I am quickly approaching my one year anniversary at my gym. I can’t believe how fast it has gone. Also, I’ve been thinking back over the year and the changes I’ve experienced in my body. Even though I’ve been going to the gym 4-5 times a week for the past 10 months, just in the last two months I feel like I can finally do the things I’ve been wanting to do.
This got me thinking about peoples expectations when going to the gym. Everyone is different in the results they think they will see and how long it will take to get them. I remember my very first class at Cole Fusion Fitness. It was Body Rock which is a fusion of strength training, agility and cardio. I remember looking at Yoga Brian (there’s too many Brians to keep them all straight) and saying “Is he serious” about 10 times in class. After my first few classes, I picked a girl in class and wanted to do everything she could do. I did this on purpose, not to be envious or creepy, but because I had to pick a destination.
If you are starting a new fitness routine, choose some goals of where you want to go. If you are going to the gym day after day but not measuring where you are going, you will probably give up. Fitness can get very tedious and monotonous for sure. I have tried to have a ‘gym rat life’ a few different times in my life but always gave up because I got bored. This time, I give myself goals and can feel my body trying to reach them. Each time I reach my goals, I set new ones.
When we used to run laps at the gym, it would nearly kill me. Now it’s easy. I started with 5 and 8 pounds in class and now I lift 15. I used to do ‘lady pushups’ and now I can do manly pushups. I used to watch every minute tick by and now I barely notice class is half over.
One of my most recent goals is to be able to do a pull up. I remember doing chin ups in gym class in elementary school and I could NEVER do them like everyone else. Because I was so tall and my muscles were not very strong, I was always one of the worst girls. I think being able to do pull ups is amazing and it’s something I want to be able to do. So how am I getting myself there?
After my first few months at the gym, I started attending Boot Camp where we often do pull ups in class. I had to start with 90 pounds of assistance. Ever since setting this goal, I use less and less weight to help me with the pull up. My friend Melody and I do pull ups everyday after class and we are down to 35 pounds of assistance. I also have a pull up bar at my house that I just like to hang on. Each week, I can tell it’s that much easier or I can hold on for just a little longer. Each week I get closer. Very soon I’ll be able to do it with no assistance. While I have no before pictures, here’s me trying after class just the other day:
No one set this goal for me. I set it for myself. No one will ever hold a gun to my head and say, “Do a pull up or you’ll die!” But it’s something I wanted to be able to do, and very soon, I’m going to do it. How cool is that?