Work Me Out
I am new to the whole "working out" thing. As in, I have been actually going to the gym on a regular basis since January. When I got engaged in December of 2008, the first thing I did is what I'm pretty sure all brides-to-be do: go join a gym and commit to dropping weight or toning up so that they look fabulous in their wedding dress. Well, my commitment lasted all of 3 months. At that time, I was working 40+ hours a week at another hospital and my husband was gone 3 weeks out of every month for work.
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Between the stress of work (I quit my job at the first hospital and got a new job at a children's hospital) and going back to school for Registered Nursing, I definitely let my health slip. I was eating a lot of junk (even though I partly blame that on my husband, since he is the king of junk food) and drinking TONS of soda and coffee, of course, to stay up cramming for exams. I gained about 6 pounds, which may not sound like a lot, but I'm very petite (only 5 foot 1) and it was definitely noticeable. I became very insecure about how I looked and how I felt.
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This past January, I committed to taking better care of my body. That meant limiting junk food and sugar, exercising, and eating more fruits/veggies/lean protein. I looked at my options for gym memberships since there are quite a few different franchises near my home. I am also lucky that, because I have health insurance through my job, my job gives me incentives to join a fitness club. I chose the YMCA because of the variety of classes that are included in the membership fee.
I am so happy that I made all these lifestyle changes. In addition to running 3-4 days a week (always depending on my work schedule), I take a Les Mills cardio class called BodyAttack and a yoga-pilates class, also by Les Mills, called BodyFlow. I haven't felt this healthy since I was dancing. (Sidenote: I was a ballet dancer for 14 years; I had to stop when I was 18 because of a knee injury.)
So, the whole purpose of this post was to encourage any of you, if you want to make these changes, to do it! I never thought that I would enjoy all the changes I have made, but I love it! I'm running my first 5K in two weeks and a half marathon in September.
What kinds of changes have you made to be healthier?