Just Keep Going ~ The Gym Gets Easier

So, did you do it? Did you join the gym? I hope you've decided to get active this year! My one year anniversary is coming up at the gym. I can't even believe it. I remember the first month going. It was kind of a love/hate kind of experience.

I still had anxiety because I didn't know most of the dances yet. The anxiety came from myself and it was so not necessary! I didn't realize that the dances don't always stay the same. Amanda changes up the songs and rotates them all the time. It finally became fun after I'd been going for a couple of months because I began to understand the moves and could get through a dance without any mess ups.

Maybe you're lifting weights and you're still on the same weight as when you first started. Maybe you've joined a yoga class and you can't quite get a pose down. Perhaps you're doing HIIT and you still want to die 15 minutes into the class.

Don't. Give. Up!

You've got to keep going. Each time you go you'll improve. It might be a such a minute change, you don't notice it, but your body is changing! You're building your endurance. You're moving your body. You're strengthening your body.

You're doing the things! That's the most important thing!

There are going to be days when you feel like this:

But then there are going to be days where you feel like this:

Hold on to those days tightly!

Getting Started At The Gym

It's the beginning of the year and everyone is making New Year's resolutions! Have you made yours? I haven't. I'm so bad at them. I have a feeling I'm not alone since there are statistics out there talking about the high percentage of people who break their resolutions not long after they're made, typically within a week!

Whether you make resolutions or not, if you're planning to join a gym, now's the time to do it! Typically gym memberships are at a discount or the sign up fee might be waved. I just saw Costco had a HUGE discount for joining a large chain gym (the one I go to). The two year membership was $140 less than what I spend in ONE year! I'm going to have to get that figured out asap! Spend January getting to know your nearest gyms. There are so many options: YMCA, independent gyms, and large chains.

Last February, after finally being sick to death of how I was feeling, I finally started calling around. I was hoping to work with a gym as a blogger, but none of them were interested. One replied, but also didn't work with bloggers, but since they replied, I decided to try them out. They had a 3 day free trial. I honestly don't remember if I used it. I think I went in to talk to the manager and liked everything they had to offer, but the free trials are the way to go! Maybe even ask if they'd be willing to extend it for a week so you can get the best feel for what they have to offer.

You need to get an idea of what you like. I knew I wanted to try Zumba. That's the only thing I knew. I wasn't interested in weight training. I was hoping for a pool to do some water aerobics. I also hoped there were other classes available for me to try out. I got a tour of the facilities and really liked what they had to offer. Each gym has its strengths and weaknesses.

One of the things with my gym is if you join, you get a free session with a personal trainer. Well, I wasn't at all impressed by that. The girl seemed like she was 19 and had no idea what she was talking about. We went down to the elliptical machine because I wanted to know how to use it, and she had no clue how to turn it on. So there's that. Like I said, every gym has a weakness. lol

Another idea is to start with a buddy. You're probably not the only person at work, at church, or in your circle of friends & acquaintances who wants to feel better in the new year. Keep in mind, others might want to go to the gym just to not feel so gross like I did. They might not be concerned about losing weight so don't rule people out. If you're not finding anyone by word of mouth, put an invitation out on Facebook in case someone wants to go with you. I think going to the gym with someone is probably a lot better than going alone, but not matter what, just go!

While you're using this month to familiarize yourself with a gym and start to make changes, join me for a daily challenge for the whole month! Join me and play along! Hopefully it'll give you something to focus on daily to help improve the start to your 2018.

Eating Before & After A Workout

I wanted to share what I've learned about my body since I started going to the gym back in February. When I started going, I wasn't sure what to eat or when to eat it. It's still a huge process for me, and a ton I still don't understand about how food works with our bodies, but here's what's worked for me.

I realized that I needed to eat at least two hours before any workout I do, which is pretty much always Zumba. What I also figured out is, I can't eat just anything 2 hours before. The best thing I've figured out to eat is a small bowl of zucchini pasta with spaghetti sauce. I was eating regular spaghetti, but I've really been digging zoodles these days.

There were days that I grabbed a banana and ate it shortly before class. Bad choice. Even though I was eating something healthy, it made me feel sick to my stomach. If I was hungry before class, but hadn't eaten anything it wasn't going to be good. After class I typically didn't feel well either. In fact, for the rest of the evening I'd feel sick to my stomach. I'm sure a fitness guru would be able to explain why.

The other piece is that I couldn't drink a lot of water while working out. I found that I needed to hydrate mostly before I started my workout and just have sips during it. Again, I'd start to feel sick to my stomach if I drank too much during the class. It's just the craziest thing. I mean, who'd expect that when you want to be hydrated, right?

