Welcome to Gym Rat Confessions!

Welcome to my blog, Gym Rat Confessions! I've been toying with the idea of creating a blog for months now and just this week decided to give it a go. I'll be the first to admit, I am completely computer/technology illiterate (the reason I've procrastinated for so long) so hopefully as I get comfortable using this site, the look and design will improve! That being said, feel free to offer up any good blogging tips you may have...just keep it in layman's terms please :)

This will probably be one of my longest posts. My goal is to post quick workout tips, random thoughts, or funny gym stories on a daily (hopefully!) basis but I figured it would be good to give everyone a little background on my fitness history so here goes...

First, I should mention that I have never been remotely athletic. I was always the last one picked in gym class, the one sent to the outfield where there was less of a chance I'd have to catch the ball and risk my team losing. Gym class was nothing less than an anxiety-filled hour of embarrassment. It got so bad that in high school I refused to sign-up for it. When the administration finally realized in the last quarter of senior year that one of their honor roll students didn't have the credits to graduate, they decided to save face and allowed me to do whatever I wanted for exercise on my own time and keep a schedule of my hours. It was great, for the first time in my life I didn't dread working out. I did things I enjoyed like kayaking and hiking on the weekends and got in my credit hours just in time for graduation. Now, all of this could have been avoided if one of those lousy gym teachers would have just explained the rules of the games to me but of course they didn't see it worth their time. If only they could see me now!

Someone first called me a gym rat back in my second year at University when I developed the habit of hitting up a daily fitness class. Ever since I had started my personal workouts in High School, I had continued to do light workouts that included jogging and light weights a few times a week. However, this wasn't really cutting it for me. I'd always been a petit girl but the "freshman 5" somehow found its way to my ass through the delicious desserts in the residence cafeteria! A girlfriend of mine convinced me to try a yoga class with her one day in second year and that one class opened up a whole new world for me (thank you Heather!). The group fitness program at my school was excellent; great teachers and a variety of fun classes like aeroboxing (aerobics-boxing kind of like kickboxing), step, regular aerobics, and of course yoga. I got so addicted I just couldn't stay away. After a short period of time I had all the moves down and a "reserved" spot at the front of each class. I was in the best shape I'd ever been in and nothing could keep me from going, not even a deadly hangover which was not uncommon in those years!

After graduation I moved here to Portland, Maine and joined up the local Bally's (now World Gym) where I continued my routine. Having new teachers allowed me to learn some new moves which was a great change. Once again I had my front-of-the room spot and was so in love with these classes that I even got AFAA certified as a group fitness instructor! I've since let that certification expire as my workout interests have changed considerably but its always in my back pocket should I decide to get back into it. Anyway, a year or so into it I felt like I was in a major workout rut. I was in shape for sure but wasn't seeing any improvement any more. I started to venture into the weight room and try out some of the machines. Soon I was foregoing my classes for full weight sessions and finally I was seeing results again!

Over time, I got used to the equipment and picked up a lot of great new moves from other lifters. Its funny how a weight room can be so intimidating when you're learning the ropes but now it's like a gym-family. You show up every day and there's always the usuals (other gym rats) that have been there forever. One thing about gym rats is that they love getting and giving workout advice. Sometimes all it takes it a compliment on someone's physique or a question on how to use a piece of equipment and you'll end up leaving with a whole new workout plan!

Today my gym routine consists of a light cardio warm-up (usually 20-ish minutes on the eliptical) followed by 60-ish minutes of weights and abs, and then 5-10 minutes of stretching. I do ab workouts daily but my weight workouts are different every day. For example, one day will be biceps/triceps, another day with be back/chest, and so forth. I usually try to do opposing muscle groups. I guess everyone has their own way of working out that they enjoy but this method definitley works best for me.

A couple of months ago I joined another local gym, Planet Fitness. After four years at World's I was overdue for a change of scenery. It's hard to get used to new equipment and a totally different facility set-up but it's nice to be able to switch things up a bit. I was feeling like I was entering into another workout rut so something had to change! Now I go back-and-forth between gyms, hitting up World's for workouts such as glutes/hams/quads since I prefer their lower body equipment much better and then going to Planet for more basic workouts that only involve free weights. Plus, being a single gal, the selection fo men at World's was getting a little stale haha

So that's really a basic run-down of my fitness history. I guess a main theme is that you have to find what you love. I believe people that say they hate working out just haven't found something they enjoy doing. I may be a major gym rat who looks forward to nothing more each day than the feel of iron in my hands after a long day at the office but a workout doesn't have to be in a gym. Some of my favorite workouts are outdoor activities like kayaking or simply walking my dog. I'd change the name of this blog to Workout Rat Confessions but it doesn't sound as good! I hope that Gym Rat Confessions will be a place you find useful and informative and hopefully I can turn a few gym procrastinators into full-blown gym rats!