Fatty’s Fitness Trainer

Up until the start of this year, I had given up on the gym.  Not on exercise (I meander along pretty often just fine at home), but I knew I was going to need a bit of a push to help me lose more weight.  So back to the gym I went.  And once there, I started meeting with a trainer.  I need to have someone push me, check my form, and make sure I’m not slacking.  You know, slacking.  Like walking on the treadmill while eating a doughnut.  Or walking on the elliptical while eating ice cream. . .  BOTH of which I have done.  So, having someone watch me exercise, while awkward, seems to work for me. 

Each week I go to the gym, and off to the trainer I go.  Now, at most gyms, you go in, they have you meet with the trainers, they give you a free session, then they tell you they will charge you some fee per session.  And if you say you don’t know if you can spend an extra $50 a week to meet with them, they say “that’s less than one fancy purse a month!  This is an investment in your health!” as they look at my purse, or clothes, or watch (or pudge), and judge me.  But at Planet Fitness, meeting with a trainer is free.  And each class with the trainer is small- a max of 5 people.  And most times, it’s only me- attempting to reduce the jiggle a little each time I go back.  Oh, jumping jacks- yes, that sounds fun.  Let me just grab some shapeware to secure the belly fat in place, and a sports bra to wrangle the girls, and I’ll get right on it.  Run backwards with weights?  Sure, what could go wrong?  Not like I’ll fall down and hit myself in the face and chest with those.  The trainer comes up with many new and creative ways to torture me, all under the “guise of exercise”.  And it works.  I’m building muscle and losing weight, pushing myself harder than I thought I could.  As an added bonus, I came home this week after my meeting with the trainer and ripped the handle right off the freezer (pictures below).         

I have also found that going to a trainer has put my competitive nature into full drive.  If there’s another person with me doing the same thing, I push myself harder to match (or, mostly, beat) them.  I always feel accomplished when I can outperform the skinny buff girl or tiny gymnast ninja that is attending a session with me.  And, of course, an added bonus if I outperform my husband. 

It can be a bit stressful to have someone watch you exercise.  But the payoff is often worth it.  And having someone who knows what to do show you how to do it is even better.  Of course, I’m also being told to clean up my diet and “try harder” to “create a better version of myself”.  But I figure meeting with the trainer one to three times a week also gives me the chance to meander along at home on the elliptical while eating ice cream.  And that, my friends, is priceless.