12/29/16

To Change Your Body You Must Also Change Your Mind

Earlier this year I had decided I needed some sort of gym membership that would push me to be more accountable with fitness as I was struggling with enjoying activity. There was a coupon for half off the joining fee at Curves so I decided to stop by all three local locations in my area and ask about joining. I had been to Curves years ago and liked their 30-minute circuit workout and that is was all women and less intimidating than commercial gyms. At the time I was deciding to join Curves again, my friend Mark was talking very highly of his new personal trainer. Mark worked very hard to lose over 60 pounds and had also found the joy in running. I'm not sure exactly how he ended up with his trainer, Tyson, but he was really liking where personal training was taking him in regards to his fitness goals. I told Mark I wanted to try and see first where Curves would take me. I even blew off his trainer after he sent me a couple of text messages.

Fast forward almost a year (my Curves membership is up for renewal in February) and even more pounds gained, I've realized that I am still not holding myself accountable to my fitness goals. Over the last several months, I think I've gone to Curves a whopping 29 times. It is sort of a “shit or get off the pot moment.” I'm paying $45 a month to attend a gym that I don't actually attend. This is a familiar tune with me as I once also paid to attend Axiom that I rarely attended. Holding myself accountable is really hard. I suck at it.

Mark's shared a Facebook post from his trainer's page of a Christmas special for 20% off his training sessions which makes them under $20 per session. It started me thinking about perhaps making the change from Curves to Planet Fitness, the gym where Tyson works. I don't have to include a gym membership to train with him but Planet Fitness is just $10 with no contract and in addition to their whole assortment of intimidating workout equipment, they also have a 30-minute circuit area (similar to Curves) as well as they are open 24-hours during the week, which just so happens to be my days off on graveyard.

After meeting with Tyson, and seeing the Planet Fitness gym, I decided to make the jump into this new territory. I had my first session yesterday and it went really well. The first few sessions will mostly be him learning my current fitness level so he can make a game plan on where to go from here. Yesterday we started off by learning all about the 30-minute circuit. I had told Tyson that was where I'd most likely do my workouts on my own. He was very encouraging and patient and is a huge ball of energy. I think this is going to be a good fit although I do know that things will get harder. I am feeling slightly sore in my arms today but overall I feel really good. Our plan is to meet at least twice a week and I'll re-evaluate if I'll renew my sessions after I complete the 12-weeks I purchased.

I also signed up for the gym membership on their $99 no contract plan for the next 12 months. This saved me money in the long run since there was also a joining fee on top of the usual $10 per month membership fee. Kenyon and I were discussing the difference in price between Planet Fitness and Curves and he figured the break-even point in cost is six months. I obviously have a history with past gym memberships so we will see how this one goes. It is further away from my house but is mostly all freeway so I really have no excuses. I'm just good at excuses. It also feels really intimidating despite there “no intimidation” motto. Tyson assures me it is a very laid back atmosphere and I hope that once I train with him a few times that I will feel more comfortable around the machines and not feel like a huge dork.


                                        

                                         

Between my re-commitment to WW and tracking (I've tracked and stayed within my points for the last three days this week) and this new venture into better accountability with activity, I'm feeling like 2017 is going to be a good year. Please remind me how energized I was on this day if I start to dwindle down the road. I'm ready to change my body again and it starts with changing my mind.

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