If I eat something small before class, by the time I get home I'm pretty hungry, and typically have a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with a glass of milk or zoodles! I'm pretty consistent with what I eat. Of course, I have no idea if those are the things I "should" be eating, but it gets me through the time before and after, so I'm good with it.

So, for me, it's about understanding my body. Not that I really understand it all too well. At some point my goal is to learn how to utilize food as fuel before and after my workouts, but for now, just not feeling sick during and after is my goal!

POP Pilates, Barre, and Cardio Hip Hop

Well, I haven't lost a single pound and I found out that I can't fit into my shorts from years past, including the new ones I bought last year. THIS my friends is NOT good news. I'm still keeping on keeping on. I think there are two pieces that have to be worked on to actually see significant change.

First is my eating habits. I eat terrible! I've never eaten great, so that's not helpful. I've done the right thing by adding fitness to my life, but that's not making any changes. I guess at this point I'm maintaining where I'm at, which isn't where I want to be. In my head I want to make changes to my diet, I just haven't translated that into real life.

That being said, I also know I need to do more than Zumba. It's an amazing cardio workout, and I love it every single time I go! I'm guessing Amanda thinks I'm a total groupie. lol I've told her several times how much I appreciate her enthusiasm and energy!

I've tried several other classes now! A few weeks ago I went to the pilates class. I've actually gone a couple times. One of the things I like about it, is it comes right before Zumba! Hello bonus. I need to get a yoga mat and some good socks for that class. The mats they have there are nice and thick, but not necessarily made for tall people. When I do certain moves, my feet hang off and slide with my socks. I could get yoga socks and that would definitely help.

It's really a good workout. I didn't expect to sweat so much because I thought it was more core work, but there's some cardio involved, too. Let's just call it a warm up for Zumba. It totally works muscles I didn't even know I had. I actually really like it and the instructor is really lovely.

On Fridays there aren't many classes except earlier in the day. Totally a bummers since I work. It's the same on Sunday, but I guess that's a good thing or I'd probably be there on Sunday, too. HA! About a month ago, they started a barre class on Friday evenings. The first time I went, a gal I'd seen at Zumba was there. We shared a barre and chit chatted as we were dying together! I watched a couple of videos before going to this class, but holy mama, I was shaking like I tree by the time we were done. My legs aren't fans of that kind of workout. Of course that means I need to go back. I haven't been back, but I did like it! The instructor there was pretty great as well.

I went back to my regular Zumba classes, and the gal I'd worked out with at the barre class convinced me to try cardio hip hop. She said it was fun like Zumba. So off I went. It was definitely fun! There were a lot of moves I couldn't do, and she tried to get us as a class to try them, but they weren't very easy. lol She actually had to nix one of the songs because we were all over the place. hahahaha The instructor was very upbeat and was so smooth with her dancing. I'll never be her, but I will do her class when they fit my schedule.

Not sure if I've mentioned Zumba enough in this post so I figured I'd mention it once more before I finish this post. lol I'm really digging my classes and trying out new ones. There are a couple during the day I'm interested in, and I supposed if I want to try them I'll have to do them while we're a bit slow at work. I also need to muster up the gumption to get dressed and leave the house at 8am. Ish it's not ideal for me. Why can't aqua aerobics be later in the day? lol I'll aways stick with my Zumba. ;)

Do you prefer cardio or core workouts?

Gym Classes, Daily Burn, The Treadmill

Going to the gym is going really well. I'm actually enjoying it. I've made a couple of friends even! Well, friends in that, when I see them at our "regular" classes I can refer to them by name and we can talk about any other classes we've tried. I'm really enjoying that part of the gym.

When I first signed up for 24 Hour Fitness, I started receiving emails about how to make the most of my membership. I kind of glanced at them. I wasn't exactly sure of what my workouts were going to be like, but I wasn't super interested in them. Silly me. I could've totally missed out on a huge benefit to the membership.

There were a few days after my first couple of classes that I wanted to workout, but there weren't any classes that I was interested in. I randomly decided to go through my emails from the gym. I came across one that mentioned something about Daily Burn. Of course I was clueless. So I clicked to see what it was all about.

Holy smokes, I tell you what, I almost missed out on a big benefit for joining the club.

When I wasn't able to get to the gym, I logged into Daily Burn and wow, there were all of these workout videos to choose from! What I didn't realize when I finally decided to check out that email was I only had like 10 days after joining the gym to start using Daily Burn. I think I clicked on it on day 9. lol Nothing like cutting it close.

I've done a few of the online classes. I take my laptop up to my son's room because it has the most space to workout. I'm able to plug the laptop into the tv and away I go. It's not as fun doing it by myself, but when I'm not able to go to the gym or I just want an extra time of working out, there it is! They've also got a site connected with them called Life by Daily Burn. They've got ways to inspire you, recipes, how-to's, and more!

