Disclaimer: This is no way an endorsement of any particular gym. I am not being paid for this post.
I took a major step toward reclaiming back my health and my knees and not to mention my waistline. I joined a gym! Such a scary thing, right? I have always wanted to join one, but the ones around here were always too expensive and honestly, there were only a couple to choose from. Fast forward a few decades and now we have Workout Anytime and Planet Fitness, both with several locations around us. But joining a gym is a huge commitment. Do I have time to go? Will I actually use it? Will I keep going after the newness wears off? And don’t forget, you need workout clothes! Decisions, decisions.
After finishing three rounds of physical therapy, my doctor and physical therapists said they would release me if I promised to join a gym or at least work super hard at home. I still had and have a long way to go to get all of my strength and flexibility back, but I had done all I could at physical therapy. So what to do? I tried continuing my workouts at home, but something was always getting in the way or I would totally forget. I was becoming discouraged and depressed because I wasn’t noticing any difference and I definitely wasn’t losing any weight.
My hubby surprised me by telling me I could join a gym, whichever one I wanted, for Mother’s Day! I couldn’t believe it! So which to choose? If I went to Workout Anytime, I could workout with my two older kids. Let’s be honest, I think I’d be crimping their style. If I joined Planet Fitness a lot of my church members go there. Do I really want to workout with people I know? Which way to go? So, a friend took me as a guest with her to Planet Fitness and I loved it! We had so much fun! I came home and joined that night. Happy Mother’s Day to me!
I’ve been going for one month today and although I’ve only lost about a pound and half, we now have a group of four friends that get together about twice a week to workout together. My youngest daughter even goes with me a few times a week too. I even conquered one of my biggest fears… going to the gym by myself! I never thought I could do it. But no one is paying attention to me, they’re too busy working on themselves and it’s awesome and so freeing to be able to go to a gym and concentrate only on you for a little while.
My son did go with me one day to make sure I was using the machines correctly. We had a blast! He had me do a total body day. We used machines that I’d never used before at the gym like the pulleys and cables and a free weight routine. It was tough. Each set on the machine started out at a weight that I could do and we did 12 reps, then increased the weight by 5 and did 8 reps, then a weight increase of 5 more and pushed to do 6 reps. I thought I was going to die, but I survived! My workouts so far have been pretty basic otherwise. You have to start somewhere! Here is what I’m doing for now.
So far, my beginner workouts are:
30 minutes on the Fat Burn setting on the treadmill each time I’m at the gym to warm up
Then Abs 2-3 days a week
Lower body 1-2 days a week
Upper body 1 – 2 days a week
Some days I finish with a few more minutes on the bike or the elliptical
Finish with the hydromassage because it feels so good
I’ve already met with a trainer and for the first month, I was told to get familiar with the equipment and the routine of coming to the gym. That’s why I’m doing the simple workout above. Now I’m ready to meet again and come up with a routine! If you are recovering from an injury or have a pre-existing condition check with your doctor first. Mine doesn’t want me doing squats past 90 degrees or anything high impact and I’ll relay that info to the trainer. I’ve also been scouring Pinterest for different workouts to do so if you follow me on Pinterest, you’ll see the workouts I’m pinning. The PF360 room looks so intimidating but so fun! If you haven’t seen it, look it up! I hope to be able to use it someday.
The one thing I will say is that joining a gym has taken me out of my comfort zone but in a good way. I’ve realized how much I have missed working out. I used to be a bit of an addict when my kids were tiny and I actually went from healthy to borderline not. It was enough to scare me and make my friends concerned. I couldn’t lose enough weight and I think that kept me from working out over the years. That and life. But now it’s time to get it back together and conquer some of my fears.
So far month one down and it’s been great and I still want to go back for more. Working out by myself and with friends from my church and my kids have been amazing. We chat and push each other and have a great time. I’ve even gotten brave enough to wear an actual workout shirt a few times and not just a t-shirt. Time to buy more workout clothes! I also bought a cute insulated water bottle to take to the gym so I can tell which water is mine. Very important tip! Bring your own water bottle that you can easily recognize and refill as often as you want.
If anyone would like to share their workout routines for the gym I’d love to hear them! I’ll share mine as I find or come up with new ones that I’m doing. Step out of your comfort zone! Whether you workout at home, a gym or a walk, do it. You need to do it for you and your health. The first step is always the hardest and the most awkward, but you can do it if I can!
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