Well, maybe I don't actually need Jillian. I'm pretty sure the whiner in me would come out, and if she didn't completely wash her hands of me, she would kill me on the treadmill. I don't really like to be driven. I don't like to think of myself as a quitter, but I certainly could be in the running as the Excuse Queen.
However, I would definitely benefit from a trainer. I've tried to convince myself over the last few years that I can do this by myself. Actually that's just an excuse to be cheap (so I don't have to pay for one) and lazy (so I can pretend I am pushing myself when I'm just trying hard). The obvious truth is that at the rate I'm going, I will stay where I am; better than when I started but not where I wanted to get to.
Sometimes it takes a smack upside the head to drive a point home. I was watching Extreme Makeover--Weightloss Edition recently. The girl on the show was doing her workouts, but she wasn't losing weight. Chris Powell pointed out she wasn't working hard enough. She would have to do more to get her heart rate up to where it needed to be. It was an uncomfortable truth.
That is me. When I work out on my own I take breaks and I slow down when I get out of breath. But when I go to an exercise class the sweat is running down my face, my hair is soaking wet. The driving beat of the music keeps my speed up, but more importantly the trainer keeps us moving. And of course I'M not going to quit when all those other people are still going.
Group Therapy. And a trainer. That's what I need. But I'm more comfortable staying in my comfort zone.
Showing posts with label workouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workouts. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Last Friday, I took off and skipped my favorite yoga class because I was tired after all the classes I attended through the week. This week I was hoping to pace myself better, because the truth is, Friday is not a good day to take off. I don't usually work out over the weekend. THOSE are my days off.
The gym I workout at is a bit unusual. They have classes called TBC for Total Body Conditioning. Their policy is to mix up the workouts each day which means you don't 'go to yoga, M-W-F' or to a cardio class at 10:30 every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes yoga means 'yoga flow--a movement class. Sometimes it means Pi-Yo which emphasizes core conditioning. Sometimes it is on Monday, sometimes it is on Tuesday.
The pros of this method is that your body does not develop muscle memory which weakens it's conditioning. (It never learns what to expect.) The difficulty with this system is scheduling. I may have something planned on a day I could really use the yoga class and I may be free on a day when a class I need isn't offered.
Another thing they do that seems new to me, is that at the beginning of each month the routine for each class will be a bit easier as new moves are introduced. By the end of the month the moves are intensified as we grow into them. Muscle memory outfoxed again.
When I first tried attending this gym I was turned off; annoyed that I couldn't get a simple schedule. Over the years, I've learned to embrace the system. I plan to go 3 days a week and I take what is available that day. It is working. Now that I go with the flow, I've learned how much stronger I am getting, and that makes me feel good.
I still like taking Fridays off, though. By the end of the week I'm ready for a day off.
I guess I'm still working on that whole pace thing.
The gym I workout at is a bit unusual. They have classes called TBC for Total Body Conditioning. Their policy is to mix up the workouts each day which means you don't 'go to yoga, M-W-F' or to a cardio class at 10:30 every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes yoga means 'yoga flow--a movement class. Sometimes it means Pi-Yo which emphasizes core conditioning. Sometimes it is on Monday, sometimes it is on Tuesday.
The pros of this method is that your body does not develop muscle memory which weakens it's conditioning. (It never learns what to expect.) The difficulty with this system is scheduling. I may have something planned on a day I could really use the yoga class and I may be free on a day when a class I need isn't offered.
Another thing they do that seems new to me, is that at the beginning of each month the routine for each class will be a bit easier as new moves are introduced. By the end of the month the moves are intensified as we grow into them. Muscle memory outfoxed again.
When I first tried attending this gym I was turned off; annoyed that I couldn't get a simple schedule. Over the years, I've learned to embrace the system. I plan to go 3 days a week and I take what is available that day. It is working. Now that I go with the flow, I've learned how much stronger I am getting, and that makes me feel good.
I still like taking Fridays off, though. By the end of the week I'm ready for a day off.
I guess I'm still working on that whole pace thing.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
A Day Off
I should be at Yoga this morning, but I'm not. Truth is, I'm tired and I just want a day at home. I really should have gone, though because when I look at the schedule for next week, I won't have as many workouts as I did this week, and I really did good this week!
Now that I know I really need to up the exercise and burn off more calories each day (because I don't eat that much--only 1200 calories--and I don't know how to eat less) I've uped the workouts. I've been going to yoga 2-3 days a week, depending on the schedule, but I've chickened out at things like 'Pi-Yo' (Pilates/Yoga) or cardio workouts.
Last week I went to SBT (short burst training) with a trainer I think is pretty tough. I survived! I looked at the work out schedule and decided to try a Cardiomix workout this week with the same trainer. I survived that too!!! Woohoo!
