Diary of a Fitness Newbie: Drop it Like it’s Hot

Boot Camp. That was my next challenge. I’ve never been into weight lifting, or really anything that required a lot of effort. I was strictly an elliptical person who dabbled maybe with three weight machines afterwards.

But I have been doing a little bit of weight lifting recently and it turns out that is actually kinda fun. I’ve found that when I feel exhausted or blahhhh after a carb-filled day, I go to the gym, and the more I work out that day, the more I want to keep working out. It’s so weird. It’s like I’m one of those fit people you see around who knows how to use all of the equipment AND adjust everything!

I also decided that I had to actually start going to classes during the work week. Living in Canton, as my fellow city neighbors know, I have to be home before a certain time to find parking. I was reluctant to go to any classes on my way home from work because I wanted to find a parking spot. I also didn’t want to go home, park and walk to a 7 o’clock class in Canton because that’s dinner time, AKA my favorite time of day. But, so far, I’ve been able to find parking every night after a 6 o’clock class! So much for that excuse.

Back to the point, I decided I should do something really intense, like Boot Camp. Let’s just say, it was hard. But it made me realize that Yoga and BODYFLOW aren’t the most exhausting, muscle-working classes. And apparently you CAN reach a point when your muscles actually stop burning. About half way into class, the agonizing burning stopped and was replaced with shaky, tired muscles. It was quite nice. Who knew a workout could actually get easier (or just less painful)?

Boot Camp was comprised of a bunch of people going around to different stations. There was a station for box jumps and lunges and one for weighted squats and bicep curls. We also had to run up and down a flight of stairs, which was great because I didn’t get too winded. When my arms were tired, I could do sit ups or something else without feeling like I was giving up because I would eventually end up at one of those stations again.

Since it was such a great overall workout, I went back the following week. That time, we had different stations to do individually. I like that it changed and I could go at my own pace while still pushing myself. Our instructor Mysty Edrington really knows how to motivate! Also, the group fitness room has mirrors, and let me tell you, seeing myself drop squats with my new defined muscles was thrilling. I looked good!