Mr. Jersey Shore Muscles

I joined Bally's in March, and bought a personal training package, but was still too scared to actually go in to the gym and be trained.  Gyms intimidate me.  At this point I don't know why, because I am in decent physical shape.  I can run for an hour on the treadmill and be ok.  I can do the elliptical, and the bikes.  But for some reason, anytime I stray from the cardio machines I get paralyzed with fear.  Fear of people judging me as I struggle to use the weight machines, looking at me as the poor fat girl who must be on her two week crash diet.  Also, the giant 'roided out guys who use the weight machines are scary and sweaty.  I don't want to get in their way....ever.  So when I finally got up the courage to go to the gym months later, I just avoided that section of the gym and ran.

For the past two years I have based my workouts solely around running, and racking up mileage.  And it has worked.  Running is probably the best cardio you can do. So, after two years of solely relying on myself, it was very hard for me to succumb to the idea that a personal trainer would really be able to help me.   But I finally hit the point where I couldn't dedicate the time everyday to the increased mileage I was going to need to continue losing weight.  My body had grown accustomed to my running routine, and I was at a plateau.  I partly blame this on mono as well. 

The FIRST thing my trainer has done is make me use weight machines.  He has changed up every aspect of what I did at the gym.  No more running on the treadmill.  I walk on an incline at a fast clip.  No more elliptical.  I walk the treadmill sideways on an incline (WAY harder than it sounds).  I do Jane Fonda style leg lifts.  Squats. Lunges.  Side crunches.  And I am seeing results.  All of these things are excercises I knew about -I own Kim Kardashian's Fit Into Your Jeans By Friday.  But they are things I wasn't adding into my workouts because I thought pure sweat was enough.

You know what else is working - changing everything up.  That P90X was not joking...muscle confusion really does help when you are trying to lose weight, and build and shape muscle.  I was used to the exact same thing, using the exact same muscles, every day. 

Not only has my trainer been able to shave a few inches off my thighs, but somehow, in the past month, I have gained the confidence to walk around the gym and use the different equipment, free weights, and mats on my own.  I've started telling myself that I am NOT seen as the fat girl fumbling around with things she doesn't understand.  I am the girl who has taken the initiative, and is working out just like every other person here.  I'm just as good as Mr. Jersey Shore Muscles, and I have just as much of a right to be at this gym using the squat press machine as he does.  Until he hovers around pointedly as I struggle to bust out a set of 20 squats - then I will hustle out of his way.  What can I say...I have manners and choose carefully when I  abide by them.   :)