During our move, I came across an old pair of Levi’s with a 28-inch waist. I wiggled them up over my hips, but there was a lot of stuff happening in the middle that prevented me from doing up the fly. My 40′s have been about that thickening middle.
My lackadaisical efforts at yoga, combined with power walks through the woods with my girlfriends on Sunday mornings had been keeping my weight below a certain number, but I didn’t look good in anything that wasn’t egg-shaped. Speaking of eggs, whenever I baked a pan of double chocolate brownies with walnuts, it was nearly impossible not to help myself. I live in a household with men and boys who want carbs and calories.
On my last birthday I decided to take action and find a personal trainer. I have always hated fitness studios and felt I needed to work with someone who would be more objective than I was, someone who would be tough with me.
I have gained eight kilos since joining SAP. (I am well within the average – an unoffical source at my company revealed that employees gain a kilo per year, probably thanks to the free lunch, but also the sedentary desk jobs). At one point I was using a new form of contraception and I swear, within seconds of its subcutaneous insertion in my upper arm, I gained five kilos. (My gynecologist warned me I would gain weight, but I thought I was immune to excess pounds). In the end I had it removed because weight gain was just one of the unpleasant side effects it caused. Another was a diminished libido. What is the point of birth control if you don’t put it to the test? But I digress.
Since late July I have been getting my butt whupped by a 23-year-old sports management grad with a black belt in karate. I am old enough to be her mother. In fact, her mother is younger than I am. My PT has been teaching kick boxing at a local gym, but has never worked as a PT before. I simply approached her through a friend, who thought we would be a good fit, and my PT agreed. We set realistic goals when we began our sessions and she sets the agenda. She decided to take an interval train approach to our routine, one that would challenge me and tone the problem zones: upper arms, legs, butt, and of course, the ever thickening middle. We meet early mornings to walk, jog, and do weight bearing and resistance band exercises. I finally know what Jane Fonda meant all those years ago when she talked about “feeling the burn.”
There will be no before and after pictures for this experience. But I can already proudly say that our efforts are paying off!
I would be lying if I said that working with a personal trainer has prevented me from blogging. But it has also been good for the soul and what’s good for the soul is good for a writer.
Should I keep you updated on our progress, faithful readers? Has anyone had good (or bad) experience with a personal trainer?
