Tag: weight lifting

I joined the gym three years ago because it was cheaper than paying by the class for Zumba. My membership included weekly sessions with a personal trainer. He gave me a workout plan, expected me to follow it, and since he was really hot and more than a little intimidating, I tried to obey. In addition to two or three Zumba classes, my weekly exercise plan consisted of a thirty minute training session plus three more trips to the gym to workout on my own. I hated the weightlifting, but kept at it, knowing strength training would boost my metabolism. My prescribed workouts took thirty or forty minutes — tops — which I thought was an awful lot to of time at the gym. Ninety …

Every Monday I logon to Weight Watcher’s online and enter my best weight for the morning. I jump on the scales first thing out of bed and then about every fifteen minutes until time to leave for work. The variation sometimes makes me doubt the accuracy of my scale. I figure going for the best two out of three–or three out of five–or even five out of eight is a good control against any anomalies. The past two Mondays I’ve entered 203.1 and 203–my lowest weight in at least twenty years. I’ve had moments here and there this month at 200, but so far, haven’t dropped below the double century number. I will. But it won’t be tomorrow. Because avoiding …

Until fairly recently, exercise was something totally foreign to me. About ten years ago–before I had settled down with my partner–this guy I was dating tried to get me to walk. I tried it a few times, hated it, and quit. In early 2006, a friend of mine loaned me a book called Younger Next Year.  The book was about the human body constantly replacing  cells. If you sit around all the time and otherwise don’t take care of yourself, the new cells are weaker than the cells they replace. If you exercise regularly, eat a nutritious diet, and otherwise take care of yourself, the replacement cells will be stronger than those they replace. The constant regeneration of cells means …