True Confessions of the TV Kind

Confession time: While most of my motivation at the gym is definitely getting in shape and taking charge of my heart health, another part of it (and a generous part at that) is being able to watch Criminal Minds reruns during the day. There must be 30 screens in the fitness centre and not a single one is turned to Max and Ruby! Genius!! As I get stronger physically, I am itching to try some of the group classes to mix it up a little, but I really am torn because I hate to leave my TV. Maybe after Sweeps Week.

Woo Hoo!

Total revelation at the gym today – I actually rock! Seriously. I’ve been lurking around for 3 weeks now, feeling a little self-conscious and embarrassed about being in slightly inferior shape than the majority of ORC members (just slightly, mind you J). But today I realized that I should totally be proud – there I am sweating it out and making a difference and basically saying “not today, Sir” to heart disease and a whole host of other weight-related diseases and that rocks! I had this revelation in the middle of doing my weights and I tell you, I walked a little taller and prouder on the way back to the locker room. And guess what? I only used 1 towel for the shower! You go girl!

The Towel Dilemna

So my new challenge to myself is to try one new thing at the gym each week. This week? The showers! Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking this is too easy for a challenge. But not true, there is shower etiquette and technique to master before being confident. I think I did pretty well. I forgot to bring flip flops but other than that, didn’t seem to offend anyone in any way. But I have not mastered the towel situation. Gym staff, with all due respect can I tell you that if you are a woman with, let’s say – curves - and who is maybe a teensy bit self-conscious of her curves (especially given all the super thin women walking around the change room in various states of nakedness), having towels that are the approximate size of a graham cracker does not help the situation. Even using two of the wee cracker-towels, I still had to make some hard choices about which body part to cover up and which to share with the rest of the locker room. Other than that, thoroughly enjoyed showering without any of my children banging on the door to get in J. Next week’s challenge? It’s a toss up between trying that sadistic looking stair machine in the fitness centre or the steam room. Both are sweaty. Which do you think I should do?

To Zumba or Not To Zumba, That Is the Question

Right. I’m now scrolling through the ORC website trying to get an idea of what classes will appeal to me. Using the pictures as a basis, I’m a little scared. Everyone looks very, very toned and so happy! How can they smile and sweat like that at the same time? And their clothes are intimidating. I know for sure I won’t look remotely like that. Solely on the scary pictures, I’m ruling spinning out for a starters while still thinking Pilates and yoga are real possibilities.  But I worry that won’t be enough (I need that jiggle factor to justify the expensive sports bra). Also ruling out anything that has the words “power”, “blast”, “hard-core” or “rage” in it. I think I’m left with Zumba! That sounds pretty good, right? Even the font on the schedule looks fun and friendly. Only problem? As I’ve said, I’m not that coordinated and I’m also not really even sure how you pronounce Zumba? I think I’ll stick with the Fitness Centre for a while.

Tap, Tap...

So it’s been a few weeks and I am feeling the pressure (friendly, non-judgemental pressure mind you J) to join my friends in various classes. But honestly, I just don’t feel I’m ready. First, my endurance and muscle strength are still in the nascent phase and secondly, I am really not that coordinated. How do you know when you are ready to move from the relative anonymity of the fitness centre into a group class? I wish they had a “tapping” system – where the trainers would roam the fitness centre and discreetly tap you on the shoulder to let you know you have been “called up”. That would be awesome. Then again, I would be so distracted watching who was getting the tap. I would no doubt fall off the treadmill. Again.

Note to Self #2

It is best to put your earphones in, find your playlist and get it all started BEFORE starting the treadmill. Otherwise, you run the risk of falling off and looking a little silly. Just saying.

My Heart Must Go On...

Happy Valentine’s Day! I had to force myself to go to the gym today. Not because I had so many chocolate bonbons to work off (sigh…that would’ve been nice), no, because I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I have a full on head cold.  All I wanted to do was hit the sheets and drink potfuls of tea. But, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, my heart must go on. It must go to the gym. So, I dragged myself there, telling myself the whole way that I “would go easy on myself”. Now I’m back, after doing 45 minutes of fast walking on the treadmill and 30 minutes of weights, I still don’t feel great. But at least I now feel sick and virtuous which beats sick and guilty any day. And now I can have some of that yummy chocolate cake I made for Valentine’s day!!

Games You Can Play at the Gym

Okay, new game to play with myself: how many visits to the gym will it take before I actually start seeing a difference in my body? I know what you’re thinking.  I should concentrate on the process and getting fit and yada, yada. But seriously? I want my jeans to be looser. I really do. I’m thinking if I commit to going 3 times per week then I should potentially see a small change within a month. Too ambitious? We’ll see. For now, I’m going to plan on stepping on the torture device known as the Body Metrics scale on the 1^st of each month and hope to see some progress, however small. I’ll keep you posted!

