'Tis the season...

for getting in shape.  Yes, round is a shape, but it isn't the shape I want.  So yesterday I joined a gym.  It's a great gym, with an area where they'll watch the kids while I work out!  That's the main thing that's been holding me back; most other gyms don't have that, and I'd have to find a sitter so I could go work out, so I didn't.  Well, there's that, and the fact that I hate to exercise. Haha.  But I've decided that I hate how I look and feel more than I hate exercise.  Really.  I look in the mirror and I'm disgusted.  Yes, when I was skinny, I was one of those terrible people who were disgusted by fat people.  My perspective has changed.  Now I'm fat, and I'm disgusted by myself.  Not so much by other fat people now, unless they're morbidly obese.  Anyway, I'm tired of being this fat, lazy, depressed woman who has no energy and no stamina.  I'm 30 years old, and everyone always told me that when I turned 30 my metabolism would change and getting/staying in shape would be harder.  Well, I hope they were wrong.  Maybe it's just that 30-year-olds in general are too busy with everything else in their lives, and don't make time to take care of themselves.  I'm just a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, so really the only other stuff in my life is my family and my home.  And my knitting.  So I should be able to manage to go to the gym three times a week.

Anyway, the gym hubby picked last month when he decided to get in shape is where I went yesterday.  It's great.  Not only does it have the kids' area, but it has a pool and spa and wet sauna and dry sauna, and lots of cardio equipment, and all the other equipment is color-coded by what muscle group(s) it works.  And...all the classes are included in the membership fee!  So if I want to take Zumba or a spinning class or Yoga, all I have to do is show up!  I'm leaning towards Zumba, and maybe kickboxing. ☺ But first, I have to build up some stamina by just doing basic workouts.  Yesterday I worked arms and shoulders, and did 20 minutes of cardio on an elliptical machine.  I thought the elliptical was supposed to be easy on the joints, but my left knee and hip didn't like it. (I sound like such an old person!)  I'm going to use a treadmill today instead, and see if that's better.  Hubby told me that stairsteppers would be good for me, to work my backside.  I teased him and acted all upset that he was saying my butt was big.  I think I'll wait on the stairsteppers; maybe my joints will be better when I've built some muscle around them.

So I'm just waiting for the girls to get dressed, and then we'll head over to the gym.  The kidsitting service is only available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so that determines my workout schedule for now.  On the off days, we'll go for walks in the neighborhood, or I'll go in the evenings after Hubby gets home from work.  I promise I won't blog too much about my workouts, just the milestones.  And I will post what I work on what day, so that I can keep track, but I won't go on and on about it. ☺

EDIT:  I went. I worked my legs, and did 21 minutes on the treadmill.  It didn't seem like as much of a workout on the treadmill as the elliptical did yesterday.  So maybe I'll alternate.  Oh, and I was confused about the kids' area; they're open every day, not every other day!  Woot!