Moving Right Along...

One of the biggest challenges I've always had with losing weight, as I mentioned in my first post, is that I hate, hate, hate working out. I know I have to do it, and I know that there are "fun" ways to get my butt in gear, but I'll be damned if I've had any luck finding them.

I've joined gyms -- and currently belong to one that I pay for every month but haven't been to in...oh... probably a year or more. Here's the challenge: weight machines and treadmills and ellipticals and stair climbers are so dreadfully boring. Forget the fact that I'm not fit enough to last on any of them for very long... I just get bored to death. No amount of music on my iPod can make them enjoyable.

I know what you're all thinking: try a class! BAHAHAHAHAHA. No. See, the people in those classes? They all weigh like, 90 pounds and have been Zumbaing and yogaing since it became popular. There is not a snowball's chance in Hades that I would want to be seen flopping around in front of these little dears. Besides that, even if I couldn't care less about what I look like (hint: I do!), I can't keep up. These classes aren't meant for beginners, even if they say they are. They're meant for people who can jog a mile without breaking a sweat; for people who don't get winded tying their shoes. That, clearly, is not me.

I read an article about a gym geared solely towards overweight people that have 50+ pounds to lose. There are three locations in the US and I cross my fingers that it takes off and they land here in the good ol' DC metro area. The article didn't mention if they offered classes or not, but those would be the classes I could find myself enjoying. Ones where I'm not the only fatty-fat-fat in the room, and I may even have a leg up because I can, somehow, actually touch my toes (even if I can't always see them. Eek.)

The bottom line here is that I know I need to be more active. I know that even though diet is a large part of getting healthy, I need to exercise. Walking to and from the refrigerator apparently doesn't count. (Beggars can't be choosers, people... gosh!) So, here is what I'm going to try:

-- Walking more just in my day-to-day activity. I sit at my desk most of the day, like many people do, but all too often I'll just shoot someone an email or give them a call instead of swinging by their desk. On one hand, in the office where I work, a lot of people work 'in the field' so they're never in the office to begin with, meaning that phone calls and emails are more practical most of the time, but on the other hand, it doesn't hurt to swing by their desk first before I send that quick note.

-- Getting my butt off the sofa. I'm definitely guilty of coming home from work and just parking my butt on the couch or in front of the computer until it's time to go to bed. This one is the tough one to change because although it may just be the lazy in me, I really do value my "down" time. I've been in situations in the past where I'm always on the go and it makes me a little nuts. So, the challenge is fitting in some kind of physical activity, allowing ample time to cook a healthy meal, AND having some time to unwind before my geriatric bedtime of 10:00pm. Derek and I have decided that we're going to start with powering through some of the workout DVDs we have as soon as we get home from work (which is usually between 6:00-6:15), then cook and eat dinner,  and then we have the rest of the night to relax/recover.

-- Utilize that gym membership I'm paying for. Derek and I joined Planet Fitness a couple years ago, and as a whole, as far as gyms go, I like it. No frills, nothing fancy, and as they call it, a "no judgment zone." They still have a clientele that is more 'gym rat' than I'd prefer, but I've never felt like all eyes were on me, the big girl, and I never felt like someone was silently chuckling when I failed to be able to finish their little circuit training thing. Going to the gym in the evenings after work was always hard to do because it felt like we weren't getting home until like 8, and then we still have to cook dinner. Nevermind any hopes of relaxing before bed. So, I think our plan, for now, is to try to get back to the gym on weekends. We already get up really effing early (thank you, internal clock!) so why not be more productive with that time? Get up, go to the gym, then start the day. This could work. Also, I work half days from home on Fridays, so if I can come up with the courage, I could go to the gym in the early afternoon. This may work because there's probably not many people there. Definitely something to keep in mind.

So there you have it. This is my plan for getting my butt moving. What do you do to stay active? Any tips for a fitness newbie?