I sure wouldn't trade Daily Burn for going to Zumba and being surrounded by a group of people who are loving their workout! It's just a great added bonus I didn't even know was available to members! I'll take it.  There are literally hundreds of videos!

To top it all off, I'm constantly on the treadmill. Can I just say, I can't stand that thing? lol There's not a single fun thing about it. It bores me to death. When I first joined the gym, a couple of ladies I work with invited me to join their weekly step challenges. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get much accomplished because I'm not a walker.

Well, well, well those ladies are serious so if I wanted to even stay on the map, I had to do SOMEthing! That meant I had to get on the dang treadmill. What a snooze fest. I've finally figured out a couple ways for me to not despise the "spinning walker of going nowhere."

First, once my laptop battery dies, I go up and walk on the treadmill while it charges and I work. I never stay on long enough to get to 100%, but I stay on it long enough to give me the steps I need. Second, I get on it when I'm reading. I love reading. I can do something I love while I walk to nowhere. Third, I start walking when I'm working on my blog. Whether it's a blog post or editing photos. I seriously have to have something that keeps me from the utter boredom that is the treadmill.

I've gotten to the point where I've won a couple of our step challenges. Sometimes in my head I'm just begging the ladies to stop walking. Other times I just say, "forget it," and I'm done. That's usually somewhere around Friday night when the challenge is almost over. I'm glad I've joined them because they're constantly pushing me!

Would you rather be in a gym or on a treadmill at home?

Sticking With The Gym

A couple weeks ago, I had a harebrained idea to invite my youngest son with me to Zumba. When I was leaving my class, they were talking about how the weekend coming up was a free weekend. You could invite people to come. Well, they always have 3 day passes, but I jumped on a few of them. I wasn't sure if my Doodle would come, but since he does Just Dance with me, why not this...aside from all the other people.

When I asked him, he was totally for it! Go figure! We went on a Monday, and he totally rocked it!

I have to say, he hardly broke a sweat. The cool part though, there were about 4-5 other guys there, too. A couple of them pretty young, but not "my son" young. Amanda is below in the shirt that says I 💜 Zumba, and my kiddo is in the bright green shirt.

When we do our Zumba class, Amanda will bring up someone just for fun to "help" her through one of the dances. I'm one of those people I hope she never calls on. I should probably mention that to her, that way we won't have that super awkward moment. Her coming up to me, all pumped and excited with her face saying to me, "C'mon Mimi, c'mon up with me! Look at my smile and be wooed into helping with this dance!" To which my response would be with my face, "Amanda who? I don't see anyone in front of me? Is there someone smiling at me? Inches from my face because I definitely can NOT see her!" When she realizes with her face, "Oh my gosh, she's one of them, one of those people who can dance to random 80s songs in a grocery store aisle, but won't help me lead my class. Our relationship has just totally changed. I know I can't count on her!" And so it goes!

Meanwhile, she called all of the guys up to the front of my class. My kid, shrugs his shoulders, smiles at me and heads up to the front of the class! That's. My. Kid! It was so awesome to see him up there! He wasn't able to do all of the moves like Amanda, of course, but he gave it his all with a smile on his face and a great attitude! These kinds of things helps me know I've done something right as a mom!

The next week I had a friend from our small group from last year come with me! Turned out she came to a super full class. It's kind of funny. Some days the class is really big and we're all almost touching finger tips. Other times, we have space to dance around with no fear of tripping our neighbor.

Thankfully she loves Zumba so having her go with me and it be a full class wasn't an issue. We ran to the Whole Foods which is right next door first. I wanted to see if they had some blood oranges because the ones I'd gotten at Safeway turned out to be an insanely expensive Sumo orange...$1.99 for ONE! They had the wrong sign in front of them and since I'd never seen a blood orange before, I had no idea.

As always, the class was awesome. Afterwards, Z wanted to talk to Amanda to thank her for how fun it was! I've asked my oldest daughter to go with me on Monday when she comes into town! I hope she brings her workout clothes! I just want everyone to enjoy Zumba as much as I do. lol

What is your favorite exercise to do?

Getting My Zumba On

My first attempt to go to the gym was a bust. I was going to meet with the trainer, but she cancelled. I know, I mentioned that in my previous gym post. I decided I'd go to the gym and workout anyhow. I got there and didn't go in. I won't tell you why, but it had nothing to do with my anxiety for walking into the gym for the first time.

I left there and headed to Kohl's. Shopping therapy! I needed clothing for the gym and it's just across the street. Bonus! Headed to the clearance rack and loaded up. Turns out I should've worked out before I made my purchases! HA!

My second attempt started with me pretty much dry shaving my legs and walking away with a razor burn I'm still suffering from several days later! Shaving isn't a "thing" I do often. It's just not on my radar until I'm walking out of the house with shorts on. GAH!

