they were NUTS.
But this is what happens when you try...little by little...and you find exercises you actually ENJOY...and you lose the weight and can do more than you ever dreamed possible!]
My trainer had me doing lunges with 12 and 15 lb. weights in my hands...and reminded me when I could barely do them with NO weights in my hands. She also had me use the TRX cables for a few exercises....and Oh GOD I have to BEG my DH to let me order these for our home, they are so WONDERFUL!
TRX cables are these heavy duty strap/cable things with these hand grips, and you do all sorts of exercises on them. The cables are suspended from the ceiling. You hang on them, do pushups with them, you can even stretch with them. And you can get quite a workout! (The Navy SEALS use them, folks!)
The best part is, they are FUN. They really are! I think so, anyway.
Here's a link if you're interested:
http://www.trxtraining.com/
I'll repeat this post this in my "Exercise for Beginners" forum, too.
The KEY to exercise is finding something you can enjoy. And granted, that's not always easy and sometimes you have to try LOTS of different exercises or ways to exercise before you find what 'floats your boat'. And, at first, you won't 'LOVE', well, anything! (that's perfectly normal....your body isn't used to moving so it will rebel a little at first). But if you persist...and keep doing it...and don't work out TOO hard so you're overdoing...sooner or later you'll start finding exercises you enjoy.
I like a variety. A lot of different things. I like my classes -- body pump, body flow, pilates, and low impact aerobics -- because the 'group' setting makes me keep up with it because there's sort of a little bit of competition there, I mean you want to keep up with the other women in the class, right? (the secret is NOT to stress over being PERFECT, though, just do the best YOU can and realize you'll get better with time), but I also like the weight training circuit...I used that today, after my 1/2 hour training session with my personal trainer...and just did a few machines (maybe 20 minutes worth), including my favorite 'assisted chin ups', which make me feel like a real JOCK (LOL!) because I can do them (AND I love sneaking looks at my slim physique in the mirror now) and my most hated machine, the 'Glutemaster' (UGH) which...well, you have to experience it...NO ONE likes the Glutemaster but it's a necessary evil for the BUTT!
Then I relaxed for a few minutes and chatted with a guy in the lounge area who used to be OVER 450 lbs!...and still is very overweight, he's in the 300s now, but hey...he's lost over 100 lbs and is still losing and he uses the weights (so don't tell me you're too heavy to join a gym!). I tried to talk up the Medifast meals and TSFL program of course (I'm a walking advertisement anymore LOL)....but he's into Atkins. Ok...whatever floats your boat....
Here's the thing about Atkins, though. First of all, I think they tend to overdo it in the fat department. Just my opinion but...I mean you need SOME fat, but...not to excess. And the second thing was, he said he has a 'carb allowance' of 20 grams a day (only 20! We can do about 80 on the 5/1...even as high as 100...and lose weight) and he can 'spend it' on whatever he likes. So he bragged that he's had pizza, or a cheeseburger WITH the roll (and french fries, although how he justified those is beyond me) once in awhile ... and that he can have his goodies and 'still go right back on plan' the next day.
I shared how I really couldn't see myself doing that, because high-glycemic carbs like those in goodies or bread make me too hungry. (I could see his wheels turning, thinking about how they probably got hungry for him, too....not that he admitted it).
People are funny sometimes. They like to justify their actions with their words....but the whole time he was saying all this I could see he was thinking "I DID feel like overdoing afterwards...maybe this girl is onto something".
Of course he asked if that was 'my' picture up on the gym wall and I said 'yes' and he congratulated me....but man...HE's lost even more and has a much longer road to travel! He said what finally 'did it' for him, was, his wife took a picture of him and he 'Looked like a BLOB with a small head on top'.
So we talked about how everyone has to reach THEIR particular 'rock bottom', their 'moment of truth', before they get DESPERATE enough and DETERMINED enough to DO something about their weight.y
It was nice to talk to the guy. I'd seen him around the gym, of course (he's a regular!) but never talked to him. For the first 6 months to a YEAR I never talked to ANYONE! I was too shy (YES I AM ...I hear you laughing but you don't know me 'irl' In real Life LOL....)
I worry about coming on too hard and strong. So I just keep my mouth shut. Funny thing is, people ARE curious and WANT to talk to me, especially after they see my poster on the wall. So I'm 'coming out' a little bit more and it feels....GREAT!
....Anyway...then I did a short stretching session on my favorite stretching machine (AHHH....), and then it was off to the treadmill where I plugged in my earplugs and turned on my iPod and this 'rockin' chick from the 1980s rocked out to everything from Foreigner's "Urgent" to Sheryl Crow's "All I wanna Do". As usual it was all I could do not to break out in song....but I mouthed the words anyway (LOL). I had a GREAT time. The changes in the beat on the tunes gives me a perfect interval-training workout, and 45 minutes (305 calories!) went by 'like that'. I worked up a sweat, too.
I have FUN on the treadmill. I mean, if you're going to do it, ENJOY IT!
I'm SO grateful my trainer suggested the iPod when I first started.
It's a lifesaver in terms of the boredom factor.
Then I got all bundled up again....and came home. And my inner child AND my human 'intelligent side' were BOTH in sync. They were saying, "Yes yes yes I feel like myself again!" LOL
Despite the lingering headcold. It will pass. I'm NOT going to let it get me down again. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself and stuffing myself to 'make it all better'. Food doesn't do it. Exercise and REST does.
Hope everyone's having a great Monday....I know I am. And yes, I heard we're supposed to get snow again on Thursday but you know what? I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime I'm just glad to be BACK AT THE GYM!
Keep on keepin' on!
[If someone had told me, 2 years ago, that I'd feel like this?
