After about seven years of bad habits and fitness-avoidance I realized it's time I get myself back in shape. What a mess I've made of myself, physically! So now that I've made up my mind to start a fitness routine, I had to decide where to begin. I have joined so many gyms over the years and paid thousands of dollars in membership fees, but always with the same result; go once in a while when I'm "in the mood" for exercise, but never really setting realistic goals or following through on them. And I've tried every diet on the planet. Thing is, they don't work unless you actually follow them. And at my age, my metabolism is so screwed up that I really need a jump start, a drastic move, to get things underway.
So I bit the bullet and signed up for Boot Camp. A 12-week program, three days a week, plus two days of "free" cardio training, including a nutrition consultation monthly, metabolic screenings, the whole nine yards. Tonight was my first class. I almost bailed on it. Not because I'm afraid of the exercise, just the other people who signed up. Would they judge me? Could I keep up? Would I pass out and make a complete fool of myself? I went and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. When I showed up there were already a couple of young, fit women chatting with the Trainer. Obviously they do this program every 12-week session and had their cute work out "uniforms" on, size 2(ish), so that was annoying. But soon other, not-so-fit women showed up and I felt some better. The class was outside, and of course it was raining and cold. Great! We ran laps in the parking lot, did stretches with weights, moved our bodies in ways I didn't think I could still do (lunges, squats, backward squats, backward lunges) and to finish off a series of planks, push ups, sit ups and a cool down. The hour passed remarkably fast and I didn't pass out once! Here we go. After all of this work, I better fit into my "skinny" jeans by summer. Once I meet with my nutritionist, I'll post some tips and pointers she passes along for "those of age" to speed up the sluggish metabolism. Is this really my life?
Food for Thought
Here's a great morning shake recipe that I think you'll all enjoy. It gives you all of the fruit and a portion of vegtables to get your day off to a great start! I make a double portion so when I get home from work I can grab the rest out of the frig to avoid my need to snack.
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1and 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (organic is best for you)
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
1 banana (I freeze my fresh ones when they get too ripe to eat, after cutting them into bite-sized pieces)
I use the Ninja, what I consider to be the best shake-making blender out there. The motor is on top and is easily removed, the blade pulls out and so the container is easy to clean and can be used as a pitcher. They have several varieties of these but I like the $39 version. I got mine from Target.
Blend everything together and pour half into a glass and drink first thing in the morning. I usually have a piece of whole grain toast with 1 tablespoon of all natural peanut butter to go with it.
So I bit the bullet and signed up for Boot Camp. A 12-week program, three days a week, plus two days of "free" cardio training, including a nutrition consultation monthly, metabolic screenings, the whole nine yards. Tonight was my first class. I almost bailed on it. Not because I'm afraid of the exercise, just the other people who signed up. Would they judge me? Could I keep up? Would I pass out and make a complete fool of myself? I went and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. When I showed up there were already a couple of young, fit women chatting with the Trainer. Obviously they do this program every 12-week session and had their cute work out "uniforms" on, size 2(ish), so that was annoying. But soon other, not-so-fit women showed up and I felt some better. The class was outside, and of course it was raining and cold. Great! We ran laps in the parking lot, did stretches with weights, moved our bodies in ways I didn't think I could still do (lunges, squats, backward squats, backward lunges) and to finish off a series of planks, push ups, sit ups and a cool down. The hour passed remarkably fast and I didn't pass out once! Here we go. After all of this work, I better fit into my "skinny" jeans by summer. Once I meet with my nutritionist, I'll post some tips and pointers she passes along for "those of age" to speed up the sluggish metabolism. Is this really my life?
Food for Thought
Here's a great morning shake recipe that I think you'll all enjoy. It gives you all of the fruit and a portion of vegtables to get your day off to a great start! I make a double portion so when I get home from work I can grab the rest out of the frig to avoid my need to snack.
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1and 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (organic is best for you)
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
1 banana (I freeze my fresh ones when they get too ripe to eat, after cutting them into bite-sized pieces)
I use the Ninja, what I consider to be the best shake-making blender out there. The motor is on top and is easily removed, the blade pulls out and so the container is easy to clean and can be used as a pitcher. They have several varieties of these but I like the $39 version. I got mine from Target.
Blend everything together and pour half into a glass and drink first thing in the morning. I usually have a piece of whole grain toast with 1 tablespoon of all natural peanut butter to go with it.
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