Going it alone

My sessions with Jennifer ended on Wednesday. I only bought 12 at a new-member price, plus a 40% off sale was going on at the time so...12 was pushing it financially even at those prices but I bit the bullet because I knew I needed the instruction. All good things must come to an end! She tried to convince me to continue with her, saying she was "afraid to send me out there on my own" - LOL! I agree but there was just no way I could afford it.

We had our weigh-in and measuring after we finished working out and I've lost inches everywhere since we started, so that was encouraging! I like their scale at the gym, too, it always says I weigh less than my scale. I had told her I really wanted to be under 300 so when I stepped on the scale and it said 296, she started jumping up and down. I really like her - no Jillian tendencies at all! LOL! We also sat down and worked out a schedule (strength training Monday, Wednesday & Friday as usual, plus more scheduled cardio those days and on the weekends...Tuesdays and Thursdays off) and set up an appointment in a month's time to see where I'm at.

So what's the first thing I do? Miss my Friday workout. *sigh* I have to tell you that I have been so tired lately and feeling achy and odd. I have a day like that then I feel good the next day. Just when I think I'm getting sick, I seem to snap out of it. Friday was one of those crappy days. Plus, I knew it would be busy at the gym and while the Barbies don't freak me out the way they used to, I didn't want to go in there fumbling around the weight machines with 100 people standing there waiting for me to get my fat ass out of the way. I wanted the first time I did this to be audience-free. That will probably come back to bite me in said fat ass because I'm sure Jennifer was there going 'Where the hell is she??'

So I went Saturday morning. First, I did 45 mins. of cardio on the treadmill. Have I told you all that I am now running on the frakkin' treadmill?? Oh yes. Short sprints, then slowing it back to a fast walk. It does bother my knees some but not to the extent I thought it would.

After the cardio, I got my 'green form' from my file, which Jennifer wrote in each session, recording the weight I lifted, the settings on the machines, etc. I took a second and looked at my progress. On the low-back extension machine, for example, she started me off at 40 lbs. - by last Wednesday at our last session, I was pumping 145 lbs. Not bad! Maybe that's why my back feels better than it has in 25 years. There were maybe four people in the whole gym so I felt comfortable taking my time and doing everything the way I hoped would make Jennifer proud. I could still see her in front of me saying 'Shoulders down!' 'Don't arch that back!' 'Breeeeathe through it!' Without her introductory course, I would be so lost. I'm grateful to her.

Going to that gym makes me feel so good. I sometimes have to drag myself in there but when I get done - that feeling of accomplishment is awesome. Doing the weights by myself wasn't so bad. I was nervous but again, once I got in there and started doing it...no problem.