I really love the gym

which has me completely taken aback. I went in today and they oriented me to the cardio machines. We're putting off nutritional counseling, measurements, etc. until I can afford the Beyond Fitness training. Here's my first impressions:

Last week, I joined a gym. I never would have thought I'd see the day. Go me. Saturday I went in for my personal training consult, and to my surprise I'm enjoying working out and feel a lot better already.
First, a baseline:

Age: 36
Height: 5 feet 4 1/2 inches
Weight: 270 pounds today (started at 272 lbs before working out at the gym--water weight loss?)
Bust: 50 inches
Waist: 48 inches
Hips: 55 inches
Percentage body fat: 47%
Health issues: Diabetes, asthma, fibromyalgia, polycystic ovarian syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome, sleep apnea, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia. History of major depression and borderline personality disorder.
Treatment: Metformin: 500 mg three times per day for insulin resistance, Paxil CR 37.5 mg once daily for anxiety/OCD/social phobia, CPAP (continuous pressured airflow device) for sleep apnea. Completed weekly dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) [10/01-1/03] and am now practising my skills on my own. After fighting major depression for a long time, I finally feel better and believe that I can take steps to improve my life.
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Today:
Current mood: Peaceful
Exercise: Walked to work. Went to gym (downtown); did a cardio routine with 10 minutes on elliptical machine, ten on treadmill, and ten on reclining bike. Next time, I think I'll start with the bike for warmup, then go to the elliptical, and finish on the treadmill. I have to work more on the elliptical. I got my heart rate up to 155 on that machine and kept it up above 115 for most of the workout. I really enjoyed the bike--it lets you surf the web so long as you pedal! I'm really enjoying this. Next time I plan on 12 minutes of each. I'm planning on doing this for at least three times a week while achieving some cardiovascular health, then working on strength training and targeted workouts. But I have to admit, I may go back tomorrow rather than waiting till Wednesday!!!

Now back to the non-gym world...


I came home tonight and I've been reading Charles Grant's When the Cold Wind Blows, which centres around a paranormal detective. I just started this evening and I"m a little more than halfway through, so obviously it's a quick read. The writing style, although in fragmented sentences that would drive most English teachers nuts, is very evocative. The fragments help, in fact. You really get a sense of description, and he has a devilish way of getting you to think along a certain line and then use the last sentence in a paragraph to slam you something you weren't expecting, like a dead body. I've been listening to the New Age channel on the TV--things like Loreena McKinnit and an instrumental of Garth Brooks' 'The Dance' but by George Winston, I believe.

It's eleven and I think I'm going to head on to bed. The workouts have been great but also seem to be encouraging me to keep more regular hours. I hope I can keep this up. The thing is, I was only planning on three days a week, but I already feel like I would be happy to go everyday. Is that sick, or what?

PS I found the ladies' locker room today. It is quite nice--shower, areas to blow dry, extra deodorant, lotion, hair products, etc. I also had fun on the reclining bike with an Internet connexion. I can't update this blog from there but I did browse the site to see how it looked on their screen. :)