Personal Trainer

Well, I have reached the age, apparently, where half the world is younger than me. Take Nick, one of the personal trainers at our gym. This kid is 21, maybe 22, and fresh out of college. But he seemed to know what he was talking about, and he made lots of exercises look easy that I know I won't be tackling for awhile.

I meet with him again tomorrow to do a treadmill test and really learn the equipment. We did a fitness evaluation (you can stop laughing now) and I found out that for a fat chick, I'm still pretty flexible. That is good for preventing injuries, he said. He is recommending a 5-day per week workout, for about an hour each time. That means 3 days doing cardio exercise, and 2 days doing resistance (weight) training. He explained what percent of my maximum heart rate burns the most fat -- I was all ears on that regard! And how cardio burns fat, and resistance builds muscle. So they work together, and you don't want to do all of one or the other. And that it doesn't have to be the same thing week after week, or working the same body parts every week. Mixing ti up is good for the body and should prevent boredome.

So I'm going to try the water aerobics class today. They are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, which fits my schedule well. The staff says it's very popular. I've always enjoyed swimming because if I sweat, I don't notice it! It's also cardio exercise, but has a resistance component, so that explains why swimming and water activities are so good for you. I'm kind of nervous, but excited to get started. Before long, it won't just be how much weight (fat) I've lost, but how much muscle I have gained! And since mucle burns fat, I'm ready to get started!