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.
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.
posted by kim at
7:34 PM
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