Lunges and squats and scales, oh my!

Today was a better day. My stomach and head are adjusting well to the diet and there was no temptation to dig the box of chocolates out of the freezer and have them for breakfast. That makes for a good start to the day.

As I prepared for this challenge, I told myself that I would not be a slave to the scale. Past weight loss efforts had me eager to jump on the scale everyday to see how I did. If the scale went down, I was happy. If it went up or stayed the same, I was disappointed. All of the weight loss experts urge you to weigh no more than once a week, but I was always too tempted and just couldn’t stay off.

This time will be different. Oh, the temptation is still there, but this time, I will win. I will only weigh once a week.

I met up with personal trainer Bill this afternoon for my first workout session. He told me he would take it easy on me since I was still a little under the weather and silly me believed him. He started out easy enough, walking around the track with me, twice. Then we started on the warm up exercises: walking on my toes, forwards and backwards, then on my heels, followed by some weird combination of walking and arm circles that pushed the boundary of my coordination. Bill didn’t tell me in our pre-workout meeting that coordination would be required in his sessions and I think he may have regretted that omission.

So far, so good. Hey, I can do this.

Then came the squats. Yep, the same ones we used to groan about in PE class, and they still feel the same. Only 10, Bill says. Only? Doesn’t he realize I haven’t set foot in a gym in nearly 2 years? 9 and 10. Whew made it through! Guess that wasn’t so bad after all. Can’t wait for what’s next. Lunges? Lunges? Another flashback to high school PE. And 10 of those you say? “Are you out of your mind?” I scream in my head, but I obediently start with lunge number 1, then the next, and so on. I made it through the 10 and didn’t fall over once. That’s a victory.

Next up is cardio. Bill leads me into the weight room and has me work on a series of Nautilus machines, working primarily my upper body. Good thing since my legs were still screaming from the lunges and squats. Next, on to some free weights. No problem! We’re grooving now!

Bill then leads me to the recumbent bike, setting the resistance fairly low and the timer for 10 minutes. He steps away for a few minutes, and when he comes back, he starts increasing the level of resistance about every 30 seconds to a minute, pushing me to keep going. Finally, with about 2 minutes remaining, he has me start decreasing the resistance a few levels at a time until times up.

We move to the floor mats for some cooling down flex exercises: leg lifts, arm lifts, more exercises that push the bounds of my limited coordination. Then, surprisingly, Bill tells me we’re done for the day. I made it!

I head to the locker room with the promise to Bill that I’ll be back tomorrow. I grab my gear and start to head downstairs. As I take the first step down, I realize that my legs have turned to jelly. I hold onto the handrail and gingerly make my way down the stairs. Bill warned me I would feel the workout, I just thought it might take a little longer for my muscles to start to rebel!

As I sit here and write this tonight, my legs are still feeling a little achy, and each time I have to climb the stairs in the house, they start screaming again, only not quite as loudly as earlier. I feel it in my arms and shoulders, too. Somehow though, oddly enough, it feels pretty darn good!

The first step into the gym, or into any exercise program, is always the toughest. I know the ache I feel in my muscles tonight is only temporary. It means I have awakened those muscles that have rested far too long. It’s time to let those muscles earn their keep.

That’s it for today. I hope you all had a successful day today. Stay focused, we can do this together!