Why I love fitness- oh yeah and a weekly weigh in

I'm still 155.

Eating good, healthy, low-calorie, filling foods has been challenging for me the last few weeks. However, I have been kicking serious ass at the gym! So I'm going to focus on the way in which fitness has enriched my life.

When I was a kid, there was nothing I liked more than running around the playground and having to catch my breath. My favorite team sport was field hockey. I couldn't wait until we were able to get out those red and gold hockey sticks! Other things I loved were volleyball and basketball, although I wasn't very good at either of those.

I went to private school my whole life so PE wasn't something we did everyday, and it was something that was cut entirely by high school in lieu of Theology class. So after eighth grade I really didn't do much physical activity. (I was on the golf team and we did walk a few miles everyday, but I don't remember ever working up a sweat.)

In college I wandered into the Student Rec Center on a less than sporadic basis. I didn't really know what I was doing, and would usually just stick to the cardio machines. Over the course of the next 6-7 years this lack of exercise combined with my raging binge drinking/eating caused a weight gain of 60 lbs. I would join a gym every now and then, but never really go, and never really change my eating/drinking habits.

Once I had finally lost some weight through a change of diet, I again sought out physical activity. This time I recognized that it was not something I could do on my own. Like my change in diet, I needed some type of instruction. I was referred to my personal trainers, Bob and Matt, through a friend who had worked out with them after her gastric bypass.

Although I was intimidated by their appearance at first (typical bodybuilder meatheads, blond hair, big muscles, 50 years old but looks 35 etc..) I had realized that I was capable of great change. The diet had shown me that. I was not going to let anything stand in between me and my fitness goals. Especially my own self-doubt. So I've been weight training on average 3 days a week for the past 10 months. Sure, I've fallen off the wagon now and then,sometimes for weeks at a time, but I always get back up. And luckily Bob and Matt are always welcoming.

For the last 30 days, I have gone to the gym 17 times. This works out to a little over 4 times a week, and I always stay an hour. This is all the physical activity I get on top of taking the stairs, parking farther away, going out to the park with my dog etc.

To wrap up, since this is getting long, the thing I love the most about physical activity is how much energy I have. It helps me sleep better. My arms and shoulders are looking toned and sexy. My fat on my abdomen seems to be shifting, if not going away. My thighs are getting smaller. My butt is lifting. So I'm still 155, but I'm a size 10.