This week, on Monday, I dropped my oldest son off at his college class, and then headed to back down to the gym for my first class. Turns out, I wasn't ready to wear any of my new stuff. I felt like most of it was too tight. Go figure. So, I just put on a pair of shorts and grabbed an old t-shirt.

As soon as we got into the car to head to the college, I started to have anxiety. Tons of thoughts went through my head, "Will I look ridiculous?" "Will I get lost trying to figure out the moves?" "Will I be bright enough to figure out the lockers or where the towels are?" "Will I die of fatigue in the middle of the workout?"

Driving down to the gym I was thinking I should've taken a small dose of my anxiety medication that I use when I fly. I sure felt like I could've used it. I almost didn't want to get out of my car.

I got out of my car.

When I walked in, I actually couldn't even remember where the class was. Good news though, there was a stack of towels right where you check in. The guy who checked me in showed me easily where the classroom was, and I headed over.

There was a young girl sitting outside the room along with a group of a few ladies by the door. I sat down by the gal and started chatting with her. She'd only been going for a few weeks. She was very sweet. I watched the end of the Body Combat class, and it looked like one I'd be interested in. The only issue is that it's just before the Zumba class.

We walked in to class and I stood in the back. Only problem there? The back of the room is where the glass doors are that people walk by. Oh joy! I tried to scoot up a little bit. lol

The instructor got started with some really fun music, and it wasn't bad at all! In fact, my youngest and I have been doing Just Dance 3 so that I felt like I could actually move for an extended period of time. Guess what? So many moves from that "game" is what the instructor used. I probably only got lost 10% of the time. Sometimes I can only do one thing at a time. I'm either watching the instructor's hands or her feet. Unless I know the move, I can't do both. hahahahaha

I stopped for water every chance I got. Oh, and guess what? The clothing I bought at Kohl's wasn't what everyone else was wearing. I was the ONLY pasty white girl in shorts. Everyone else was in some sort of leggings. Guess who won't be wearing shorts any time soon. I really stood out, which is NOT what I wanted! Looks like I need some more retail therapy! It's for a good cause, right?

I actually really enjoyed the class. It was challenging, but it's exactly what I enjoy. I like fun music, I like to be around others, and I like to have fun while exercising! I'm looking forward to next week, believe it or not!

What do you wear when you workout?

Time To Workout: I Joined A Gym!

About a week and a half ago I joined a gym. Went in on a Saturday morning, dropped down my money and walked away...pondering my next move. I was so busy over the next few days, I didn't even consider going in to workout.

I had an appointment set up to see a trainer on Tuesday, and I think it was the day before she called me to see how I was doing and to confirm our appointment. I had no idea what to expect with her. It's just a courtesy meeting the gym sets up. The day we were supposed to get together, she had to cancel because something came up. No sweat, literally, we just moved it to Friday. Problem was, I didn't have any time to get into the gym until our next appointment.

Let me back up about a month...maybe more. When I first met with the gym manager, it was as a blogger, hoping to work with them and blog for them. Unfortunately, they don't do those kinds of partnerships. Bummer, but ok. He seemed very personable, and happy to show me all around the gym. They've got a lot, I have to say that for them. Sadly, staying in touch with him after that wasn't very easy. In fact after 3 follow up emails, I only heard from him once. I wasn't going to base the gym on one person, even if it was the manager.

I went in to meet with the trainer, and it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Well, I didn't know what I was expecting, but I think I had something else in mind. She asked me what my goals were. Basically I want to fit into my clothing again. I don't have a number in mind that I want to weigh. Fitting in my clothing will be a good plumb for me. I just want to feel healthy.

Then she started talking to me about my diet; what's good for me, what's bad for me. Don't eat lots of greasy food, eat lots of vegetables. Yep, I think most of us really know this, right? Again, still trying to figure out what we were doing. She was super nice, adorable.

Knowing that I'm not confident on using the cardio machines, I asked her if she could show me how to use them. She said she would, but seemed somewhat hesitant about it. Turned out she wasn't exactly sure how some of the machines worked. Bummer! Anyhow, the meeting was over in less than 30 minutes.

One other tidbit she showed me was the cost of hiring a trainer. It ain't cheap folks! The smallest option is 5 - 50 minute sessions for $425.00! That's $85/session. I mean, It's not "bad" if you have that kind of money sitting around. The cheapest option is at $68/session, but you either have to sign up for 3x/week for 2 months or 24 customized 50 minute sessions. Needless to say, I'll be sticking with the classes for now.

My plan was to get into a class the next week no matter what. I had to start somewhere and it had to be soon! Oh, and I had to get something to work out in because my pajamas just weren't going to cut it.

Have you ever joined a gym? How did it go?