I got on the scales today at I've lost 12 pounds since I've started this fitness kick on June 30th. I feel a lot better, and folks have noticed at work. I've managed to turn my trips to the gym into a part of my life, and I have gotten to the point where I really enjoy going. I spend the 30 minutes on the elipse machine, 5-6 times a week, listening to either Chopin (I like the Ballades, Scherzi and Polonnaises), Italian love arias (I sometimes spend the entire 30 minutes listening to the same track of Pavarotti singing the Nessun Dorma from Torandot), and, of course, techno dance music or old dance hits (I like the soundtrack from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).
Much of the weight came off as a result of a change in my diet. It's not that my diet is all that health conscious, but I've eliminated as much fat and carbohydrates as I can, without feeling like I'm giving up too much (again, the main exception is rice). Most of my protein comes in the form of baked chicken breasts and an occasional pork tenderloin. And when I get the munchies, I've gotten used to just getting a small bowl of Special K with milk, rather than eating the equivalent of a large meal. No more Kentucky Fried Chicken, or pizza, or fast food.
Hopefully, I'll be able to stay on track. The biggest challenge was to keep the workouts up even while working full-time night shift, but now that I have gotten to the point where I like going even after a 12-hour night, going on my days off is pretty easy.
One change is how I look at the gym. I was very much into comparing myself to others, not just in fitness, but in how fast everyone was going on the bike, or the elipse, or the treadmill. Now, I just go, and I don't really look at anyone else, or think about anyone else (unless something weird happens). If I swim, my mind now pretty much goes blank, and I just concentrate on my breathing, or form, or whatever. Getting over that initial sense of self-consciousness was a big step for me, and if I hadn't given it enough time, I probably would have stopped going.
The next big step will be to get back into step aerobics. There are some classes at our LA Fitness, but not nearly as many classes as there were at the YMCAs in Richmond. Back there, classes were throughout the day, and in multiple gyms, and included various levels of floor aerobics, step, slide, and yoga. Of course, that was 8 years ago -- prior to the 5 years as a nurse, and the 3 years of nursing school. Maybe step has just gone out of style, in favor of the kick-boxing type classes. Or maybe it's just that the Y's in Richmond were really excellent. We'll see. I plan on trying out the step class at my gym once the summer is over.