So, it's back to this again...

I struggle with my weight. I am not heavy, I probably can't even be classified as chubby. And yet my thighs are as large as a man's and I weigh as much as girls 4 inches taller than I am. I find it difficult to maintain a weight I am happy with. I have tried it the healthy way, and I have tried it the unhealthy way. I have been partially successful utilizing both. I have gotten down to a goal weight, and then something happened and I didn't, like, pig out or suddenly pull an Ally and expect to have a trophy and be done with it (if only, though!). I just... ran into barriers. Either I was being an asshole and not doing it right (such as not eating until I was shaking, eating very little, etc.) or I became tempted by being with friends a lot, or family outings, or being lazy.

But for the last couple of years my fixation has been almost solely on food, and exercise as an addition. I want to change that. I want to exercise regularly and stop crying about "not having time." I want to exercise more than just when I drive the 40 miles to see my mom, or when it's cool enough to play DDR. So I joined a gym. I was skeptical, but then I found out all these neat things. First and foremost, my insurance contributes to dues as long as I go a certain number of times per month. So I will only be paying $18/month for all the gym equipment, certain classes, tanning (not that I'll be using it, but the option is there all the same), free week of personal training, nutritional guidance if I need it, and other amenities that sound silly to type out. And it's like 3 blocks from my apartment so I could either bike there or stop by on the way home from work. AND it's 24 hours, so if I wanted to work out when Steve is at work on the weekends, yay!

I had about 20 minutes to simply watch people and the atmosphere. It's a small facility but does not feel cramped. It has won best fitness location (that one specifically) for 3 years for Saint Paul. There were as many people there as there were trainers (about 8 people in all), and the trainers came off as friendly, nice, and knowledgeable. The coordinator guy and I had a nice little conversation about nutrition and pharmaceuticals. It was refreshing to meet another human being sharing similar ideas about what's healthy for you and what is not. This was actually sparked by a comment I made about statins (I am almost completely against them, especially for women). The down payment sucks, but I don't have to pay again until September. I'm really excited about getting a free week with a personal trainer - his name is Joe and I was already watching him in action with someone else. He seems really good, and not intimidating. If it's not too much more, I will likely add personal training to the tab because I need structure. I'm an extremely structured person for these kinds of things and I need something to motivate me. Money will be a good motivating factor as well, especially since Medica won't AUTOMATICALLY lower my rate - only if I go 8 or 12 times per month or something. That's a lot of money if I didn't go. Three times a week is a lot (if that's what the number is, for some reason Medica is stupid and doesn't list it on the site so I have to call), but I already paid for this month and August, so I can work up to it.

I'm actually kind of excited to start working out again. When I lost 10 pounds for a class at UMD I felt great, did it on my own using the weight room (and playing ultimate frisbee). I had no partner or trainer, and I was consistent. I think I can do it again. Only instead of frisbee it'll be DDR :)

So, it's back to this again...

I struggle with my weight. I am not heavy, I probably can't even be classified as chubby. And yet my thighs are as large as a man's and I weigh as much as girls 4 inches taller than I am. I find it difficult to maintain a weight I am happy with. I have tried it the healthy way, and I have tried it the unhealthy way. I have been partially successful utilizing both. I have gotten down to a goal weight, and then something happened and I didn't, like, pig out or suddenly pull an Ally and expect to have a trophy and be done with it (if only, though!). I just... ran into barriers. Either I was being an asshole and not doing it right (such as not eating until I was shaking, eating very little, etc.) or I became tempted by being with friends a lot, or family outings, or being lazy.

But for the last couple of years my fixation has been almost solely on food, and exercise as an addition. I want to change that. I want to exercise regularly and stop crying about "not having time." I want to exercise more than just when I drive the 40 miles to see my mom, or when it's cool enough to play DDR. So I joined a gym. I was skeptical, but then I found out all these neat things. First and foremost, my insurance contributes to dues as long as I go a certain number of times per month. So I will only be paying $18/month for all the gym equipment, certain classes, tanning (not that I'll be using it, but the option is there all the same), free week of personal training, nutritional guidance if I need it, and other amenities that sound silly to type out. And it's like 3 blocks from my apartment so I could either bike there or stop by on the way home from work. AND it's 24 hours, so if I wanted to work out when Steve is at work on the weekends, yay!

I had about 20 minutes to simply watch people and the atmosphere. It's a small facility but does not feel cramped. It has won best fitness location (that one specifically) for 3 years for Saint Paul. There were as many people there as there were trainers (about 8 people in all), and the trainers came off as friendly, nice, and knowledgeable. The coordinator guy and I had a nice little conversation about nutrition and pharmaceuticals. It was refreshing to meet another human being sharing similar ideas about what's healthy for you and what is not. This was actually sparked by a comment I made about statins (I am almost completely against them, especially for women). The down payment sucks, but I don't have to pay again until September. I'm really excited about getting a free week with a personal trainer - his name is Joe and I was already watching him in action with someone else. He seems really good, and not intimidating. If it's not too much more, I will likely add personal training to the tab because I need structure. I'm an extremely structured person for these kinds of things and I need something to motivate me. Money will be a good motivating factor as well, especially since Medica won't AUTOMATICALLY lower my rate - only if I go 8 or 12 times per month or something. That's a lot of money if I didn't go. Three times a week is a lot (if that's what the number is, for some reason Medica is stupid and doesn't list it on the site so I have to call), but I already paid for this month and August, so I can work up to it.

I'm actually kind of excited to start working out again. When I lost 10 pounds for a class at UMD I felt great, did it on my own using the weight room (and playing ultimate frisbee). I had no partner or trainer, and I was consistent. I think I can do it again. Only instead of frisbee it'll be DDR :)