Fitness

Today I went to the gym for the first time in a while. The last time I made it there was a couple weeks ago at 6am with my friend Jenny - which is something I'm trying to make a habit - but then my membership card expired and, truth be told, I got lazy. Before that, I'd fallen off the workout wagon and gone for a good 3 weeks without a workout.

After several guilt-laden conversations this week with Rico, and a general sense of malaise because I've been eating too much junk and not getting enough physical exercise for a while now, I decided it was time to stop wallowing and get it together. So Rico and I made it to the gym this afternoon, which was a good first step.

I renewed my membership, which was a shock to the old wallet. When I was freelancing, I could go to the gym whenever I pleased during the day, so I was able to purchase the "off-hours" package and work out from 7:30am to 4:30pm. It was expensive compared to what I used to pay for my gym back in Austin, but not outrageous.

Unfortunately, now that I'm working full-time, I have to purchase the regular membership which is ridiculously expensive. For one month it is USD 118! For this price you get access to several cardio machines, an assortment of weights and a swimming pool that isn't big enough to do laps. There is also a wet sauna in the locker rooms, but I can't stand being in there with all the steam. On the plus side, the gym is just 3 blocks from our house, is kept spotless, and has a fabulous view of the Indian Ocean when you are on the treadmills (the gym is on the 10th floor of the Hotel Avenida).

Staying in shape is important to me. Exercising has a positive effect on my mood and my energy levels, but I'll be honest - the main reason I am motivated to work out is because I want to get/stay skinny. I'm not necessarily proud that this is my principal motivation, but I'm being honest here. I'm sure it's a vestige of my eating disorder days, but I start to feel panicky if I'm not offsetting my calorie intake with some regular form of exercise. My weight still has a profound effect on my self-image and mood. When I am feeling skinny, I am happy; if I put on a little weight, I enter into a cycle of depression.

So I paid a ton of money for the gym membership because 1) I know it is important for my physical and emotional well-being; and 2) I am more likely to actually go work out 3 times a week if I feel I've paid a lot of money and therefore must make good use of my investment. My goal is to go to the gym 3 times a week, ideally in the mornings.

Today's workout made me optimistic. As I mentioned, I haven't been to the gym regularly in a while, so I was expecting to have a difficult workout and not be able to do more than 10 minutes running on the treadmill. Imagine my total surprise when I ran for 25 minutes non-stop! I haven't run this much since I started going to the Avenida gym last year. I have no idea why my fitness level seems to have gone up in my month of sloth-dom, but I'm not complaining. I just hope the trend continues and that I don't go for a workout tomorrow only to find that my resistance has taken a nosedive.

My goal for December is to be able to run 5km. Today I did 3.8, so I feel this is a reasonable target. Hopefully this will keep me motivated, along with the knowledge that if I gain any weight I won't fit into my beautiful wedding dress...