Day 1 and counting

I signed us up for a new gym. It has a 20M lap pool (with very narrow lanes) and lots and lots of cardio equipment and classes and everything a gym rat wants. Tony loved this place b/c he feels that it has a modern feel to it. The only downfall is that I realized it will cost me $100 a month in CTA fees if I go 5x a week by bus/el. Hmm, will have to figure that out.

On my first day, I trekked to the bus, transfered to the El, and made it to the gym rather quickly. Yay me. I found an elliptical close to a mirror (for my profile view, not forward facing) which I like b/c it helps me correct my tendency to slouch. I found GH and began moving and shaking. I am always a complete gawker... I am always checking out what people are wearing, what their hair looks like, what music device they have, what headphones they use, what technique they use, if they use a towel to wipe their brow, what kind of shoes they are wearing, how they tie their shoes, what kind of fitness level I think they are, what they're paying attention to, etc., etc., etc. There were 5 other women on the cardio floor while I was there. Each one of them could not have been more than a buck twenty five. This was very annoying. And then there were like a dozen or so guys there all on cardio equipment. There was the Tony guy - a guy who make a TON of noise while working out. Loud, excessive exhaling, grunting and other noises that make it seem like he's doing more than he actually is. There was the I-hate-this guy - the guy who HATES cardio, the gym, the fact that he is overweight and is just barely making it all happen (I'm probably most like this guy). There was the I-am-a-bad-ass guy. This guy is so chiseled, he quickly reminds me of Mark Wahlberg (body, not face) and how much I like MW with no shirt on. And the last guy is the I'm-trying-to-look-like-a-fitness-expert guy. This guy has obvious technique issues but swears he is doing this right and will lean over and correct YOUR technique. I hope this guy falls off his treadmill.

On another note, I signed up for some personal training to get started. I was thinking about what my goals are with my trainer. I specifically asked for someone who has a swimming background. I haven't really ever had my swimming assessed, so I'm excited to hear that she teaches the Total Immersion method. I got into this shortly before leaving CA, so am excited to get tweaked. I also want to do a dang 5k. I really want to do the Wrigley 5k, but it's April 25th and I have to spend the first week and a half of April in Plano, so no can do. This trainer is going to be very challenged in getting me to run. It's always been a goal of mine to nail down the running thing, but I have all kinds of fears and tears about the process. I think Tony, Sean, Mary and Joe have all heard me complain abuot my issues and ailments and they've kinda given up on me (not that I blame them) when it comes to this endeavor. Last, but not least, I need to drop at minimum 40 lbs by August (am also willing to translate this into a loss of at least 2 dress sizes). I'm going to use DCI weekend as my big goal weekend just because.

On another note, I was thinking about how Yukon is going to turn 6 on April 8th (yes, the same day as our wedding anniversary). I can hardly believe that we have had him that long. This also means that Bumble will turn 5 in May. Bumble and I need to focus on dropping 9-10 lbs off of him again. He came in at 60 lbs at his last appointment in February. It made me feel very ugly inside b/c it was a reminder that I'm not keeping him active enough. Naturally, Yukon is his normal perfect 5-0. Bumble and I find this irritating.

I had a very fun visit with Karen Fitting last week. I was so excited to see her, show her a bit around Chicago and have her over to our house. She is the easiest person to be around and I find her to be very uplifting. I am hoping that she'll come back with her husband, Drew, very soon.

Stay tuned for future days at the gym. I'm sure you're just on the edge of your seats in anticipation. I'm off to Best Buy b/c of course I need an accessory for the gym... would like an iPod thingie for my arm.