There is a moment when you know. There is a moment when you realize that something has changed. For some people, it is an abrupt realization. For others, like me, the realization is a process. It could be the day you notice that your occasional flirtation with Ben and Jerry has become a steady relationship. It could be the day you get a workout trying to button your favorite jeans, only to wish you hadn’t put them on. It could be the day you get up off the couch and realize your imprint doesn’t fade. But at the end of the day, no matter how you happen upon the truth, one thing is clear: You’re out of shape, and you’ve GOT to do something about it! This is the realization I came to last night.
You see, I am what you might call a binge gym-goer. I have these seasons of faithfulness to the gym. I get really excited about working out, I love the accomplishment I feel when I arrive and, despite my messy hair and sweaty face, I LOVE the way I feel when I leave. I trade in heels for tennis shoes, sunglasses for goggles and junk food for celery and carrot sticks. Then, at some point, life gets in the way. I’m out of town for an extended period of time. I get really busy with work. I keep telling myself I’ll make it to the gym tomorrow, but the gym knows what’s up. He knows not to expect me for a while. He knows I’ll be back next time I feel a little fat, but other than that I won’t visit. I won’t call. I’ll try not to think of him. He becomes my frenemy – the one I know can help me, but the one I least want to see.
Well, I’m here to tell you that this trend ends today. I am sick of being an unfaithful friend to the gym. My fitness level rivals that of a champion couch potato, and I’m tired of it. I’m ready to be fit again. I am working on putting together a workout schedule that I can actually live with and a nutritional plan that I can stick to. I would love to hear any advice or encouragement that you have to offer. Watch out, gym, because I’ve got my game face on, and I’m not playing around this time!
