At The Gym: Arc Trainer

About a month ago it was so hard to convince myself to get to the gym after work. Somehow during the drive from my office to the gym (about 15 minutes) I would come up with thousands of reasons why I should just keep driving home. I'm happy to say that is no longer the case. And I'm so glad. Now there is no question - the next stop after work is the gym. And most days I really want to go. Of course I have my days where I'm just not in the mood, but not going is no longer an option. I'm glad I have worked this back into my daily routine. I can tell it is helping with my mood and my body is feeling great too.

I'm still working on balance. I sometimes get stuck in this mentality that if I'm not totally killing myself at the gym it's not worth going or my workout doesn't feel as successful. About two years ago I was going to the gym almost everyday and spending at least an hour on the stair master. One day I passed out...probably from over doing it and not getting enough to eat. But that is always in the back of my head now. I struggle with knowing how much I should eat and when on the days I work out hard...cause I still like getting that super sweaty workout in.

Arc Trainer

Currently, I'm trying to ease into things. My new favorite machine at the gym is the Arc Trainer. It gets me sweating, which I love, and I feel like it's really working my legs and butt. So I spend a lot of evenings on this machine...but I'm trying not to over do it. I force myself to walk on the treadmill for an hour or do three different machines for 20 minutes each. With an occasional super hard, super sweaty workout thrown in. I'm trying to focus on long term. And finding a good balance. I still struggle with feeling dehydrated when I work out despite how much water I get into me. And muscle cramps have been a problem some days too. This may be a conversation for my doctor soon.

But, I want to be fit and strong*. And like I'm learning...I'm not going to be top notch right away. I need to focus on taking things slowly, one day at a time. Meeting little mini goals until it all adds up.

I'm workin on it.

*This whole strong piece...well, I haven't been so great at hitting the weights. But this is something I really want. I need to figure out how to feel comfortable/confident...I know that will take time and experience. But it's just really hard with all the people at the gym staring at me. (Ok, I know they aren't all staring at me, but it feels like it.) Perhaps some in home training at first. I have Jillian Michaels Shred video. Need to break that out.