A Different Kind of Mess

For the last 5 years or so, I have been very inactive. I worked a desk job where I commuted for close to three hours a day. Basically, I sat all day long. Now that I am not working, I have so much more time!

Last New Years, I made it a resolution to take better care of myself. While I did good with my eating for a while (Lean Cuisine's for lunch for a few MONTHS in a row instead of getting takeout subs or something), I never got much use out of my gym membership. I signed up for one on January 5th, worked out on January 6th, and never went back.

Thankfully, my friend Christie moved close to the gym that I belong to. She is also trying to get into better shape so we have been each others gym buddies! We've been trying to work out together at least 3 times a week, and when we are there we stay for about 2 hours. Here's a little run-down of what we've been doing.

• Start out on the bike for about 20 minutes to warm up. This is also where we do most of our catching up and chit chat.
• Then we go into the circuit room so that we can use the weight machines without being out in the big area of the gym. This is much less intimidating than working out in the large room with all the dudes. Seriously.
• Depending on the day, we will also do some ab stuff in the circuit room using a medicine ball.
• Then we hit the treadmill. Since my knees are terrible from being so tall all my life and lots of years of volleyball, I can't really run. I spend the 45 minutes to an hour using the weight loss program. Generally, I will wind up doing a pretty quick walk while the treadmill varies the incline. This is my favorite part (and not just because of the Motown playlist that I listen to).

I have seen some results that make me smile, and I can't wait until I can really feel strong and confident in the gym! Fitting into my skinny clothes would make me happy, too but that's not the point for me.

What's your favorite way to exercise?