Skipping Class

                So I wimped out on Friday’s class. Sure, I was still sore from Wednesday, and yes, I had a lot of paperwork to do, but deep down I knew I was just wimping out. You don’t get this out of shape without being good at avoiding exercise! When my husband said “you’re skipping already?” I got defensive. I remember muttering something along the lines of “I’m a grown woman. If I don’t ever go back that’s my decision…”

                But I did make it back Monday, so all hope isn’t lost! Monday’s class was slightly less torturous than Wednesday’s was. I don’t know if that was by design, or just because I’m starting to get into the swing of things a bit, but I’ll take it! There was lot of jumping rope, which I haven’t done since I was a kid. Also, I don’t like to jump. I have a lot of bouncing going on when I jump that is unpleasant. But I still did my best. We also did toning exercises using giant rubber bands, used the treadmill and did core stuff like crunches. I was sweating by the end, which is always a sign it was a great workout. (Often, when I had worked out on my own, I’d be done and had not sweated at all!)

                A plus I wasn’t expecting happened too. That night, I slept great! Better than in months!

                If I get sore from this class, I’ll try to remember my trainer’s words on the subject: “Pain is just weakness leaving your body.”

The First Class

                I survived my first Boot Camp class!

                I feel so great! I mean, I know tomorrow I probably won’t be able to move, but right now, the endorphins I made are working their magic! I drove home with a smile on my face, a complete turnaround from the grumpiness that was me earlier today.

                Don’t get me wrong, it was hard. Exercise is supposed to be hard or it’s not working! But it wasn’t too hard. I could do the stations as well as I was able and that was fine! The other people taking the class were very welcoming and didn’t mind showing me how to do something if the instructor was busy. Everyone worked at their own pace.

                I worked out much harder than I would have done if I had just gone to a regular gym and used the weight machines on my own. The slight pressure in the back of my mind that other people were participating on the same timeline as me made me try harder. I also liked that it was a class for a set time. I would have talked myself out of going altogether if there wasn’t a specific time my presence was required to participate.

                The instructor, Ira, was great! He helped when I was confused on how to do a station, and he kept track of me and made sure I was doing the exercises correctly and safely. Each station was just 60 seconds, so it didn’t get boring. I liked how he yelled out “10 seconds” near the end of each segment, so you would try just a little longer, even though your muscles were screaming!  And yes, my muscles screamed! I had a hard time walking from station to station after a while, because my thigh muscles were shaking so much! I never worked out that hard on my own at the Y, I promise you!

                The stations were all completely different from the last class that I watched. The most amusing one was where we had to swing a heavy sledge hammer onto a giant rubber tire! (I learned I’ve been swinging my, albeit much smaller, hammer wrong all these years while gardening!) We also used the weight machines more this time around.

                Now, I’m not surprised I made it through the whole class. I’m extremely stubborn and refuse to quit in the middle of a class, no matter how poorly I am performing. I may never go back to a class again, I’ve done that lots of times, but I won’t stop in the middle! What I am surprised about, is the fact that I am already looking forward to the next time we meet!

Boot Camp

            So I am going to start attending an Ultimate Boot Camp class.

I never thought I would. I’ve seen the signs around for Boot Camp exercise classes before, but I always pictured the class as some horribly tough weekend, full of hard bodies and my eventual stroke. The title always threw me I guess. But I had the opportunity to observe one recently and saw that it is mostly a kind of interval training. The one I watched, you go from station to station and do the best you can, at your own pace. The teacher wasn’t a mean drill sergeant and the class was full of regular people like me.

Maybe I can do this.

I’ve worked out on and off all of my life, although lately it has been mostly “off”.  I am not at all in shape anymore. But I’d like to be. I know I feel better when I exercise regularly and it’d be awesome to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. Granted, that was 14 years ago, but it may be possible and it would definitely be awesome!  Let’s face it, no one is getting any younger and the longer I wait, the harder it’ll be. I’ve never been thin, but I can focus on healthy and hope thin comes along for a surprise!

To be completely honest, all pep talks aside, I’m terrified! I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish. I’m scared of hurting myself because I feel old, even though I’m really not. I’m afraid of being sore the next day- what’s with that? I’m even mortified about trying on my old workout clothes.

But I am going to try. I’ll let you know how things are going and what it’s like to be in a Boot Camp class. I’ll even tell you if I lose any weight, and how much! (Cross your fingers for me!) My first class is Wednesday night at Work It Out Fitness 3 in Renton, WA. Wish me luck, or even better wish me courage! I’m using all of your strength to get me down to that gym on Wednesday. Thanks for it!

-Michelle