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Gym Bunny
30-05-2010So, a few weeks ago I was rushing to catch the dart home. I was just at the entrance of the station when I heard it rolling in over the bridge. Not wanting to hang around for another 20 minutes on the next one, I legged it up the steps of grand canal dock, clocked my ticket, dashed through the gates and started running up the steps to go across the bridge to get to my platform. On running down the steps at the other side, I hurried and managed to jump onto the last carriage, grabbed a seat and tried to catch my breath. I was wrecked, I was huffing and puffing, I was sweltered and I had a face on me like I was chewing a raw chilli. The only thing that was missing was the steam coming out of my ears.
After a teeny tiny bit of exercise.
It took me until I got to my stop to recover. Ridiculous. At 25 years of age not being able to handle the slightest bit of exertion without my body feeling the need to shrivel up and keel over. It struck me then just how unfit I have become and that cannot be healthy.
I used to be fairly fit, I played a lot of sports in school and in university I enjoyed swimming or step aerobics. Never the gym. I hated the gym. Tried it once before in a small company gym and I found it very boring and after two visits I had decided that it was not for me. I enjoyed classes and sports, for me it was never a weight issue, always a 'staying healthy and fit' side of things. The company gym seemed to be much more focused on 'losing weight' and it just wasn't for me. Pounding on the treadmill for an hour at a time was not only tedious in my mind, but also pointless. I didn’t want to waste hours on the treadmill counting the calories I was working off.
Following my recent realisation at how unfit I have become I decided I should check out some classes, or find my local swimming pool. Not as easy (on the pockets) as you would think. Every swimming pool within a 10 mile radius is part of a gym, which requires an extortionate gym membership to avail of the pool facilities, same goes for the classes. I considered some jogging in the evening around the area we live but considering the 'nice' area we live borders a 'not so nice' neighbouring area I wasn't so fussed on this idea. I was resigning myself to the possibility of having to join a god dam gym.
I did some research and I came across a gym group called Slender Health. The two main things that caught my eye were, 1) the list of classes, at least 8 different classes every evening from when I arrive home, not to mention the endless classes on a Saturday and a Sunday, 2) the price, a very very reasonable (remember this is Dublin my nordy friends) 99 Euro for the first month and 35 Euro a month afterwards and this entitles you to full use of the gym, the sauna room and the bit that appealed to me, ALL the classes.
So I got the other half to promise to make sure I go at least twice a week in order to get my monies worth and I signed up.
As part of the initial registration you get an assessment with a personal trainer, as it was thrown in I thought why not, I may only be going for the classes but an assessment wouldn't hurt. Following this the personal trainer developed a programme for me and told me to come in on Saturday so someone could take me through it. Again I thought what’s the harm, the effort has been put into coming up with this programme I might as well check it out even though I am only here for the classes.
So I went along and I had my session with the personal trainer and they went through the programme that had been designed for me. I am a proud woman and it kills me to admit I am wrong but this time I will. It wasn't a session of pounding on the treadmill for hours, it was perfectly suited to me and what I am looking to gain from the whole thing. Twenty minutes on the treadmill, alternating between jogging for three minutes and walking for two, followed by 10 minutes on the cross trainer and then a few weights. I am done and dusted in 50 minutes, and here is the kicker, I actually enjoy the programme. I can do the programme and stay on for a half hour class and I feel great. Ok I will admit the muscles are a wee bit peeved at having to work for the first time in four years but they are getting used to it. I sleep better as well after having spent an hour 'working out' earlier in the evening. I am shocked at the difference it has made having a programme that was drawn up based on my 'I-don't-really-want-to-lose-weight-I-just-want-to-tone-up-and-get-fit-oh-and-I-find-the-gym-very-boring'.
That being said it is still early days, my batteries might run out on my gym bunny attitude, but as I am only signed up for 6 months I should at least last that long before the novelty wears off.
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