What am I getting myself into...

A little over a week ago, Kristi, a friend from work, sent me a link to www.livingsocial.com, a website, that sends you daily deals in your hometown.  They had a deal for workout classes at her gym.  She goes to Balance Fitness Studio in north OKC, as does another girl we work with.  Kristi also travels quite a bit, but this gym lets you just sign up of classes, so you use a class coupon everytime you attend.  Normally a set of 20 classes, which are good for six months, would cost $120, but LivingSocial had them for just $25.  I couldn't pass up a deal this good, so I signed up.

Sunday: Group Cynergy
So last Sunday, I went to my first class: Group Cynergy.  It was a combination of yoga and pilates, and I LOVED it.  As you know, I'm pretty clumsy, so the balancing could have gone better, but after leaving I felt really invigorated and full of energy.

Monday: Cardio Party
During busy season (for you non-accountants, this is from January - early March, when we auditors are swamped with work), my friend Jake and I would hit the Northside YMCA in Wichita every morning at 5:30 for a work-out class.  Kristi and I decided to give evening classes a try - and quickly learned we need to show up REALLY early to get a good spot - we're talking uber-crowded in the evening classes.

Back to Cardio Party, or as I think it should be renamed, Cardio Ass-kicking.  This was 90 straight minutes of intense cardio.  The first 30 minutes or so was the most complicated step routine I have ever done (again, not good for uncorrdinated). Then we switched to kick, and finally an intense cardio/ab routine like nothing I had ever done (my abs ached for days).  I left the class feeling gross, but energized again, ready for more the next day.

Tuesday: Body Design
I was a little sore Tuesday, but knew I just needed to power-through.  We left work a little late, and thus walked into class right at 5:30, it was insanely crowded and we were both told to move multiple times before we found spots that everyone else deemed acceptable.  The workout itself was hard, but felt good.  However, the instructor was MEAN.  I am not someone who does well being yelled at.  I respond much better to positive reinforcement ("You guys can do it," "Looking good," "Almost there," "You've got this") than negative reinforcement ("You guys are cheating," "Step it up, you're not doing it right," "If you don't work harder, we're just gonna work longer," "If I see one more person cheat, we're doing another set of reps.") Seriously, that does not make me want to work out, it just makes me want to cry.  Despite the class being a good work out, we are planning to try yoga as our new Tuesday class for next week.

Wednesday: Ultimate Strength and Cardio
Wednesday's class was MUCH better, the workout was great, and the teacher was awesome, very encouraging, and kind.  For this class we used a bosu:

This thing is crazy.  I had no idea what it was for, but as it turns out, you stand on it.  Now I was pretty positive it would pop, but thankfully, it managed to hold me.  You do most of your weight lifting while standing on it, which really engages your core (so you don't fall off).  I absolutely loved it, and if someday, I am ever crazy enough to have a gym at my house, I plan to get one.  It was also great to help with push-ups, and crunches, especially side crunches (and way more manageable than a regular exercise ball). I am really hoping this will be on the fall schedule as well (they change their group class schedules every couple of months.)

Saturday: Group Power
This morning, I got up and went to Group Power at 8:30 - this class was similar to a Muscle Pump class I attended at the Y in Wichita during busy season.  The instructor was great, very encouraging, which I like a lot.  After class she came up and said that even if it was hard today, it would be easier next week when I knew the motions a little bit better, and how much weight to put on the bar for the various exercises.  She said she would really like to see me next week, and I said I planned to be there.  I really like that about Balance - they are very personal, they remember your name, and seem to genuinely take an interest in all the people in their classes.

The Weight Issue
On a whim last week, I decided to weigh myself.  It had been a LONG time since I had found the courage to do that.  And the number, let's just say it was not pretty.  I considered just posting it, getting it out there for the world to see, but I am a coward, and therefore I will refrain.  I did get back on the sale this morning, to see if things had improved with my week of exercising.  And they hadn't.  I gained a pound a half.  Again, I almost didn't share this little gem, but, I figure, there might be some of you out there going through the same thing.  Weight issues.  Body image issues.  Trouble losing weight. Frustration.  So I have decided to post a graph of my weight loss efforts.  You'll note that this week, five exercises classes in, the trend is upward.  But I'm not giving up.  I know I need to be more careful about what I eat, especially when I'm out of town, so I am hopeful that next week, things will look better.



I am usually not a weight-focused person, if my clothes fit well (maybe even down a size) and I feel healthy, then that is good enough for me.  However, when I look at "normal weight charts," I get a little freaked, not to mention the negative health effects of being overweight, so I'm shooting to lose some pounds, no goal yet, we'll just take it as it comes for now.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with those you love!