Come On, Everybody
Remember Breast Cancer Self-awareness Month?
Remember when I said I'd return to the subject of exercise? (Maybe you don't. It was back in October, after all.)
Well, I'm returning.
Now that I'm on a roll on the food front, I'm trying to tackle the other half of the equation. This has been going on for a couple of weeks, but I didn't want to mention it until I had a little bit of momentum behind me.
In October 2006, I joined the local Y. I did it because the Y has a pool—not a common amenity in these parts—and I was told that swimming would be a very good way to rehab my left arm after I finished physical therapy.
My first dip in the pool was a humbling experience that inspired an as-yet-unpublished post called "Goofus Goes Swimming." Seriously.
Now, more than a year (and very few intervening visits) later, I've signed up for the Y's free Personal Fitness Program. The concept is fairly simple: it's a combination of education and accountability.
You start by meeting with a trainer who shows you how to use all of the equipment in one category—in this case, cardio. Then you commit to putting your newfound knowledge to work, 30 minutes at a time at least three times a week. You sign in every time you work out so that the trainer can monitor your attendance.
After three weeks, you and the trainer meet again, and you go through an orientation on the next set of equipment. Then you're on your own for another three weeks, and so on, until you've incorporated upper-body machines, then lower-body machines, then free weights.
The idea is that in 12 weeks' time you will have mastered all of the equipment in the gym and be in the habit of exercising regularly. At that point, you should be able to create you own workouts, with enough variety to keep things interesting and challenging indefinitely. You even get an official certificate for completing the program.
I'm just beginning my third week of the program, and things are going well so far. I've put in some time on the treadmill and on the stationary and recumbent bikes, and I'm gearing up to get reacquainted with the elliptical machine. If I really get on a roll, I may even try the modern-day version of the stairmaster—but I don't want to get ahead of myself.
One thing that's very clear already is that I've got to expand my workout wardrobe. I don't even have sneakers at the moment, so my hiking shoes are being pressed into service. (And if you think they normally live up to their name, I've got a post for you called "Goofus Goes Hiking.")
Remember when I said I'd return to the subject of exercise? (Maybe you don't. It was back in October, after all.)
Well, I'm returning.
Now that I'm on a roll on the food front, I'm trying to tackle the other half of the equation. This has been going on for a couple of weeks, but I didn't want to mention it until I had a little bit of momentum behind me.
In October 2006, I joined the local Y. I did it because the Y has a pool—not a common amenity in these parts—and I was told that swimming would be a very good way to rehab my left arm after I finished physical therapy.
My first dip in the pool was a humbling experience that inspired an as-yet-unpublished post called "Goofus Goes Swimming." Seriously.
Now, more than a year (and very few intervening visits) later, I've signed up for the Y's free Personal Fitness Program. The concept is fairly simple: it's a combination of education and accountability.
You start by meeting with a trainer who shows you how to use all of the equipment in one category—in this case, cardio. Then you commit to putting your newfound knowledge to work, 30 minutes at a time at least three times a week. You sign in every time you work out so that the trainer can monitor your attendance.
After three weeks, you and the trainer meet again, and you go through an orientation on the next set of equipment. Then you're on your own for another three weeks, and so on, until you've incorporated upper-body machines, then lower-body machines, then free weights.
The idea is that in 12 weeks' time you will have mastered all of the equipment in the gym and be in the habit of exercising regularly. At that point, you should be able to create you own workouts, with enough variety to keep things interesting and challenging indefinitely. You even get an official certificate for completing the program.
I'm just beginning my third week of the program, and things are going well so far. I've put in some time on the treadmill and on the stationary and recumbent bikes, and I'm gearing up to get reacquainted with the elliptical machine. If I really get on a roll, I may even try the modern-day version of the stairmaster—but I don't want to get ahead of myself.
One thing that's very clear already is that I've got to expand my workout wardrobe. I don't even have sneakers at the moment, so my hiking shoes are being pressed into service. (And if you think they normally live up to their name, I've got a post for you called "Goofus Goes Hiking.")
posted by Jody Rosen Knower at 5:58 AM
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