Category Archives: Losing Weight & Keeping Fit

Today I had murderous thoughts going through my head. I remember a friend of mine who had told me more or less the same thing only a few days ago when her personal trainer kept pushing her beyond of what she thought were her limits.

Today I found out exactly what she was trying to say.

***

My “walking plan” was short lived and I was forced to admit, once again, that only a strict exercise plan can help me lose weight. That being said, I went back to the gym. Another gym, one that I used to go to a few years ago. I still remember some of the trainers that still work there. They are all very nice, friendly and helpful. One of them, a girl, gave me a tour of the machines and instructed me as to how many sets and repetitions to do on each. Then she stayed with me and started counting. Remember those murderous thoughts I mentioned? Well, after countless repetitions (at some point I forgot to count but she didn’t) and lots of huffing and puffing and many more thoughts of giving up (I pushed them aside) arms shaking, legs wobbling, I managed to survive my first day back at the gym. Now I have to admit that left to my own devices, I would have taken it slower, much slower, but with the trainer watching my every move there was a slim chance of doing anything else but go through with it all. She was encouraging, smiling all the time, helping every now and then, but not once did she tell me to stop. If I ever decide to hire a personal trainer, I might consider choosing her for the job.

And so, with music from my tiny red mp3 player blasting in my ears and a bottle of water, I start yet again on my road to being fit. I have no idea if this new journey will be a success but what I do know is that I’m not ready to give up yet. Not by a long shot.

How very true, especially when it comes to weight loss. This particular new year resolution crumbled after less than two months at the gym. The truth is, I got bored. The same setting, same routine, same people, same, same, same… That has been my greatest enemy before, and apparently, after a few years of victory, it has come back again to challenge me. So I gave up on going to the gym and took a break. I ate, and slept, and baked (doesn’t sound too good, does it) and read, and just didn’t give it a lot of thought for a while. Until my clothes started shrinking just a bit and then a little bit more and then I knew I had to get back on track.

I figured I’d go back to the beginning and start walking for an hour every day and also give my dumbbells another chance. 😀 I also have a jump rope waiting for me in a box (one other great thing about house cleaning is that you find useful stuff among the useless ones – I may have mentioned that before).

Today has been my fourth day this week.

Let the new battle begin.

Every plan to lose weight invariably starts with a trip at the gym. There is no other way. The word diet makes me cringe and the prospect of having only toast and fruit for breakfast is unappealing to me. I’m the kind of person who would rather eat a regular sized portion and compensate by working out more, than trying to eat less.

I found a gym close to the place I live and so, a few times a week I was planning to devote about 2 hours at a time to getting back into shape. My plan was to lose a few kilos, not more, as I have learned my lesson this time and try to fix the “damage” before it becomes too difficult. Getting rid of 3-4 kilos is infinitely easier than trying to lose 12.

And so my journey begins.

The first day at the gym I familiarized myself with the machines and got advice from the trainers. How to start, how many sets to do on the weight lifting machines, and so on. The next day I was back for more and everything seemed to go as planned. On the morning of the third day I could barely get out of bed. Every muscle in my legs seemed to cry out in pain. Was it the aerobic class or the ab routine that brought such torture? It must have been the combination, and for an out of shape body like mine, it was simply too much.

A few days later and feeling considerably better, I went again. I did some cardio exercises, trying out the elliptical machine, then went to yoga. Now, I have been to yoga more or less regularly for the past few months at another place, but this was totally another level. For starters it was in an air-conditioned room and trying to bend and twist with the cold air blowing at you is not an easy task. It was actually painful. The yoga classes I had taken before were always at room temperature and this helped greatly with the level of flexibility.

The next day I was in pain again. The muscles in my lower legs seemed so tightly stretched that going down the stairs was quite an adventure. Time for a break.