Some Exercise Motivation....or something....

I wrote this 5 1/2 years ago...

March 8, 2005: Lately I have been trying to exercise for at least 45 minutes at the YMCA every day during the work week (something pretty much mandated by my doctor). I have been fairly consistent and I actually enjoy it. Seriously, I do. I haven’t seen much in results yet. After 11 days I have lost 2 ½ pounds and 1 ½ inches – ½ inch around my thigh (yeah), ½ inch around my breast and ½ inch around the place just under my breast. So here I am, size 48 negative A, and I loose an inch where I can’t hardly afford to loose an inch!!! Oh dear. Well-meaning friends tell me that I am building muscle right now. So Muggers, watch out. I can not outrun you, but I can LIFT you! …Sit on you is more like it. :)

If I am not swimming laps in the pool, then I am in the big area with all of the exercise machines. Due to my bad back, my favorite choice of exercise bikes is the recumbant bike…not because its name means that this bike has anything to do with resting. This bike has a “normal” seat with a back – not one of those seats that pushes your underwear in places it should not go. It also has handles down by the seat – no more stretching across the whole bike to hold onto bars near the front wheel. This machine has all the pieces of information that you would want…or don’t want. First of all, how come is it that I can work hard for 45 minutes and only burn 234 calories?? That’s okay. I heard one time from someone that you continue to burn calories at a higher rate a few hours after exercising. Whether that is true or not, I choose to believe it. So that’s when I eat all my candy – right after exercise. NO!! Actually, I have been fairly good with food choices since I have started this exercise journey. At 234 calories lost per 45 minutes, I either need to exercise all day long OR slow down in the calorie intake. This machine will also tell you your heart rate (through the handle bars), what level of resistance you chose, and how many RPMs you are doing (how fast your are going, I believe).

Many women don’t exercise because, basically, it hurts or because it is time-consuming OR because of those OTHER women. If you are skinny and beautiful, I am sorry for anything I might write in the next few minutes that might offend you. You’re skinny, get over it! Yes, I had one of those “moments” today. I’m biking away on my recumbant bike – level 3 at 95 rpms. Then she comes – Skinny Lady. Not only that, but she was wearing the exercise world’s version of a bra and panties! Now, if this was August and outside, I could understand. But we are in the middle of winter, it’s 25 degrees outside and it is SNOWING! Where does she choose to exercise? On the bike next to me. After 15 minutes of exercise, I was not looking my best. Consider the pair we made.

"And in this corner we have at (well, let's just say MANY) pounds, almost 39 years old, wearing black sweatpants that are baggy at the top, tight around the calves & a few inches above the ankles (flood stage) and wearing an old gray t-shirt that shows sweat in various locations and finally with sweaty hair swinging in her face…Jenny! And in the other corner we have at half the size of Jen, somewhere in her 20s, with a perky ponytail, wearing a bright red, orange and pink halter top that would make most guys sweat with matching short shorts and tanned skin everywhere else…the Skinny Lady!”

So I did what I do sometimes when I think I have the right to compare myself to others – I peaked at her level and rpms. Level 8 – ouch. RPMS – only 65. Ah, minor victory for me! And then, less than 10 minutes later, she gets off the bike and walks over to another exercise area. The naughty little girl inside of me cheered – “Neener neener neener. I lasted longer than you did!” Isn’t that bad!! I do that all the time. I encourage myself by seeing if I can outlast everyone else. Good or bad, it has helped remove an inch from my breast….oh…wait…! Of course, her little victory was walking out of the weight area ten minutes later with a hunky weight-lifter-type guy.

After my 45 minutes of biking, I dripped myself out of the exercise area and saw Skinny Lady again…this time playing ping-pong with Mr. Hunky…and still showing off her middle between her colorful underwear sports clothes. I covered my sweaty t-shirt with an old sweatshirt and went to pick up my daughter from the child watch center. As Rachel and I walked out to the car hand in hand, I realized that success was mine. Not only do I have much more energy to spend time with my children, but the Lord blessed me with two of the most wonderful children I know. Exercising so that I can spend more active times with them is worth the times I have to exercise beside those “other” women!

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