Slacker!

While my kids were here, I didn't go to Curves. I even got a travel pass for our trip to Pennsylvania, but didn't use it.

It's not like my kids are small, high-maintenance creatures. I don't have to "run after them" all day long. And Allan was here. So really, I could have done my workout.

Yesterday I went back to Curves. (Jan asked me "Have you been coming in the afternoons?") The workout was fine. They switched the machines around, so it was almost like a new gym! And I saw our dentist there! Woo!

But today I was a little sore. I hope I didn't undo in July all the good I did in June. My buff sister-in-law told me it takes four months to see a difference in your body when you start exercising. That was encouraging, but still. I should have gone to Curves while my kids were here. Dammit.

Comments

[Jeff]

It's tough to stay motivated. I like to run and will run my first marathon in January. I have this theory though about how hard I should work out. If I work out too hard, then I won't enjoy it. If I don't enjoy it, I won't do it. Therefore the only way for me to enjoy/improve is to not work too hard. But then I am somewhat a slacker and this might just be my rationalization.

[Neil]

I'm sure your body forgives you for wanting to hang out with the kids rather than going to that sweaty Curves.

[Anne]

You'll get back in shape faster this time than the first time, so don't sweat it. Well, sweat it at the gym! ha!

[Thomas]

Um... I think kids come before exercise. Besides, there are a lot of really fit people dying every day. It doesn't seem to work in the long run.

Me? I'm content to have my full six pack tucked away in my soft-sided cooler.

[Elisabeth]

Hmmm... How do you like Curves? There is one here in town, but I have been really reluctant to go there. Instead, I join the University Rec Center. I am terribly inconsistent when it comes to exercising. I seem to be off the wagon again. But this is going to change - when I'm back from the beach, I'm going on that diet and will work out seriously and consistently.

[Ginny]

4 months? Kind of, but I tend to notice some results quicker than that, especially w/ jogging. Don't beat yourself up for the gym thing, as long as your back on track now, it's all good. :-)

[mags]

It's hard to make that commitment to going, but I'm happy you chose to spend the time with your kids while they were with you. I do think you're on the right track with a gym like Curves - I belong to a small, women-only gym in Boulder, and I love it.

I read an article by Gabrielle Reece about fitness, and it was pretty no-nonsense - get 30-40 minutes of exercise at an accelerated heart rate 4 times a week. That combined with a healthy diet is perfect for *most* people who are looking to take off just a few pounds.

~mags

[Mist 1]

No need for fitness. Fall is coming. This year it's all about layers.

[steph]

i have to agree with ginny, i noticed results much faster from jogging, but the big, better than "hey, look, theres a muscle in my leg there?" results definitely took about 4 straight months of 3 or more times a week to come out. in the end it was worth it. but honestly, spending time with your kids seems like a much better idea to me

[Margaret]

Those muscles come back quickly though. The gymnasts don't take a whole lot of time off, but when they do--they go almost right back to doing those hellacious things that you see on my videos.

[ally bean]

4 months, huh? that's depressing. i believe that all effort aimed at creating muscles in bookish people should count for twice what it does in those naturally toned folks. in my ideal world, 4 months of exercise would turn me into an Olympian. *sigh*

[sallyrogers]

Two days out in a row throws me off a bit. The first day after that I feel like an uncoordinated Viking, heaving and sweating and looking very strange. The next day, however, feels so good! Remember... sore is good. (Pain is bad!) My coach told me that if I'm not sore after doing weights I need to do more weights. Cardio still makes me sore every so often. This is all a long way of saying - no, you didn't undo all that you had done. You just have to remind your muscles that they are your b*tches and have to do what you say!