I would've laughed till I cried, then told them they were NUTS.
But this is what happens when you try...little by little...and you find exercises you actually ENJOY...and you lose the weight and can do more than you ever dreamed possible!]
My trainer had me doing lunges with 12 and 15 lb. weights in my hands...and reminded me when I could barely do them with NO weights in my hands. She also had me use the TRX cables for a few exercises....and Oh GOD I have to BEG my DH to let me order these for our home, they are so WONDERFUL!
TRX cables are these heavy duty strap/cable things with these hand grips, and you do all sorts of exercises on them. The cables are suspended from the ceiling. You hang on them, do pushups with them, you can even stretch with them. And you can get quite a workout! (The Navy SEALS use them, folks!)
The best part is, they are FUN. They really are! I think so, anyway.
Here's a link if you're interested:
http://www.trxtraining.com/
I'll repeat this post this in my "Exercise for Beginners" forum, too.
The KEY to exercise is finding something you can enjoy. And granted, that's not always easy and sometimes you have to try LOTS of different exercises or ways to exercise before you find what 'floats your boat'. And, at first, you won't 'LOVE', well, anything! (that's perfectly normal....your body isn't used to moving so it will rebel a little at first). But if you persist...and keep doing it...and don't work out TOO hard so you're overdoing...sooner or later you'll start finding exercises you enjoy.
I like a variety. A lot of different things. I like my classes -- body pump, body flow, pilates, and low impact aerobics -- because the 'group' setting makes me keep up with it because there's sort of a little bit of competition there, I mean you want to keep up with the other women in the class, right? (the secret is NOT to stress over being PERFECT, though, just do the best YOU can and realize you'll get better with time), but I also like the weight training circuit...I used that today, after my 1/2 hour training session with my personal trainer...and just did a few machines (maybe 20 minutes worth), including my favorite 'assisted chin ups', which make me feel like a real JOCK (LOL!) because I can do them (AND I love sneaking looks at my slim physique in the mirror now) and my most hated machine, the 'Glutemaster' (UGH) which...well, you have to experience it...NO ONE likes the Glutemaster but it's a necessary evil for the BUTT!
Then I relaxed for a few minutes and chatted with a guy in the lounge area who used to be OVER 450 lbs!...and still is very overweight, he's in the 300s now, but hey...he's lost over 100 lbs and is still losing and he uses the weights (so don't tell me you're too heavy to join a gym!). I tried to talk up the Medifast meals and TSFL program of course (I'm a walking advertisement anymore LOL)....but he's into Atkins. Ok...whatever floats your boat....
Here's the thing about Atkins, though. First of all, I think they tend to overdo it in the fat department. Just my opinion but...I mean you need SOME fat, but...not to excess. And the second thing was, he said he has a 'carb allowance' of 20 grams a day (only 20! We can do about 80 on the 5/1...even as high as 100...and lose weight) and he can 'spend it' on whatever he likes. So he bragged that he's had pizza, or a cheeseburger WITH the roll (and french fries, although how he justified those is beyond me) once in awhile ... and that he can have his goodies and 'still go right back on plan' the next day.
I shared how I really couldn't see myself doing that, because high-glycemic carbs like those in goodies or bread make me too hungry. (I could see his wheels turning, thinking about how they probably got hungry for him, too....not that he admitted it).
People are funny sometimes. They like to justify their actions with their words....but the whole time he was saying all this I could see he was thinking "I DID feel like overdoing afterwards...maybe this girl is onto something".
Of course he asked if that was 'my' picture up on the gym wall and I said 'yes' and he congratulated me....but man...HE's lost even more and has a much longer road to travel! He said what finally 'did it' for him, was, his wife took a picture of him and he 'Looked like a BLOB with a small head on top'.
So we talked about how everyone has to reach THEIR particular 'rock bottom', their 'moment of truth', before they get DESPERATE enough and DETERMINED enough to DO something about their weight.y
It was nice to talk to the guy. I'd seen him around the gym, of course (he's a regular!) but never talked to him. For the first 6 months to a YEAR I never talked to ANYONE! I was too shy (YES I AM ...I hear you laughing but you don't know me 'irl' In real Life LOL....)
I worry about coming on too hard and strong. So I just keep my mouth shut. Funny thing is, people ARE curious and WANT to talk to me, especially after they see my poster on the wall. So I'm 'coming out' a little bit more and it feels....GREAT!
....Anyway...then I did a short stretching session on my favorite stretching machine (AHHH....), and then it was off to the treadmill where I plugged in my earplugs and turned on my iPod and this 'rockin' chick from the 1980s rocked out to everything from Foreigner's "Urgent" to Sheryl Crow's "All I wanna Do". As usual it was all I could do not to break out in song....but I mouthed the words anyway (LOL). I had a GREAT time. The changes in the beat on the tunes gives me a perfect interval-training workout, and 45 minutes (305 calories!) went by 'like that'. I worked up a sweat, too.
I have FUN on the treadmill. I mean, if you're going to do it, ENJOY IT!
I'm SO grateful my trainer suggested the iPod when I first started.
It's a lifesaver in terms of the boredom factor.
Then I got all bundled up again....and came home. And my inner child AND my human 'intelligent side' were BOTH in sync. They were saying, "Yes yes yes I feel like myself again!" LOL
Despite the lingering headcold. It will pass. I'm NOT going to let it get me down again. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself and stuffing myself to 'make it all better'. Food doesn't do it. Exercise and REST does.
Hope everyone's having a great Monday....I know I am. And yes, I heard we're supposed to get snow again on Thursday but you know what? I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime I'm just glad to be BACK AT THE GYM!
Keep on keepin' on!
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