Then I talked myself into a Pi-yo class. Wow. More cardio than pilates. Another real workout. And I survived again! I was gaining confidence.
Yesterday I went to an SBT class with a different trainer, one I felt takes things a little slower or easier than the one I had last week. OOPS! Wrong assumption. Half way through I was dying! I looked at the girl next to me and we both looked at the clock. "Is this a 45 minute class today or a 60 minute one?" I asked her. Panting, she said, "I was just thinking the same thing. I can't remember." Thank goodness it was a 45 minute one. Since it was only 9:30 I decided to do my usual 30 minute/2 mile walk but it was half-hearted.
This morning when I woke up, I just didn't want to go. I had lots of excuses...I ran through a litany of them. There were 2 classes I had intended to do: yoga and then cardiomix. If my walk yesterday was half-hearted, I could halve that this morning.
4 years ago I tried doing a workout schedule similar to the one this week. I gave up quickly. It was too much for me at that time. I was exhausted. I'm actually in better shape now because of my daily walk on these killer hills. However, I'm not ready for a steady diet. Physically I may be up to it, but the truth is I like a day off once in a while.
What would Jillian say?
"How can you complain about the scale when you don't do the work?" yeah, she'd say that.
"How can you eat that stuff?", when she sees me scarfing down (just 1 little) chocolate gob. yeah, she'd say that, her voice rising, eyes rolling, arms waving in the air in disbelief.
I agree with her. So what do I tell myself today? "What is your goal?--To get some work done in the house and in the yard, to eat food I like in small portions. To spend a day on maintenance; not losing, not gaining. A day off from the gym."
Sometimes I just need one.
Now that I know I really need to up the exercise and burn off more calories each day (because I don't eat that much--only 1200 calories--and I don't know how to eat less) I've uped the workouts. I've been going to yoga 2-3 days a week, depending on the schedule, but I've chickened out at things like 'Pi-Yo' (Pilates/Yoga) or cardio workouts.
Last week I went to SBT (short burst training) with a trainer I think is pretty tough. I survived! I looked at the work out schedule and decided to try a Cardiomix workout this week with the same trainer. I survived that too!!! Woohoo!
Then I talked myself into a Pi-yo class. Wow. More cardio than pilates. Another real workout. And I survived again! I was gaining confidence.
Yesterday I went to an SBT class with a different trainer, one I felt takes things a little slower or easier than the one I had last week. OOPS! Wrong assumption. Half way through I was dying! I looked at the girl next to me and we both looked at the clock. "Is this a 45 minute class today or a 60 minute one?" I asked her. Panting, she said, "I was just thinking the same thing. I can't remember." Thank goodness it was a 45 minute one. Since it was only 9:30 I decided to do my usual 30 minute/2 mile walk but it was half-hearted.
This morning when I woke up, I just didn't want to go. I had lots of excuses...I ran through a litany of them. There were 2 classes I had intended to do: yoga and then cardiomix. If my walk yesterday was half-hearted, I could halve that this morning.
4 years ago I tried doing a workout schedule similar to the one this week. I gave up quickly. It was too much for me at that time. I was exhausted. I'm actually in better shape now because of my daily walk on these killer hills. However, I'm not ready for a steady diet. Physically I may be up to it, but the truth is I like a day off once in a while.
What would Jillian say?
"How can you complain about the scale when you don't do the work?" yeah, she'd say that.
"How can you eat that stuff?", when she sees me scarfing down (just 1 little) chocolate gob. yeah, she'd say that, her voice rising, eyes rolling, arms waving in the air in disbelief.
I agree with her. So what do I tell myself today? "What is your goal?--To get some work done in the house and in the yard, to eat food I like in small portions. To spend a day on maintenance; not losing, not gaining. A day off from the gym."
Sometimes I just need one.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Ouch
I hate my middle. This is the body image area that I long to correct the most. My mother and I share that feeling. She didn't like her middle either. The battle of the Bulge for us was between the "under bust" to the waistline. (I'm currently not nuts about the waist and hip area either, but that area actually is easier for me to control.)
So I did it! I dragged out my weights, checked my exercise cards, put on the music and gave myself a good old fashioned workout like my favorite Florida trainer used to do!
Actually, it was about half as long and half as fast as my favorite Florida trainer used to do.
Doesn't matter. It hurts. All over. It especially hurts to cough.
Darned abs.
So I did it! I dragged out my weights, checked my exercise cards, put on the music and gave myself a good old fashioned workout like my favorite Florida trainer used to do!
Actually, it was about half as long and half as fast as my favorite Florida trainer used to do.
Doesn't matter. It hurts. All over. It especially hurts to cough.
Darned abs.
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