Note to Self #1

If, in the dead of winter, you are going to the gym after a morning of doing random errands, bring your gear out of the trunk as early as possible. A semi-frozen sports bra is not exactly the uplifting experience I was looking for.

Finding My People

One thing my friends have heard me say in the past is you need to “find your people”. It’s true any time you start something new. When we moved to Oakville 4 years ago I knew that finding my people would take time. I got really lucky  - some of my people lived right near me and were among the first, wonderful people that I met (and you know who you are J). The same thing is going to happen with the gym. I will need to find my gym people. In the meantime, I have approached all of my friends who are already members at the ORC and asked them to basically hold my hand a little – meeting me at the Fitness Centre, showing me the ropes and keeping me motivated. And they’ve all been enthusiastic recruits. Bonus? Now I can have “playdates” with friends I never get to see enough!  Score one for the gym people!

The Great Thing About the Superbowl

Here is something I now know for certain: the gym, like Ikea, Home Depot and probably every steakhouse with a TV in the country, is virtually empty during Superbowl! So great for gym novices who want to test the waters in relative anonymity. Now there were a few diehards watching the game on the treadmills or elliptical machines but I peeked in the weight room (don’t worry, I wasn’t actually going to go in) and it was deserted.  I love it! I’m now rooting for the Leafs and hoping that a playoff run will have the same effect.

A Warm Hello and A Kiss Goodbye

Okay, I just came back from my first session at ORC and I have to say – I’m pretty excited! It was actually sort of great. I went in and met with Gabriella in Membership who literally couldn’t be nicer and more welcoming. My anxiety was getting pretty high but she showed me everything, introduced me to so many people (how does she know every single person there?) and generally got me excited about trying out the programs. Somehow in her capable hands the thought “sure, I could totally try squash” crossed my hand/eye coordination challenged mind.  A warm and fuzzy beginning to my journey for sure!

 Then the hammer dropped. I had to change and make my way upstairs to the dreaded Fitness Assessment. I knew it would be bad. It’s sort of like waiting for the bank receipt to print at the ATM or watching the total increasing at the Target register – you know the number will be nasty. You know generally what it’s going to be. But you can’t help scrunching up your face and watching out of one eye anyway – hoping for a surprise.

 
Well, there was no surprise here. The number was in the ballpark I thought it would be and let me tell you, this is a large ballpark. But, I unscrunched my face and opened my other eye and looked at the number. Really looked. And said goodbye. Because the good thing about this number is that I’ll never see it again. It’s my before. And you can’t get to after without being hit up in the head with before.  Now, I don’t really want to share ALL the horror with you, but just so you can keep tabs on me (and to keep me honest), I will share my % of body fat and BMI. Now prepare yourself and no judging – 39.1% and 29.7 respectively. I know right? Ouch!! I’ll give you a monthly update and see how it goes. My 6 month goal? To get down to 30% body fat and 26% BMI. I think that is both reasonable and doable. With a little jiggling of course J.

I'm Going On a Bra Hunt

I approached Private Moments on Lakeshore Rd. in Port Credit with more than a little apprehension.  Quickly, Mother-hen Marion put me at ease and showed me all her treasures. Do you know that they actually have bra bags? Little sequined suitcases to put push-up bras in when you travel so they don’t get smushed. Brilliant!! I resist the urge though, realizing that I really don’t need anything in the push-up, cleaving enhancing category. I need more in the “push-down, stop boobs from bouncing up and hitting my chin when I run” category. Too bad.  30 minutes later I leave with a new sports bra and it’s actually sort of great! Fits me well, passes the jiggle test (jumping jacks in the change room which, by the way, totally winded me J), and keeps everything where it should be. I’m tempted to “wear it out of the store” like a kid with new shoes but decide to save the test drive for the gym!

Oh Snap!

Oh Snap! Admittedly, that is the first thought that goes through my head when I’m told it’s a go – I am going to willingly submit my saggy self to one year of fitness in the hopes of improving my health. And, I‘m going to go public with it!  What was I thinking??  Second thought?  I’m going to have to buy a sports bra! I don’t even know where one goes to do that. I mean, I do exercise; I go on long walks with the kids, I ski with them and play mini-sticks. I even do yoga once a week. But I suspect getting my chakras aligned has not resulted in the kind of jiggling I will experience over the next 12 months. This is going to be a year with a lot of firsts!