Kicking My Butt Into Shape

Ow. AmIwritinganything?

Shake it off. Get it together!

I’ve never been a gym rat. At age 18 I joined my first club. My BFF and I received postcards in the mail giving us a 2 for 1 membership rate. “This will be so cool,” we thought, “we’ll totally get fit together!”

Actually, the longest we spent physically exerting ourselves lasted about 30 minutes. The rest of the time we were sipping our clear colas (remember those? no? just me, then.) in the hot tub. We didn’t get fit together. I think I actually gained weight in that time period.

I’ve kept an on again/off again relationship with gyms since the 80s, but I’ve never been too gung-ho  By the time I get dressed, commute, check in, get my stuff put away and find a machine/class, the actual workout never gets my full effort. When my daughters were young, gyms were worth it for the child care. As they grew, the indoor pools were enough incentive to pay monthly membership fees.

It’s been two years since our family has belonged to a corporate exercise facility. Edd gets his workouts riding his bike, the girls have theater and dance, and I was sure I’d be able to keep active walking the trails behind our house. Or at least playing Wii with the kids. Or maybe using my yoga DVD. None of that happened. 

Then the whole weight gain, no exercise, foot pain, writing a blog post everyday thing happened. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about – click the link. It will all make sense. Maybe.)

This morning I attended my 4th boot camp class. And I think I am dying a little bit. I hurt all over. Lest you think it will get better as time goes on – history doesn’t support this theory. I’m more sore than I was last week.

I need to be in shape. A shape other than a blob. I know from experience the gym life won’t motivate me to get in the shape I’d like to be, but I think this boot camp may just be the ticket to better health. Here’s why:

1. It’s cheaper than my closest gym. There are less expensive gyms, but I know if I joined again, I’d want to be where my friends and the kids’ friends are.
2. It’s only a 45 minute workout. Mind you, I am sweating the whole 45 minutes, but I can handle exercising for less time than it takes me to watch an episode of The Good Wife online.
3. One dynamite leader serves as a trainer for all. I don’t have to think while I’m moving. She shouts a command and I do it. I cannot be expected to use my brain and my muscles at the same time.
4. Each exercise only lasts a short period. By the time I want to collapse from exhaustion, Super Trainer will call out “5 seconds left!” I can work through the 5 seconds.
5. Appointments to attend the class are required and 12 hours notice is needed to cancel. I’m a commitment freak. If I’m accountable to someone else, I’ll show up.

There are many ways to work out, but this may be the right way for me.

Are you in a workout routine or a workout rut? What keeps you motivated in fitness?