I promised myself when I reached the ten week mark I would make a thread to be a little proud, as a sort of reward. This is week 11, and I have been going to the gym four days a week, every week, without fail. I do cardio, I do strength training, I do crunches.
I am damn proud of myself. I decided I just had to incorporate it into my day somehow. I mean, I went back to school while working full time and got a 3.77 GPA, this year I got a nice promotion at work, I certainly have willpower. Why couldn’t I work out?
So I’ve started going straight from work every day. I found a family gym nearby - family because it has people of all fitness levels. It’s got the super muscular people for inspiration, and the fat dumpy people so I don’t feel overwhelmed. The trainers leave you alone unless you ask for help. I did hire a trainer for five visits, just to get an idea of my fitness level and see what I most needed to work on.
While I definitely feel more tired, I feel pretty good, too. I finally found exercise I like! For example I hate running and so I just don’t do it. I use the step machine and the weight machines.
I picked four days a week because then I could move them around if I need to. But I actually look forward to going and while I rest up on the weekends, by Monday I’m feeling antsy and want to go back to the gym.
Also I am sleeping better than ever! So - yay me! I hope you guys don’t mind I pat myself on the back a little bit. Now to plan for the next ten weeks!
The hardest part is getting over the tape in your head from your youth that says “exercise sucks.”
Once you get past that to the new tape that says “I always feel better after I’ve exercised and I feel soggy if I skip a couple days”, you’ll be on the easy downhill slope to health and long life.
I don’t know about Anaamika but speaking for myself, I have no problem getting over the first tape and believing the second one, cognitively. But when it come to actually starting, it’s usually a case of “meh, maybe later” which I suspect is often a problem for people who don’t exercise much.
That’s why I like going directly after work, Michael. The gym is really close to my office, so I don’t have to go out of my way. And honestly, after 10 weeks it feels really good to go every day. I feel proud.
Thanks, everyone! The kudos will help for the NEXT ten weeks!
Wow, that’s really inspirational! I’ve started regular exercise as well, but not four days a week, and also, I admit, not completely regular. Yeah, it’s time to up my game.
On a tangent, are there still step machines? At my gym … and by that I mean the gym I walk past … there are exercise bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals, but I don’t see any of the stair machines of days gone by.
It’s probably known as an elliptical now, all the fancy new terms and all that. I know Best Fitness had some proper stair climbing machines, but these aren’t those.
Congratulations! And a big, though slightly weaker, hug. My gym fired my trainer so I ended my membership. He was great, whatever management thought of him (apparently not much). I always felt safe when he was in the gym.