Thursday, September 13, 2012

The gym experiment begins

Thanks to my friend John from high school, and feeling otherwise fed up with feeling like a slug, I did the previously unthinkable, and joined a real gym last week. My biggest motivator was being categorized as "pre-diabetic" a few months ago. That was the first time I had ever been put into a potentially scary as hell group in regards to my health. I don't know anything about the best way for me to achieve my goals other than to flat out start SOMETHING!! And the company I work for is extremely generous about helping us live healthier lives, so they reimburse monthly gym dues! Well, I walked into the LA Fitness close to where I work, and signed up! Then had to come home and break the financial news gently to David. He was NOT happy about the additional up-front costs that came with my membership!! But neither was I!! "Why can't you do any of the free things to get healthy?!!!" Well, dearheart...I need more structure than you do!! BLAHBLAH-YADAYADAYADA...it's a done deal, so what next?

I'm not going to say much about the personal trainer that I had a consult with a few days after I joined up other than to say that it was a HIGH pressure sales attempt to get me to spend even more money a month OR ELSE I can say goodbye to achieving any of my weight loss goals!!! And apparently I am an idiot because I wouldn't be able to accomplish being able to take a shit without being told how to do it correctly by a professional trainer!! I left that consult in tears unfortunately. Not because I was destroyed or demoralized or any of that other crap. I was PISSED!! Oh, and we did a few half-squats that were supposed to "shred" my quadricep muscles. Yeppers, we DID accomplish that!! I didn't walk very good for about 5 days. What I wanted from this consult was a brief overview of what strength training machines would work best for me, and which wouldn't. I get the cardio part a lot easier than the strength training part. That's what we WILL focus on tomorrow during my "throw her a bone on the house" session with my torture master.

I know they expected me to never return after exiting the building in tears the other night, but I am undeterred. I have been back 3 times since then (but just for cardio) and have done some research online about self-monitored and self-directed strength training in a gym, so THERE!!

OK, just for record-keeping purposes...these are the ugly beginning stats...weight: 215 lbs, 44.1 % body fat...GROSS!! But here are the realistic goals I've set for myself with the approval of the gym guru and my doctor!! In a year's time (from Sept 6, 2012 forward...) weight 160, 24 % body fat (the idea is that I will actually gain a little weight in muscle and lose it in fat...HEALTHIER!!!

I have 3 LAF locations that I will take advantage of, and I have friends at work that are also new LAF members and we plan on working out together as often as possible, but I'm OK with going solo too. I might try some of the workout classes, and will definitely take advantage of the pool!! And oh yeah, trying to partake of a healthier diet too. I actually have access to telephonic nutrition and weight-loss and general health coaches thru my health insurance company, and we've already had a coupla conversations since the gym experiment began!! This is a new feature that I am tickled to take advantage of!!

Ok, this promise...I have no plans to constantly post pics of any progress I may make, or constant non-pictoral blatherings about my gym experiences. I don't want to share THAT much about THAT aspect of my life with THAT many people! I'm just say'in...til next time

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

"The Beast Project" back on!!

"Le projet Bête" in French
"El proyecto Beast" in Spanish
"獣プロジェクト" ("-Juu purojekuto") in Japanese
"The Beast Projekt" in German

WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT...It's BAAACK!!! What this all means is that for the 1st time in over 2 months, I had butt in seat time on my "Beast" Suzuki Burgman 650 scooter!!! My hubby is my rider coach, and between hot as hell days in June and July and vacation taken in August and then more hot as hell days in August and mega OT worked this summer, it's been awhile since I've had parking lot time with my Burgie!!
David and I both have concerns about getting me on real roads until I get much more familiar and confident handling stopping and starting and turning and other parking lot maneuvers of this 450 lb machine. This is really more like a step-through motorcycle than it is the cute lil' Italian scoot that Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck made famous in "Roman Holiday." I did the basic safety course back in May on a cutie lil scoot that only weighs 175 lbs. The other big difference is the power of the engine. I'm not very mechanincally minded, but a lil scooter compares to a maxi scoot like a BB gun compares to a M16 automatic rifle. So, the main point for the Beast project is to get me safely comfortable and confident to be on the roads with other vehicles and be able to survive!

We spent about 1.5 hrs in the parking lot of the high school down the street from our house yesterday morning, and David drilled me hard, giving me pointers after each rep. I have scared the crap out of him at least once when he really did think I was going to die in a crash, so he is VERY perceptive about each little thing I did right and wrong!! But, gratefully, at the same time, he is being sooooo patient with me. He knows there's no way I'll ever gain his level of expertise, and so far, he's being extra cool about my shortcomings (even if they are only temporary!). It really is a matter of time in the seat and just accumulated experience over time. Anyways, I am super stoked for the next time this weekend to pick up where we left off. My goal is to be able to go riding with him on a back country road ride before he goes to see his Mom at Thanksgiving, but before that I want David to be comfortable with me getting alone-road time once I get the basics mastered in the parking lot! Until next time, then!