Today I got a gym membership! Yay! Even better, I have already used it!
My sister told me that today was the last day of a special deal at
Fitness19. Because I signed up on my sister's account, I got some extra discounts as well! I only had to pay $49 for the start-up fee (instead of $99) and instead of being charged $20 a month, they will only be charging me $14 a month! And childcare is included in that cost!
This is great because I borrowed the book
Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillips from some friends, and it had some very useful information about how strength training can aid in weight loss. It also outlined how to go about using strength training equipment to work out different sets of muscles. I've been thinking I'd like to try out what I learned from the book, but this was nearly impossible without using any weight training equipment.
Even cooler, my friend, Jeanne, signed up as well! So now, two of my sisters and brothers-in-law and a good friend of mine all have memberships at Fitness19. That's a great support group!
So, since Jeanne and I were already planning on hanging out tonight, and because we were anxious to get started, we decided to go work out together! After getting our memberships we straightaway went home and changed clothes and went to the gym. It was very intimidating at first. In fact, I have had a lot of anxiety when trying to work out in a gym before... mostly caused by my insecurities and paranoia. Tonight as we drove up to the gym we saw that it was
packed! This made me nervous right away, but I was determined to follow through, so I tried not to think about it. Once we were inside, Jeanne and I split up as she wanted to do some aerobics on the elliptical and I wanted to try some strength training exercises from the book. So as she got started working out I sat down and formulated a plan. I used the formula prescribed by the book; I wrote down the area of the body the exercise focused on, the name of the exercise, the number of reps per set, and the intensity level I was trying to achieve with each set. The author also recommended writing down the amount of weight used for each set, but not knowing what I was going for, I decided I would start with the lowest possible weights for each exercise and make each set more challenging as I went along. Once I had the plan figured out and written down, then came the hard part. I had to weave through the crowded gym, trying to find the right equipment for the exercise I wanted to start with. I had a picture in the book, so I knew kind of what it looked like, but I wasn't 100% sure. So many insecurities kept going through my mind... "Everyone in here looks so fit. What if the equipment is already in use? What if I use the equipment incorrectly? What if I break some gym etiquette that I'm unaware of? Will I look like a fool since I'm obviously a beginner?" But I buckled down and found the right equipment and got started. Once I was in action it wasn't nearly so bad. I could just focus on two things: the plan that I had written down and making sure I was doing the exercises correctly.
As recommended in the book, I took notes on the weights that I used, and if I was able to reach the intensity I was aiming for. Since I didn't really achieve a very high intensity level this time, I know know I can use heavier weights next time around. I focused on upper body exercises tonight. I worked out my chest, my back and my shoulders. By the time I was done with those three, Jeanne had finished her workout. It had taken me a while to get started because of the planning and figuring out each exercise and equipment. I skipped the biceps and triceps workout for today so that Jeanne wouldn't have to wait around for me. In the future, I'll plan each workout
before going to the gym so I can make good use of my time while I'm there.
I feel happy with how I started. I overcame a huge fear and felt good while doing it. Jeanne and I are planning on going back in the morning. This time I'd like to try some lower body exercises.
P.S. The other areas of the challenge are also going relatively well. Avoiding desserts is still trying at times. It was hard this week because I decided to make a carrot cake for my sister's birthday, knowing I wouldn't be able to have a piece. I admit I licked the spoon though! I haven't really been focused on the eating schedule, so I know I've been eating more than I should, but I'm going to try to get back on track with that this coming week. A plus I have discovered this week is that I have FAR fewer fast food cravings than I did before. It is much easier to avoid thinking about fast food because I've conditioned myself to not have it as an option. This means that I've been preparing more food at home lately. This week I took some hamburger helper (not super healthy, I know) and added spinach and bell peppers to it to give it a little bit of nutrition. I also made some chicken lo mein that wasn't too bad! I'm learning. I'm hoping in the future to be able to make more things from scratch.
