Week Two of Kim’s Personal Training Odyssey

I have mentioned this new adventure of mine to a few people and, whenever I tell them the person I have chosen to be my personal trainer, their eyes fairly pop out of their heads. “Christina Rondeau???” they ask, amazed, followed by, “She’ll kill you!” Not really what you want to hear.
But I’m ready for my next session. I have recovered fully from the first pain-fest, have gotten some great sympathy out of my friends – one even offered to come to my office and move my furniture while I supervised. How nice is she?!! I totally took her up on it. This will not last forever.
But I have tried my best to eat well – there is nothing like the pressure of a weigh-in to keep a person on a diet – and I have done some walking and even some crunches. This really is more than just a lark, I keep reminding myself. I have the opportunity to turn myself around here, to return to a state of fitness. And don’t we all want to be fit? There are just so many benefits; with the increased agility, you feel a lot less prone to injury, and you look better. You have more energy and zest, and of course you are healthier. And did I mention the whole looking-better thing? So off I go.

5:00

Just to set the stage: I walked into the gym just now, and my trainer narrowed her eyes at me, saying simply, “I feel mean today.” Yet another thing one does not want to hear! She chained me (figuratively) to the treadmill, where I alternated between walking and running until she said I could stop. Then there was more torture on some weight resistance machinery, along with – oh joy! – push-ups! I was surprised by how many of these I could do – she uses those twisty grip things which really do help – but it was still pretty pathetic. After this we graduated to a series of lunges, kicks and squats – at one point I was hopping, in a squat, across the room, then straightening up and running to the end of the gym and back. (I would prefer if you do not try and get a visual on that; it wasn’t pretty, I’m sure.)
I noticed that, after my having said that I liked the kickboxing last time, there was none of it this time. I think I will tell her that it was the crunches I liked best this week and perhaps we will skip them next time.
Upon my departure, I couldn’t help noticing that I was not dying. A good thing! My first session had ended in a mild low blood sugar reaction (not that I’m diabetic) -- I was shaky and light-headed. This time I managed to walk out and drive home without the aid of the large iced coffee I had needed the week before. Was she easier on me? Or is it maybe the faintest glimmer of hope that this is helping me already?

The next day

She was definitely not easier on me this week, if my difficulty in getting out of bed is any indication. Oddly, it is all different muscles that ache this morning, compared to last week. But they ache.
One little thing has occurred to me today, and I’ll thank you not to tell Ms. Rondeau: I would never have worked as hard as I did, were it not for her. In fact, I could not believe how hard I was pushing myself. I am generally a pretty assertive person; I don’t let people push me around as a rule. And I have never subscribed to the “no pain, no gain” theory. And yet, I was willingly straining myself to the point of loud grunts and groans. This, I’m thinking moronically, is what makes this whole personal training thing so successful. You put yourself in the hands of someone else to take your body and shape it up. And it may make the difference for me.

Inspiring

My RKB time has been inspiring in more aspects of my life than just working out. I work hard, feel good and am more motivated than ever. I love my gym and brag about it always. The gym inspired me to start a ceramic business, the one I've been dreaming about since college. I will be making mugs that look like boxing gloves. Though I'm still working out some ideas and problems. I plan to be up and running soon. Look for them in the Pro Shop.

Week One of my Training Odyssey

Training #1 – The First Day

9:00 a.m.
Today I am to begin my personal training. I’m the perfect person for this assignment, as I am completely out of shape! I am also someone who feels a sense of terror at the mere thought of a personal trainer. And I guess you could possibly say I’m a tad lazy, whatever. I’ve been in shape before in my life though, so I’m counting on some muscle memory. So my plan is to walk in with a sort of swagger and see if I can intimidate my trainer Christina Rondeau – ha! The woman bills herself as New England’s Toughest Personal Trainer. I wrote to her the other night, saying that, as much as I was looking forward to working with her, I was a little scared of her. Her reply consisted of these three words: "You should be." Yikes.
Will check in after our session.

5:30 p.m.
OK, this chick is a slave driver! Oh, she was mellow with me today, but I can see she is holding back. Lulling me into compliance, training me to obey her…
The training itself was varied – jogging, crunches, stepping, weight resistance and boxing. This last was the most fun, as I have never tried it before. (Crunches I’ve tried.) I learned two punches and three kicks and some of the fancy footwork. And she mixed it all up so that I was never doing the same thing for more than a few minutes. There is a sort of traffic light thing on the wall, where you have to keep going until the light turns red – oh, how I listened for the corresponding beeps by the end of the crunch sessions!
Upon leaving, after a jog around the block with another woman and a small boy (who both left me in their dust), I felt like a diabetic going into a massive low blood-sugar reaction. I knew there was a coffee shop around the corner – could not get to that iced coffee soon enough! I felt shaky and weak. I positively guzzled water (need to remember to bring my own next time). I didn’t feel achy or sore, but I had the feeling that this was yet to come. Still, I think this will be do-able.

9:30 p.m.
I’m home tonight from dinner out with friends. I was supposed to catch up with another friend afterwards, but had to cancel – I am wiped out! I am thinking I will take an Aleve and hit the hay. Feeling sort of worn. I had to think twice (before saying yes, of course) about a glass of wine at dinner – I felt as though I was already a little tipsy – are these the endorphins you hear about? It was nice to get my mind off my muscles for a while though. Off to bed with my book.

The Day after Training #1

8:00 a.m.
I think I’ve made a terrible mistake…
My sleep was fitful at best – I could not get comfortable! And this morning, I literally had to lift my arm with my other hand to position it so I could get myself out of bed. I know I sound pathetic! The worst is my upper arms, which makes lifting my hand to, for example, brush my teeth an exercise in pain management. I was planning to move some furniture in my office today, but there is no way I can even attempt that. Thank God I don’t have to go back there right away. To that place. I am going to keep a good attitude, though. After today.

4:00 p.m.
A quick check-in. 24 hours out, and the pain is still mildly shocking, but I’ve felt worse. I mean, I have given birth to two people… but that was a while ago now. And, at the risk of being overly biological, I have been peeing like crazy today. This could have to do with the gallon of water I drank last night. But I like the feeling of being well-irrigated. Anyway, I got someone to rub some ointment into my shoulders, and I even walked home from a friend’s house just now. So it does appear that I am going to live…
I am supposed to go out dancing tonight, though… might be a tad comical. Will check back in a day or two…