I joined the Boston Sports Club. It is a swanky health club that is one block from my office. My company subsidizes the cost to $150 a year. The club costs $50 a month. My trainer costs another $75 for three sessions, and after that he will cost $89 an hour. That is probably off the charts for me, but I can dream, can't I? I would like to imagine getting stronger and leaner, if not younger. I can imagine doing a high dive off the diving board in their beautiful pool. But, first things first. Right now, I am dreaming that some day it won't hurt so bad.
The trainer started me off by showing me the eight different exercise machines that do leg pushes and pulls, arm pushes and pulls and other devices of torture that are so good for you. I have to adjust the weights on the machines and the height of the seat and after all that, I only get to do 12 reps to start off. But...I am a beginner and this WILL get easier. Right?
Then he moved me on to the cardio cycle, where you adjust the settings for five minutes of warm up, do twenty five minutes of cycling to get your heart rate up to 120 beats a minute...any more than that, he says, and your body goes into panic mode and starts burning muscle. So, for twenty five minutes I watch TV with the earphones and try to ignore the fact that my feet don't fit the stirrups, that my right knee hurts with every push and that I'm sweating. The sweating is actually the fun part. I was amazed how much I enjoyed getting sweaty. My body heats up and it feels good! I really am amazed. But, my knee still hurts. He said that will go away, when the muscle builds up and my knee begins to learn that blood flow is good. He said that arthritis isn't cured by anything, but that a good supply of blood to the area is a very good thing. I believe him.
My doctor is all for my joining the health club. She says that 90% of my health problems would go away if I wasn't carrying around extra weight. It is a tough nut to handle. No more pudding, apple pie and creme brulee. It is time to crack down and drink water and enjoy sweating. It is time to do what everyone knows is the right thing to do: exercise!
I am going to blog it while I flog it. I have a new motto, "It feels great to lose weight in 2008". And I told George tonight - this is a VERY big deal. I am happy when I make a resolution and stick to it. I am happy when I make a choice that I know is a good one and stick to it. And right now, seeing how much work it is to burn 150 calories, you couldn't force me to eat a creme brulee.
Have a healthy and safe New Years Eve. See you at the health club tomorrow!
