I don’t know about you girls reading this but I have a HUGE problem with working out in gyms, I always have. I HATE when people watch me work out. Even if no one is actually watching me I still feel like I am being judged:
“What is she doing?” “She’s doing that wrong” “That’s weird” “She’s too intense” “She’s not intense enough”
For myself grown up being athletic you would think I never would have these issues but I can always remember having them. Even in high school at 111lbs I remember hating to wear swim suits in public because I thought I was being judged: “She thinks she’s the ISH” - PS… never thought I was.
As for working out in gyms… I never really have. Yeah they make you take weight lifting in high school but that wasn’t bad. Mainly my work outs were with sports teams and that was ALWAYS outdoors. I can totally get fit with out any weights just by doing things I learned through those boot camps.
Now I’m older… I’m not coaching right now which in the past saved me because I would work out with the team. Now it’s the gym. My husband and I belong to Anytime Fitness which is a 24-7 nation wide gym. We live in a town of 15,000 so there are really only 3 gyms to belong to. The Rec Center, Anytime, and some creepy place off of main street.
If you are a die hard, motivated, gym enthusiast like my husband then Anytime is perfect for you. He gets up at 4:45am every other morning and gets to the gym by 5:10 or so when less people are there. Most the people that are there that early are the runners on the treadmills and they’re die hards. Most lifters like my husband are usually in the evenings which is why he loves it. He can get up and not worry about waiting for weights, or that someone is going to jump in on his reps (a major Gym NO-NO!)
For myself however, 5am is just not possible. If you read my blog a little bit back I stated that I was going to try and work out at 5am at least twice a week. I made it twice! I have really come to the realization that I am just not a morning gym person and when I’m there I’m not even putting in the effort! The other thing I hate is when I go in the afternoons it’s packed by all the 8 to 5ers after work hitting the gym. At my gym there is no space to move around. You have your treadmills and elliptical in an L shape along the windows and one wall. Then you have3 rows of your Stationary Weight lifting machines and the Cables area which takes up a huge chunk. Then a spot the size of maybe 8' x 8’ of empty space with all of the medicine balls, exercise mats, balance balls, etc. Then right next to that all the Free weights that the guys use. There is NO room to have your own space and I hate when it is empty in the Free area because you still have guys next to you barely working out. Sorry boys but most of you that I see in a gym aren’t working out. You lift a bar bell for 10 reps at a high weight then sit and talk to your buddy for 2 minutes then do the next one then walk to get water then talk a little more… “I was at the gym for 2 hours today” whoopie for you – you accomplished nothing in that 2 hours. (Such a pet peeve of mine!)
So I have had enough! I want to get a good work out in and finally I have figured out what works for me! (Just in time to move, right?) Before my husband moved out of his parents house back in 2009 he bought a nice exercise set. It came with a bench that you can do many weight lifting exercises with. Well that machine followed him to South Dakota and is set up in the basement. Ever since he moved here and joined Anytime he hasn’t really used it and you know what happens when Guys don’t use something – Girls take claim of it.
I revamped our little work out area first by taking off all his “Manly” weights from the bench and bars.
Then I added in a few of my own necessities that I’m used to having at the gym but can never use! A 3-piece kettle bell set, a exercise ball for people 5’3 and under (That's me!), and an exercise mat.
We have a carpet down there but it’s slippery and not all that comfortable. My final touches were adding my exercise posters on the mirrors we have down there. I’d really like to hang the mirrors but that is pointless since we are moving soon. I better not put holes in the walls….
I have already been on a roll this week with my fitness goals. I have not cut out Anytime completely since I still need to get my cardio done, but now when I’m at Anytime I focus on Cardio and that is it. No more worrying and stressing about space being free when I want to that machine or area.
{Sunday} Went to Anytime with George. Did the elliptical for 28 minutes on intervals, then my area was open to do some medicine ball work, then the free weights were empty besides what my husband was doing so I did some reps there with dumbbells.
{Monday} Worked out at home 45 mins – Tried my kettle bell work out for the first time. They are amazing and I love them so much!
{Tuesday} Went to Anytime right from work – Did 30 minutes on the Elliptical. Really wanted to do a running interval I found online but couldn’t cause all the treadmills were taken. So I went home and did a 30 min. work out in my girl cave again. It was so much fun blasting my girlie work out music (They don’t play much Kelly Clarkson at Anytime) and getting to do my work out with worrying about anything but if I was pushing myself as hard as I could.
{Today} Leaving work early since I do phone calling tonight from 6-8pm. I plan to workout for 60 minutes at home then tomorrow hit Anytime for some Cardio after work again.
The new house needs to have a work out space… especially if we live in the country away from town where there is hopefully a gym.
