Get In Shape After 40.com

The day things changed physically for me was the day I took my first “spin” class at my gym.  I was a nervous wreck wondering if I would be able to do this. Spinning is not easy and I wasn’t  sure if I was up for this challenge.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the class was very mixed in ages.  I would have to say there were an awful lot of people over the age of 45 that took this class. My class included all weights, shapes and sizes.  But, I was still terrified that I would not be able to keep up and wouldn’t be able to finish the class.

My first class was best described as “horrific.”  There are only two times in my life that I thought I could possibly die from physical exertion and this was one of them.  Seriously, death would of been a heck of a lot easier.  But I survived and even continued on with the classes. After a couple of months I was addicted and it was a wonderful addiction!

Occasionally, very heavy women would come in the class and sit way back in the corner on one of the bikes almost hiding.  I always think that no matter what SIZE YOU ARE, when you are trying you are just the best! 

So, no matter what size you are or what shape you are in, the most positive thing you can do is challenge yourself.  Start slow and gradually add more each week.  

Next:  After two years at the gym, body sculpting classes and spin classes I finally buy my first bicycle.  Guess what happens??
 

After 2 years of “thinking” I was doing this great work-out at my gym, I took my first class and realized I must not have been doing much at all. 

When was the last time you felt intense physical pain from exercise?  Not the over-strain kind of pain, but the pain where every muscle hurts from being used.  That is what happened after my first class at the gym.   I was in extreme physical pain for 3 days and it was hard to even get up out of a chair. 

I took a “body sculpting” class that lasted one hour.  It was one very long hour that made me very seriously want to give up my gym membership and never come back.  Fortunately, I did not quit and I went back as soon as my muscles would let me continue.  I started to not only look forward to my class, but I signed up for another one that I really feel in love with…  spinning.

 If you honestly want to get in shape after 40, you really do need to “step it up a bit.”  Don’t be afraid to push yourself!  It is much harder but more than well worth the effort.  Going  “solo” at the gym gave me the opportunity to take it a little easier.  The classes on the other hand is exactly what I needed to push myself.

I loved my gym and I loved everything about my gym.  Two years later, I was still in love with my gym.  I loved the sauna the most.  Yes - after two years of never once breaking a sweat during a work-out,  or feeling any strain or pain, I was still enjoying my sauna. (whoops I mean gym.)

Two years into my 5 nights a week at the gym, I was sitting on the bench (after getting out of the sauna) and a little red-faced Chinese woman came huffing and puffing into the locker room.   She was probably in her late 30’s and was in extreme physical shape.  She had just ended an hour long kick boxing class.  I started telling her about my years at the gym and my disappointment in not really getting anywhere.  She jumped up and put her finger right in my face and said “you need step it up a bit.” Who knew she had watched me for years?

She asked how many classes I took per week to “push” myself.   Since I had never really paid much attention to the class schedule assuming it was for younger people, the answer was 0,  and “pushing” myself was what I considered the part where I got dressed, fixed my hair, got in the car and drug myself to the gym.  That was a big push.

Tomorrow’s post will be “when was the last time you felt physical pain” and my first class at the gym.