Ghost of What is Yet to Be...I fear you most of all...

Ebenezer Scrooge proclaimed "Ghost of What is Yet to Be...I fear you most of all"..This is what I was thinking when I was getting ready to attend Jeremy's class. I don't mean to say that I find Jeremy scary because he is very nice but he is one of the only trainers that I had never worked out with. His reputation is that he is "tough". So I like to think that I can "hang" with the best of them but I jokingly said to someone in his group "so is Jeremy going to kill me?". Her response was "Jeremy won't kill you but his workout will!" Yikes...just what I thought.

Jeremy and his group were very welcoming. They have a nice camaraderie. Their class was on a Thursday late afternoon in the group exercise room. The class started with some cardio drills to warm up then went into a boot-camp circuit. Well the class was intense! No one exercise was over-the-top hard but in combination with little time in between, it was a difficult class. I really enjoyed it though. I like the boot camp stuff! I think I held my own and I no longer fear the unknown (as much)!

Does a 1/4 inch really matter?

Does a 1/4 inch really matter? Definitely YES! Ok, let me explain. I am talking about "Choose to Lose" with Todd's team. I worked out with Todd's group a couple of weeks ago. By request of his team he was doing a muscle class on the machines because his group wanted to be able to effectively use the machines on their own. Todd is the (self-proclaimed, yet I agree) MASTER of form!!!! He very effectively changes your form ever-so-slightly and the result is PAIN. Ok, maybe pain is not the right word but let's just say you can feel the difference and the effect. For this class the group was spread around the floor but somehow Todd manages to monitor everyone very well. Just when you think you are in the clear...he is right next to you adjusting your position slightly. So what's the big deal you ask...I guess it's just efficiency. When you are doing the exercise correctly, it doesn't take very long to fatigue your muscle. That being said, a lot of us feel like we live at the gym so efficiency is very important...especially with the kids getting out of school soon! In between each muscle group he had us raise our heartrate to get a great overall workout!

Early to bed...early to rise..

I guess I didn't look at the big picture when I pitched the idea to Ted because after I got the green light, I checked out the times of the different groups! What 5:00am...yikes! Now usually I am a night owl up until at least midnight but I decided to bite the bullet and get the early class out of the way the first week of my project. Sue W. is the trainer and I gotta say I really enjoyed the class. For me there were a lot of positives. I am someone who likes interaction and cameraderie at the gym ( I know not everyone does!). Well, this seemed to be a tight group, both with each other and with their trainer. They are the "early morning" people and they have their run of the gym. For this class they used the group exercise class and Sue set up a bunch of different areas. Sue is great at changing up the workout all the time. She gave out handouts to help them during the week and also a "quiz" to check their fitness for running. This week there were some "boot camp" style stations, a spin bike station, ab station etc. She also took pairs out on the floor to introduce a new machine to everyone. The group definitely welcomed each other, cheered each others successes, and encouraged each other. Not only do they work out together on Thursdays but many get together a few times a week! It was nice to be done with my workout around or before the time I usually wake up...not in years have I had an entire day before me without specific plans...I have gotten up early and done classes on days when my schedule was so full that early morning was my only option but a whole day....unfortunately I didn't get the reports etc. that I need to do for work done but, hmm, maybe today!

Let's start at the very beginning...

Let's start at the beginning, a very good place to start...oh wait, that's a musical..that's my kid's life not mine...Back to the gym...I have gone to four different groups now. The first one was bright and early on a Monday morning with June. Now anyone who has taken class with June knows that she is full of energy, stamina, and strength! Would this training session be a boot camp, machine class, yoga, drumming...June can, and does, do it all! Monday mornings are busy at the gym... so we gathered in a small corner and began working out. We did muscle mixed with movements to get heart rate up. The workout was set up like a pyramid starting out easy, getting more difficult, then even more difficult, then back down again. Everyone sort of worked out on the same things but at their own rate and level. June was great with her group, so patient! She demonstrated and explained each exercise as many times as necessary! She reminded them to watch their form. It seemed like some of the people in her group were new to this type of workout. June gave many suggestions on what each member could do during the week. She was great at explaining that the best kind of exercise was the one that they would actually do. She urged them to try different things until they found one or more that they liked and to go with that. It was very evident that she cared about her team..not so much in a competitive way..but she cared about them as individuals and that for her winning would be for each member to develop a healthier way of life...eating healthier and moving more! And we all know that when we eat healthier and move more, we feel better psychologically and physically!

Did I remember to mention June's sense of humor and how she "demanded" that we honor our trainer? There were lots of curtsy squats going on!!!

half way!

ok let's say that not only have I "perfected" my maintenance (instead of losing more) but I am also a skilled procrastintor. Well, my attendance at team workouts is right on schedule but the blogging part is a bit delayed. So I have visisted 4 of the teams right so far. For this morning, until my younger kids get up, I will give you an overview. We members of the gym are very lucky indeed, for not only do we have an excellent staff/group of trainers but the other members are very welcoming, friendly, and supportive! Each group has welcomed me and made me feel like part of their group...one woman brought flowers for each of her teammates and gave me one too! She didn't have to do that...she didn't give them out in front of everyone. She came up to me in the locker room half an hour after the session had ended, and said, "you're part of our team right?!" and explained that she brought them in for everyone on the team. Small acts of kindness...it happens all the time at HHF!

That reminds me..I don't think you have to be a member to be on a team for "Choose to Lose".

More on each team/trainer later...

Starting out

Okay, so this is my first foray into blogging..in fact I have only read one or two blogs ever. Anyway, I have been going to HHF for what seems like forever now but I was not always an exerciser. About 10 years ago I was very overweight and joined Weight Watchers with a couple of friends. As many of you know, exercise is one of the main parts of Weight Watchers so I began exercising. I started off at home walking in my family room for the prescribed 22 minutes, built up from there to an hour etc. After doing this for a while (like a year), I joined the gym. About 4 years ago I hit lifetime at Weight Watchers with a total weight loss of 100 pounds. Now the weight did not fall off me, it came off .2 lbs at a time. Ok, it did not take me 6 years exactly to lose the weight because within that timeframe I had my 4th and 5th child. So, to sum up I am a mother of 5 kids who has lost a lot of weight and I have maintained that weightloss for about 4 years. I have become an expert at maintaining my weight even though I would like to lose more. I have done classes, some training, some stuff on my own, etc. but wanted to change it up so I enrolled in the first Choose to Lose. At that time, I was working full-time (which I don't usually do but was filling in for a maternity leave) and so the only time I could attend Choose to Lose was on Tuesdays. So I signed up...the trainer happened to be Todd, which I was thrilled with since I had heard so many great things about him. Since that first session people have been asking me my opinions on whether I liked it, if I thought it was worthwhile, if I thought they would like it, whom should they work out with etc. I was thinking of signing on again but now had to choose a time/trainer (because I am back to part time at work) but having heard such great things about them all I had trouble choosing a so I pitched the idea of having me go to each group during the second "Choose to Lose" and blog about the experience. Hence, this blog and I get to test drive a lot of trainers!

Now the current Choose to Lose is half way done and if I understand correctly the next program will be in the fall so maybe this forum will help you decide to jump on in and "Choose to Lose"!