When working with my new Kaiser nurse practitioner she suggested setting up some goals to get started. One of them was to get more exercise. I have never been good at doing anything on a regular basis. I had spoke to a couple of friends that said that they really like the brand new gym in my town.
I really resisted this idea. The thought of a gym membership brought up two things for me, one was that I would be wasting my money because I would never go and two I usually hate the energy at a gym (the pretty people against the not so pretty people). After about a month or so, I fought through those fears and made an appointment to take a look see.
The gym was not what I expected. It was filled with everyday normal people. It smelled clean and had a fresh air open feeling to it. (must be the high ceilings and skylights) The staff was welcoming and friendly. I left that appointment with a membership card and an appointment to meet with a trainer for an evaluation.
Reception Desk
I popped in a couple of times to “try” to do a workout. I realized I really didn’t have a good idea on what I should be doing there. Good thing I had this appointment coming up with the trainer. I was hoping he would give me a routine to get started on. (that story will come later)
The good news is that I am still a member at that gym (1.5 years later). Even though I fought the idea of signing up and thinking it wouldn’t help me in my success, it has become my place where I can go, focus on myself, be safe and know that I am supported there. It was one of the biggest surprises in my journey, who would have thunk!
Here is an excerpt from a Forbes article about when picking a gym make sure it is a good fit for you.
Top Tips For Picking A Gym - Forbes.com
Whether you’re moving a regular workout indoors or creating a new exercise routine from scratch, avoid simply joining the first gym with the shiniest logo and longest row of equipment.
Instead, think about how a gym’s available amenities can complement your existing level of fitness. A marathoner or cyclist, Murphy says, should consider whether a gym is staffed with running or cycling experts. If weight loss is a primary goal, then seek out a club that caters less to the endurance athlete and more to similarly-minded gym goers likely to take advantage of fat-burning classes and an on-site dietitian or nutritionist.
My brother is an avid skier. He loves the sport and has always wanted to introduce me to it. I am always up to try something new. Especially if it involves moving, working up a sweat and is fun. Over a year ago he invited me to do a day trip with him and he would show me the ropes of skiing. He also recommended that I take a beginners lesson at the resort to get the basics down. I went to the local ski shop to get my rental equipment. The staff there did their best but couldn’t get a ski boot to fit comfortably around my calf. We tried boots that tend to run large in that area and also tried men’s boots. My brother thought that the lodge might have something for me, so we forged ahead on our ski date.
Well sorry to say that the rental equipment at the lodge was the same story. Thank goodness the staff there was also very kind about trying and never gave me any reason to feel bad about it. Since we made the long drive to the mountain, I told my brother to go ahead and ski.
At first I was so sad that I wasn’t skiing. I sat in the lodge watching everyone coming and going from the lifts and ski runs. I think I felt sorry for myself about a total of 5 mins. Then I realized that I wore some great hiking boots and I had brought my iPod that had a great play list of cardio music. So, I headed off to the lodge road and took off for a cardio walk in the snow.
Kirkwood Ski Lifts
The skys were clouding up and sure enough the most delicate, soft snowflakes started to fall. There was no wind so they fell straight down. The streets I trucked along on were lined with amazing gigantic ski homes. It was during the week and there were no cars on the road. My music kept me going a quick pace. The snow fall started to pick up pace with my music. Soon I had a layer of snow on my head, arms and tops of my boots. I suddenly realized that I was keep pace to a beat that I normally do at the gym BUT I was at 9,000 ft elevation. WOW, I wasn’t running out of breath. I broke a heavy sweat and after a full 30 mins I spun around to walk back to my starting point. I walked a total of an hour. The slippery road/snow/slush added to the workout by challenging my balance (equals core workout).
I finished my walk in time to explore the lodge and then meet up with my brother for lunch. Like me, he was proud that I choose to take a bad situation and turned it into a fun experience. On top of that I had a great workout.
A year later we tried again to get me into a ski boot and I am about a 1/2 inch away from the bindings to close comfortably. We went on a day trip anyway. I did my cardio walk (no snow that time) and then spent the afternoon in the lodge working on my job search. It’s amazing how easy it is to just choose to turn something around – take lemons and make delicious lemonade.
An email showed up in my business email inbox, the company fitness center was sponsoring a 5k walk/run. I thought this might be a great way to “keep moving”. I immediately did a Google search to find out how long a 5 k really is. I found out it was 3.1 miles. Heck, I could do that! I rallied my coworkers and a few of them were already planning on doing it. So, I signed up with excitement.
My Walking Team
The day of the event, I prepared myself with proper clothes, water bottle and comfy shoes. After a quick group meeting, my co-workers and I headed over to the fitness center. We were all chatting about the day, who had experience with this type of exercise and why we choose to do it. As we got closer to the building I could feel the tiny sensation of butterflies starting. With each step they grew larger and larger. I could feel myself breaking out into a sweat. Geeze, we haven’t even started the race yet. I noticed that my mind was racing with thoughts of failure before we even checked in. I was asking myself “What if I couldn’t make it all the way?” “What if I am the last person” and “What if I am the ones that slows down my friends?” Talk about “talking yourself” out of something!
