I am SO excited that one of my all-time favorite fitness blog gurus is posting for us. This Stay at home mom of 2 1/2 and personal trainer with a love of nutrition (including sneaking those veggies into her kid’s food), has great insight on fitness and how to balance being a mom and balancing the fitness routine. Here is FITMEPINK’S outlook on investing in yourself:
“There are few investments I’ve made in my life that have reaped greater benefits than joining a gym. I had just returned home after living abroad (in cold, dark Finland) for 18 months. I was 30 lbs. heavier than when I left. One day soon after returning home, some guy friends invited me and a girlfriend to the beach. I was mortified as I watched my friend take off her clothes to reveal a cute, slender, tan, perfect beach body. I’ve never wanted to be the girl who refuses to wear a swimsuit, so I removed my clothes to reveal a chubby and white-from-literally-not-seeing-the-sun-for-a-year-and-a-half– body. I wanted to hide. I wanted to be ANYWHERE but at the beach, wearing ANYTHING but the full-coverage, black one piece swimsuit that didn’t hide enough.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that a perfect body is the key to happiness. But I was depressed. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I wasn’t healthy, and I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t sure what to do with my life at that point, and at that yucky beach moment, I was miserable…and feeling fat and ugly didn’t help.
A few mornings later, I woke up and made a decision. I was joining a gym. I didn’t care how much it cost, I was going to join. Yes, I was the perfect walk-in-potential-member. I walked into the gym (with my little brother who I coerced into joining with me), and started looking at my options. When the guy-hoping-for-the-sale told me about the “lifetime membership,” (which included 5 sessions with a Personal Trainer), I was sold. I knew that fitness had to be a way of life. I wasn’t going to be in this for the short haul. I wasn’t going to lose the 30 lbs. and quit. I was going to start doing something that I would continue forever. So I paid a nice chunk of change (especially for a girl who’d spent a year-and-a-half giving service AKA making no money), signed some papers, and started chipping away at those lovely extra pounds.
I definitely don’t think joining a gym is the only way to a fit body and life, but for me, it was an investment in myself that I wasn’t going to waste! By purchasing a “life-time membership,” I knew that I was in this for life. I wasn’t going to work really hard to lose the weight only to fall back off the wagon. I wanted to be healthy, and I was literally committing myself for…well…forever!
The Best Decisions I’ve Made On This Lifetime Fitness Journey
For me, joining a gym that day was the FIRST best decision I made in the beginning of my on-going fitness journey.
The second best decision was signing up for those 5 Personal Training sessions. Before working with a trainer, I really only did cardio. Working out meant running. Period. (OK, and Tae Bo with Billy Blanks). After my first few sessions with a trainer, I was sold on the benefits of resistance training. I was sore in places I didn’t know existed on my body! I loved it! I loved knowing that I was making changes on my body that couldn’t be made any other way. I fell so in love with resistance training, that I went on to become a certified personal trainer.
The third best decision I made on my fitness journey was stepping foot into a group fitness class. I used to watch from the outside and feel totally intimidated by the barbells, steps, and free weights. I vividly remember my first experience in a lifting type class (strength endurance training). I looked to see how much weight the other ladies had on their bars. Being the overly-competitive girl that I am, I foolishly matched the ones with the most. I barely made it through class, and couldn’t walk normally for days. I’m sure the instructor cringed as she watched my form…I had no idea how hard the class would be. But now, the classes are honestly what keep me going to the gym. They’re on my schedule, and I plan many of my days around these workouts. I work out longer, and harder than I probably would on my own. I’ve made friends in the classes. I heart group fitness!
The fourth best decision I ever made was signing up for a race. Mind you, signing up for a full 26.2 mile marathon as the first organized race probably wasn’t the smartest thing. A 5- or even a 10-K would have been better. But regardless of how long the race, I had a goal to work towards. I couldn’t NOT run knowing that I would probably keel over and die on the race course if I didn’t train. Running soon became an addiction with which I have an ongoing love affair.
The fifth best decision I made was asking for a heart rate monitor for Christmas two years ago. I probably go a little overboard by wearing it for each and every workout, but it has truly helped me understand my body. I know what it truly feels like when I go anaerobic. I also know when my perceived rate of exertion is a lot higher than I’m actually working. I occasionally feel like I’m working at a level 10, but my heart rate tells me I’m working at more like a level 6. The heart doesn’t lie!
The sixth best decision was starting a fitness blog. I love that health and fitness is always on my mind! I love that I get to learn as I research. And I love that I get to glean insights from other healthy-minded readers and writers. Plus, it keeps me accountable. Having even a friend to check up on you and your fitness goals can be life changing!
I hope to continue making new life-altering decisions as I crawl along in this on-going fitness journey. However, the most important thing for me is knowing that I’m doing something that I feel I can sustain for life. I don’t work out for hours upon hours each day. That’s not a pace I can maintain. But I can chug along, go to the gym, and not be completely mortified at the thought of wearing a swimsuit on the beach! Yes, I definitely have some post-baby-body issues, but I’m a happier, healthier, more confident me.
Investing in your health, your body, and your overall well being is ALWAYS worth it!”
THANKS SO MUCH, ROBYN!! For more great insights, tips, recipes, and strategies, go to www.fitmepink.blogspot.com.
