Facing my fears

Okay, so I missed a few posts this last week. But it was for a good reason: I was working out at the gym J and I just joined!

We went on Monday evening for a tour. The sales manager we were talking to was trying to "sell" the athletic club to us, but I told her she didn't have to work so hard: we were a sure thing. We did some research on the different gyms available in Kennewick, and knew we wanted to be members of this one. It has everything we want and more. Two swimming pools, a gym, tons of different exercise classes, weights, a circuit training room, racquetball courts, tennis courts, a hot tub, treadmills, ellipticals, personal trainers, rowing machines, bikes. You name it, they've got it. There are only two things I don't like about this club. One is the cost - it's spendy. But it's comparable to the other clubs with a pool, and I really wanted to take some water aerobics classes. And this one is in Kennewick, and fairly close to our house. The other thing I don't like about it is that every kid I know that works out does it at this gym. I'm fat, old, and out of shape. And when I exercise, my face turns purple and my head sweats excessively. I don't need any of my kids seeing that.

But this is something that J and I both want and need to do. So I faced my fears and signed up.

While we were getting the tour, we saw two former students who stopped to say hi. A third student was working the front desk. Boy, oh boy. I'm sure not going to escape knowing people there, am I? Then we walked by a studio that had an exercise class going on. The class was HUGE. There must have been 60 people in the studio, and it was loud!! It looked like a blast, though. Have you ever heard of Zumba? It's salsa inspired aerobics set to Latin music. I can't dance worth a lick, but thought I would like to give it a try anyway.

So I did. The class is offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. J and I went back on Tuesday and did 35 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the stationary bikes. Then J did a little bit of weights while I cheered him on. (My friend's husband is a strength coach, and he has us on a weights routine already - I didn't want to mess that up!)

Wednesday afternoon, my friend and I went to work out, and found out that there was a Zumba class later that evening. So we did 35 minutes on the treadmill and went back later for Zumba.

Let me just tell you this: I sucked. It was SO fast, and I have no rhythm...but it was a blast! You know you suck when the twelve-year-old next to you is showing you how to do the steps! She had pity on my poor pathetic soul and slowed it down to show me.

It didn't help.

But I had fun anyway! And I made it the ENTIRE hour without quitting! Even if I couldn't do all the steps, I was moving and grooving, and that's the whole point, isn't it? I don't believe I have EVER been that sweaty in my life! But I loved it and I'm going back next week.

Then, on Thursday after school we went back for more punishment. There was a class called "Group Kick" that sounded like fun, and we thought we'd check it out. While we were walking towards the studio, we passed a SHS student in the hall. She wasn't just any SHS kid, though, she's one I know. She's one of the mentors in the mentoring program I advise. She said hi, and as soon as we passed her, I turned to my friend and said, "Thank goodness she was going the other way! That's the last thing I need is a fit young teenager that I know in a class with me, seeing how uncoordinated and sweaty I am!"

We laughed and continued on.

We were standing outside the studio, waiting to go in, when a different SHS kid walked up. This one is in my first hour class. I hoped she was going to say hi and then move on, but my luck is not that good. She was waiting with two special needs young ladies for the kick class to start. Nice.

A minute or so later, the first girl we had seen came back and joined us. Great. Now I'm not laughing anymore.

A minute or so after that, a third SHS student, another one of my mentors, came and joined us. Super.

Then we moved into the studio and the instructor got set up. My friend and I were looking around the room in disbelief. The night before, there had probably been 50 or 60 people in that same studio for Zumba. That day, there were 9 of us for the group kick class. (And two of them were special needs.) Then, right before the class started, one more person came running in.

If you guessed she was a SHS student, you guessed right. N, from my third hour class, was now here. Fantastic.

I told all the girls that I was swearing them to secrecy: they could tell people we took a class together, but they were NOT allowed to tell anyone how sweaty and uncoordinated I was. They laughed at me, but I was serious.

Then the music came on and we got started.

Another fun class! Another class I made it through without quitting! But I got even sweatier than I had the night before. We're totally going back again next week! The best part about the class is that I faced my greatest fear about the gym x 4 and survived intact.

We had a "day of rest" on Friday (mostly because we were both invited to the same bbq / party and we wanted to go), and then Saturday met again to take a water aerobics class.

That was a great way to start a Saturday! I felt like I got a good workout, but wasn't wiped out like I had been after Zumba and Group Kick.

I think this club is going to be worth the money. I went four days this week, did four different workouts, and had a blast each time.

Plus, as a "signing bonus" J and I each get a free session with a personal trainer (we go on Tuesday) and a free session with someone in the circuit training room who will do a health analysis dealy. It includes a body fat percentage test. I'm pretty sure they're going to tell me I'm 95% fat...but I'm going to do it anyway.

This week has been all about facing my fears, and I've conquered them so far.

I'll talk to you again on Tuesday after a trainer kicks my butt and let you know how I feel then. But for now, I'm feeling good.