Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Joining the Gym

I've known for a while that a hole in all of my training has been the lack of strength work.  I have about zero muscle tone that doesn't come strictly from running and cycling and a bit of yoga.  In high school, to get out of gym that required lots of running or being outside, I was one of three girls that elected to take Weight Training.  Honestly, I really liked it.  I liked that by semester's end I could see a change in my posture, in my arms, in my overall fitness.  But I didn't stick with it.
Then, a few years ago, I started again.  I decided I wanted to get in shape again, so I started going to the gym in the apartment complex I lived in at the time.  No one was ever there, so I went 3-5 days a week, and it worked. I found my muscle tone again, and along with adjusting my diet, I lost weight and got in shape.  I loved it.  I'll admit, I even started wearing tank tops when I worked out for the sole reason of being able to see my newly toned arms in the mirror while I worked out.  Michelle Obama, eat your heart out.  Then I moved, and the strength training stopped, and I've been talking about starting again for a while now, but haven't quite made it (this includes a brief stint where I belonged to my local Y for a year but only managed to go a grand total of three times).
So today I went and joined a gym about three blocks from my job.  I really have no reason not to go, and if I run near work in the mornings, I can shower and get cleaned up there.  So, I'm telling myself, that if I have a great view of the river while I work out, and I have a place that's so close I can go on my lunch break that it will work.  I also get a complimentary personal training session as part of joining.  I go next Tuesday.  I'm curious to see what all my measurements, body fat, etc. are, but I'm also a little terrified of what I'll find out.  Fingers crossed!

4 comments:

  1. If you stay in endurance racing, too many people fore go strength training, if you keep it up, you will be ahead of the curve among your competitors.

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  2. Thanks! I"m hoping it will be some extra "umph" into my training.

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  3. First, congrats on joining a gym. Second, I wanted to say that I, too, belong to a gym next to work and I love it. It's so convenient to have a full gym, pool, and showers/locker room right next door.

    I often go for runs outside during my lunch break and head to the gym for a shower. Or I'll take classes or strength train there during lunch. It ends up being the perfect time (and place) for me to get in my weekday workouts.

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  4. All of those reasons are exactly why I decided to try! No more excuses for not taking advantage of free time :)

    Plus, there are some awesome run routes around my office I can now take advantage of!

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