When I was pregnant with baby D last year, I signed up for three sessions with a trainer, Cristy. The first one was to learn some safe and effective exercises to do during my pregnancy, the second was to make sure I was doing said exercises properly, and the third was for post-baby fitness. I hadn't seen Cristy since April, until today. I had asked her to create a workout I could replicate at home using equipment I already have (free weights, exercise ball, weight bench) because I've been thinking for awhile now that my gym membership has overstayed its welcome.
It was May of 2008 that I first started going to the Y, and it was to get fit and have more energy; I didn't have any set weight goal or anything. I chose the Y because it was ridiculously close to my house at the time, and I felt better about contributing to a community-based organization than a corporate gym whose goal is to make money by pressuring potential and existing clients (not that I'm bitter at Goodlife for trying to finagle me out of money).
I generally made pretty good use of my membership: I tried to go around twice a week, and I'd stay for an hour each visit, doing a combination of cardio (via elliptical or recumbent bike), weights, and abs (with limited results). From my due date until eight weeks after baby D's birth, I suspended my membership, and from that time until now, I've been back at the gym off and on. More off than on, as it turns out. Since my monthly fee is just a smidge over 50$, I decided that money would be of more use elsewhere in our budget.
The plan now: doing my new workout at home twice or three times a week. I'd also like to try and run, which will shock anyone who knows me well. I make no bones about the fact that I hate running. Three weeks ago, I went running with the hubby and the babe (in a stroller that he pushed), and really enjoyed it, aside from the running part. Nevertheless, I'm going to give it a good shot. Our neighbourhood is pretty conducive to running, with a good amount of sidewalks (although usually only on one side of the street, with no rhyme or reason as to when they switch to the opposite side) and the odd gentle hill (which feels like a straight-up incline if you're me). I did run with my mom yesterday, and even then I felt a lot better than I did during and after the original run. As a supplement to any running, I'm also going to walk with my main girl baby D, since she loves her stroller and I love a good walk. Seriously, put me on a 5 km walk instead of a 2km run any day.
In general, I just want to incorporate fitness into my daily routine, rather than having to go to a specific place to get fit. The real kicker was this run with the hubby: he hadn't done any running since a few weeks after baby D was born, and I had been going to the gym pretty regularly since she was 8 weeks old. He totally outran me, and wasn't nearly as drained as I was at the end. That illustrated to me that ellipticals and recumbent bikes bear no resemblance whatsoever to actual cardiovascular exercise. I guess I was lulled into thinking I was fit because I did my little one-hour circuit twice a week, when really, I should be trying to get thirty minutes' exercise a day.
In other news, I just finished the lacy cowl (aka neckwarmer) I was knitting for my parents' friend B. I probably should have prefaced that post by saying that I am a knitter; it's not like I just decided to pick up the hobby in order to cheer up B. Anyway, the pattern was 61 rows, and it took me two and a half weeks. For someone who's been knitting for almost four years, that's abysmally slow. However, I am also the full-time caregiver for the cutest fifteen pounds I've ever seen in baby form. So I'm not going to beat myself up about it. The cowl is drying at the moment, and will be delivered at some point this weekend. It looks really pretty, and I think next time I'll make it in a solid colour rather than a variegated yarn.
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