I kept pushing through and ignored my “monkey brain” thoughts. We checked in, got our racer numbers and proceeded to the starting point. All the while my friends were smiling, joking and totally unaware of my panic. I have pretty good acting skills and I am sure I was doing a great job of showing no fear.
The race begun, the runners were in the front, next where the joggers and then the walkers. After about 1 mile, one of my friends picked up speed and headed out on her own. My one good friend stuck with me through the full race. As we were approaching the turn around point, I peeked behind us and realized we were the last ones. Being the good friend that she is, my friend kept me going at a good pace and talking with me about anything fun and positive.
She knew that I was tripping about being last. She kept saying, “Remember, the point of today Jane is that you have fun and complete what you set out to do”. I realized that she was right and now was the time for me to set a base time for myself on 5k walks. I could use this base time to challenge myself to improve. Something I love to do is to compete against myself.
We finished the race and yes we were last. But the lesson, awareness and accomplishment I got from this experience made me the winner. About 6 months later I did this same race at work. I beat my time by 15 mins and now I take 5k walks 1-2 times a week. They are a piece of cake for me. I shave minutes off my time each time and I now walk/jog during them. My goal is to someday jog the entire way. Sometimes the best way to conquer a fear is to just focus on finishing something and not be concern with the details.
I hope my story inspires you to try to get off the couch and try a 5k walk. I found this great Checklist to prepare for the day of the walk. This would have help my nerves! Walking Checklists for a 5k Walk NOTE: Love the one note to “Do not smoke while walking.” DUH!
The day finally came for me at Kaiser when my fav nurse practitioner (NP) got so busy with patients that she let me go. I attempted to try a few other NP and got frustrated. Most of them had the personality of a sea sponge. After chatting with the member services group, they suggested one NP that was very similar to my original NP.
I was late to my first appointment with her. She came into the examination room and told me she was shocked I even got an appointment with her, as she was not taking new patients. Being that she said “I will take you on but let me tell you about myself”:
Next time don’t be late. I like to be on time with all my patients and if you are late then you throw all our schedules off. (fair enough)
There are 3 things I focus on in my practice -
- Hypertension (great I want to get off my High blood pressure meds)
- Diabetes (even better, I am borderline type 2)
- Obesity (wonderful, I am on a quest to move more and shrink)
So, we carried on a wonderful conversation about what I have been doing for my health. That my goals match perfect to her focuses and how frustrated I am with the lack of progress I am making.
Then she announced to me (like it was the most wonderful thing in the world or like I just won the lotto)
Sample of Successful GP
“based on your weight, YOU ARE A CANDIDATE FOR GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY, whoo hoo! Ok, she really didn’t say it that way but that is how I heard it. I felt like a semi truck just hit me. So many thoughts were running around my head…WHAT, do I have to loose that much weight? How did I let myself get this fat! This can’t be true!
Now I want to say that a few of my friends have had this surgery. It was a great success for them. It even saved some of their lives. But for me, this was not the way I wanted to go. I don’t take to any surgery well. I also couldn’t imagine being limited to what or how much I could eat for the rest of my life. I knew it was not an option for me.
I expressed my shock to her with tears in my eyes. She said, “Ok then lets start on a plan that will work for you”. She gave me a list of diet plan websites to visit and we started on setting goals (something I do very well with).
I left her office, got in my car, drove 3 blocks and pulled over to sob. 5 mins later I pulled myself together and at that point made a commitment to never be in the category of gastric bypass surgery again.
I found a great site that can help you make your own decision about Gastric Bypass Surgery. Gastric Bypass.com – Your Guide to Weight Loss Surgery
I think we all have had these moments…you go to a party or family gathering. Someone starts taking pictures and even though you try your hardest to avoid the camera (ducking behind plants, walls, people or holding a small child up in front of you) and then “SNAP”, they capture a picture of you. You surrender (but not after you try to your hardest to convince them to delete it from the camera) and life goes on. Then suddenly it shows up in your email or even worse MySpace or your tagged in Facebook. You look at it and say “Who the hell is that?” “That can’t be me!” “Who used photoshop to put my head on someone else body?” “OMG how could I let this happen”. Then the worse thought comes “Crap this is now public on the internet!”.
My starting point
This is happened to me many times in 2007. I tried my best to bury these memories and always had a wonderful excuse (kids, family, job, dark roots, friends problems) not to hit the issue head on. Maybe it was the universe or faith but those damn pictures just kept coming all year. It not only became annoying to me but more like a screaming message, like a demanding 2 year old that wants a cookie, to start thinking about it more seriously.
To this day I still look at those pictures (at least the ones I didn’t trash) and think who the hell is that? This was the beginning of my time to find out.
June 12, 2009 1:50 pm | 
