Yeah, baby....

For those who didn't know, I've been going to a women's only gym called Curves since Aug 6, 2003. I was starting a new job within my company that would have me sitting on my rear a lot, as opposed to working with inventory and receiving as I used to. So I decided that Curves would be a good idea. I'd heard lots of good things about the place and that was a good sign for me too.

You see, I hate gyms. A lot. Nothing worse than feeling like you're the most ugly dumpy person there to inspire feelings of resentment against the gym, the other people there, and yourself. Yes, yourself - after all, *you* are the one that let *you* get into that condition, right?

So, I signed up for Curves and worked out that first day (a Wednesday). I was sore walking out of the place, but I felt GREAT! I couldn't believe how wonderful I felt. I felt so good that I came right back the very next day. That was not one of the smarter things for me to have done, since those poor muscles of mine were not used to being abused like that.

Friday morning I literally could not roll out of bed. Every muscle I had, and some I didn't even know existed, were screaming in pain. It was painful to see me walking around. I spent a lot of time stretching in my office, and walked as little as possible. Every time I ran into someone they asked if I'd had another bicycling accident (I'll cover why they would ask this another day), so I decided that it would be better for me to just lay low for the day.

Thus began my obsession - the more I worked out, the more the sore started going away... and the better I felt. It was noticeable with the first month's measurements. I was dropping inches off the waist and the abs like nobody's business. Weight and body fat stayed constant though. I didn't get discouraged because I wasn't after losing any weight - my purpose was to tone things up and be active. Trimming and slimming up the tummy would be a good side benefit to this as well, since I'd never had a flat tummy in my entire life. I know that I probably never will have one, but it's worth a shot, right? You never know until you try, and all that other good clichéd stuff, right?

That second month I started going 4 times a week instead of the standard recommended 3 times a week. Even with the evil Pixy Stick Chick - Sara was her name. She also worked at Target as a cashier during the day. She would hop right up to me and say in a most sugary happy voice, "And how was *your* day today?" It was borderline condescending. I learned how to hop on a pad and run with my head down, and not looking at anyone. Because I wasn't looking at anyone I didn't notice that many others were doing this same thing so as to avoid being sought out and 'cheered' by the Pixy Stick. I was getting to the point that I was thinking about leaving Curves because of her. Thankfully, she offended too many people with various things she did and said and they let her go a while back.

Workouts got so much more pleasant, talkative and generally happy after that.

I became addicted to working out at Curves. It was wonderful! My measurements were trimming more and more. My body fat was decreasing more and more. Then the holidays came. I swear, I was good. I didn't eat very many sweets at ALL. But my body fat went right back up. My weight went right back up. My measurements went right back up. It was depressing and I had quite a few days where I didn't want to go to the gym - these were balanced by an equal number of days where I said I have to keep going to beat back the evil weight.

I started doing crunches. I began eating more salads. I've given up chocolate and candies and soda for Lent. And this month, it shows! I've lost weight, body fat, AND inches. I've lost another 2 inches off various locations, 4 pounds, and 2% body fat. Weight loss doesn't mean all that much to me, but it is a nice side benefit. It'll be a temporary one however, since muscle is more dense than fat, and because of density you can fit more into a smaller package - and it weighs more. So, here's to me becoming more dense...

... wait a second, that didn't sound right, did it?