Early morning gym ...

8:30am … my FIRST day of retirement and I’m back at the gym!  Weird, I think in the nearly four years I’ve been at Massey I’m lucky if I made it to work on time for more than five days, yet here I am sitting in the CAR plucking up courage to walk in the gym. 

My first success story is I’ve LEARNT to wait for the door to click after I’ve swiped my card instead of getting STRESSED because I’m trying to open the door and it just doesn’t open.  So feeling like I’ve accomplished great things I head through the door.  It seems there’s been something of a MIRACLE since my last visit, I appear to have frightened off all the 17 year old rugby players and there’s like me, my personal trainer (hehehe sorry can’t believe I’m cool enough to have one of these) and about two other people.  One chaps turns out to be REALLY nice cause he gave me the thumbs up when he noticed I was obviously dying during part of it (personal trainer didn’t notice this … had to keep going on those step up things).

My "Lark in the Park" experience

Somehow managed to find some bravery to rise at 6:15am this MORNING so I could venture to some sort of workout thing at a park in PN today.  There are several issues here … FIRSTLY, I can’t even get to WORK on time at 8:30, so actually making it to a workout (where I know it’s going to be harder than actual work) is going to be a MISSION.  Secondly, I’m shy (I AM) and while I love to meet new people, find it hard.  THIRDLY, my TOP (yes there’s always going to be an issue with this) doesn’t match my shoes, let alone cover anything it should – and yes I have tried on about 6 of mine and 3 of Neil’s.  FOURTHLY, there’s no petrol in the car.  FIFTHLY … it’s SATURDAY I’m not meant to get up this early in the weekend. SIXTHLY … well you’re getting the general idea, I do have a lot of reasons why I can’t make this workout … HOWEVER, I convinced a friend to come with me (and now she’s probably removed me from her friends list on FB) so I scoffed my SPECIAL K (because apparently breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day – this is in case the personal trainer reads this!), got petrol and sped to PN (all the while thinking, with a bit of luck it might be raining in PN and it will be called off!

So arrived at the park to find the entrance blocked off … I should have taken this as a SIGN, really if that isn’t one then I don’t know what IS.  So off we head with the group to some stairs … STAIRS are not my calling, somehow I think that’s going to change.  Then to my horror we end up in a LINE rather than just a bunch.  At least in a bunch you can hide, but in a line sooner or later when you’re in a line you’re gonna end up at the FRONT. So there we go in pairs up and down these steps, there must have been about 100 of them, seriously.  While we waited our turn Roger had us doing some other random activity – it was during these random times that I tried to breathe & sip water … HONESTLY though, how am  I meant to breathe after running up steps and then when I’m absolutely dying for a DRINK (water that is), I can’t drink because I’m trying to BREATHE.  About this stage the ducks (and normally I love ducks, especially the ducklings) start to laugh … my opinion of ducks has gone downhill (and wishing I was going downhill).

It just keeps getting better ...

Yep, you got it. I was back at the gym today … bit of a miracle really considering half way through the afternoon I thought WHAT am I doing … is this all part of my mid-life crisis (you know the one where quit my perfectly good job, get a tattoo, think I’m going to save the world crisis) … SERIOUSLY who exactly do I think I am?!  Anyway got over my little feel sorry for myself moment, realised that I CAN do this and I WILL be successful and headed off for just a little more embarrassment (because I don’t think my life is complete without it).

Having ALMOST overcome the dramas with WHAT to wear at the gym I have now moved onto … OH NO I don’t have a proper backpack to take my gear in (well I do, but it seems the 9 year old has dumped his school bag for my backpack – the one I got free from a work conference) … so this morning I stuff my things (except for my pants cause they were still wet from the washing machine, so I set them up in the back of the car to dry during the day, SERIOUSLY I did) into a plastic supermarket bag.  Upon arrival at the gym, I suddenly realised that the supermarket bag just didn’t fit with my mid-life crisis so I stuffed it all into my REALLY flash (and only) handbag and headed through the doors …

Back to the Gym ...

So having officially said “yes” to signing up to a programme that will help get me started on a journey to wellness (gosh, you can tell I’m training to be a social worker) … or perhaps a journey to provide my friends with just a little laughter in their day, I ventured back to a meeting with my personal trainer (still coming to grips with that term!) at the gym.  This time I REMEMBERED the sports bra (I’m still traumatised from that experience last time), it didn’t bother me as much that NOONE had blind folds on (not even me) and I even knew where my car keys were before I left work. I have made a “note to self” though: find out when the middle aged mums go to the gym (instead of the 17 year old rugby players).

Upon arrival I thought it might be a good idea to change from jeans to these really sexy gym pant things, especially attractive because they don’t really allow for hiding much – and I was a little disappointed because my jeans went much better with the top I was wearing.  Anyway, after making it through that LITTLE crisis, Roger (the personal trainer) says “right, we’re going to do a fitness assessment”. Awesome I thought, and as I was about to tell him “I can breathe (most of the time) and that’s about it” … he directed me towards equipment.  HONESTLY, he did!  It’s kinda weird really, because I know how fit (UNFIT) I am (sorry but I wouldn’t be signing up if I was fit!) … so how come he won’t take my word for it???

The Day After ...

It seems my few minutes at the gym yesterday is not quite as amusing as it was  yesterday ... (ouch).

No change in determination or attitude towards it, but seriously I wasn't even there that long the first day .. I think if I'm planning on attending regularly I'd better book the retirement home bed ... for say Monday next week!

Gave the kids & husband a choc egg for valentines day in their lunch boxes ... DON'T PANIC I didn't include one for me ... in fact completely forgot my lunch today - which is kinda scary because I'm not actually sure I can walk to the cafe! Note to self:  look up meals on wheels phone number.

It was a lovely drive to work today, beautiful ... once i actually edged my way into the seat that is.  Today I enjoyed just sitting there, not moving at all for fear of pain!  Pity I actually arrived at work really ... took 5 minutes to get out of the car ...

Terrifying moment when I remembered I was meeting a friend for lunch and in a moment of brilliance we had decided to meet at the cafe at the OTHER END OF THE CAMPUS ... you know the one at the bottom of the hill (the hill that today resembles Mt Ruapehu).  So, after I warned the girls in the office if I wasn't back in two hours they'd have to send a WHEELCHAIR, off I set.  I approached those tiny little steps in the concourse pretty tentatively ... for once wishing that today would be the day I'd fall head first down them - that way I wouldn't be able to tell which hurt the most & I'd actually make it to the bottom in good time (for those who don't know ... I have actually fallen down those steps!).

 

Visit to the Gym

So ... I'm starting a new venture of trying to take care of myself in all areas rather than just in some!  Of course (well hopefully), it will change how I look and while others may benefit from this, I'm doing this for me.  This is something I deserve, I deserve to feel good about myself and I deserve to enjoy life and all that God has given me. (my thearpist is going to love this bit)

Despite being completely embarrased (that doesn't actually cover it), despite the fact I realised I'd left the sports bra at home (so worried about this consequence), despite the fact I realised that my t-shirt doesn't actually come down to my knees and cover all the bits I want fixed and despite my efforts to lose my car keys at work 5 minutes before I was meant to leave (and I really did try hard to look for them) ... I actually went. I thought I was nervous, but no just embarrased that I've let myself get into this state.

Thankfully, I decided not to wear my jeans and polar fleece ... I was further embarrased that the room had windows, oh and light, I was horrified that there were other people there and oh that those who were there weren't wearing blindfolds ... funnily enough no one else seemed to notice me ... and that's a GREAT thing!