As I said in my first post, I had reached a breaking point where I just have to do something about my weight, and more importantly, being healthy. This time, without hesitation, I signed up to the closest gym. In a perfect life, I’d like to do sports where it involve people. However, these days, most of my basketball buddies are busy with their jobs and it is very hard for us to set up a schedule. The word ‘GYM’, sounded very stern and austere to me. Images of body builders and and large muscles came to mind and frankly I was scared, therefore the hesitation.
Just a little reminder of how I was before
After a quick look around at the place, I was even more scared. Mainly because there are just so many different machines, equipments and tools and I’m clueless about their usage. The salesperson said that by signing up, I was entitled to get a free two-session with a Personal Trainer (PT). I found out that it’s very useful. So, I took one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever had to make: I paid for a package of 72 sessions with a PT. And it is not cheap, it is very expensive.
Some people think it is not necessary to hire a PT. I think otherwise. I could only imagine if I didn’t hire one, I wouldn’t be where I am now. One of the obvious reasons why it’s hard to go back to exercising is because I am LAZY. There I said it. That “I’m busy”, “I’m tired”, “no time” excuses are just nonsense. We could all do it, if we are committed.
I lacked commitment, I knew it by heart; so paying a high price for a PT solved that problem. Now that I have paid for it, I have to make my hard-earned money’s worth. I knew I made the right decision.
There are many perks when you hire a PT. First, of course, he/she (my case, he’s a guy) could set up a program customized just for me. In the beginning, after weighing and setting up a basic target, I told him that I want my arms, thighs and calves to look slimmer. He said that everything is possible, as long as I stick to the program. I get a proper workout, starting from warming up, 2 or 3 different kinds of core exercises, cooling down and stretching. The core exercises are most likely to be different in combination in every session. They have their own purposes that are important to what I need. If I tried to do this on my own, I would just walk around in the gym with no certain direction, doing meaningless exercises.
Second, he obviously can explain what machine does what, the advantages, how many counts, and all the technicalities. But what’s important is that he will show you the right way of breathing, the proper pose for push ups and sit ups and all of the different moves. I think it is important because that’s where people make a lot of mistakes. A simple thing such as a push-ups or a sit-ups, if not done correctly, then it wouldn’t do anything good to you. You have a risk of injuring yourself, if you try to be a know-it-all.
Last but definitely not least, the support. As most of us know, getting our feet back on exercising is tough. In the beginning, warming up made me feel tired already, that’s how bad it was. My breaths were short and out of control, my heart was beating really fast and I was lightheaded. I can go on and on about it but that’s not the point here. There were a few times where I almost passed out and simply wanted to give up. I said to myself (and my PT) that I can’t do it anymore. That’s where my PT saved me, more often than I realized. A good PT won’t give up on his clients, mine’s one of them. Believe me, there were endless whining and pleas on my part, but he simply pushed and said, “Come on, just a little bit more!”
There it is, “just a little bit more.” There is no harm, I have nothing to lose if I try to pull through just a little longer. Instead, I would gain a lot more. The more I pushed through, the more I’m getting used to the exercise. And when I’m used to it, I’d have to push again when a new challenge arises. It’s a never ending cycle. When it’s hard, I just have to be stronger, by simply keep trying.
And when the effort is paying off, I’m left with this.
with the same black dress
Obviously, this doesn’t happen in a day or a month.
Next, I’m going to share on how I fix my diet and curb the hunger. 🙂
