Categories: uncategorized
Tags: exercise, gym, Pilates, weight-loss
Date: 18 May 2008 18:55:13
My younger sister has spent years telling me that exercise is good for you. My mother's answer to all problems, e.g. "I have a headache", "I have backache", "I am tired", is that you need to get some exercise. Now I am starting to think there may be some truth in their comments. Throughout school I have hated most exercise. I loved walking, gymnastics and trampolining, but things like netball, hockey and running were, in my mind, very unnecessary to my life.
About 5 years ago I started doing Pilates. Initially I started doing it because I had a bad back, but I also found that it helped with my hyper-flexibility, improved muscle-tone and was relaxing. I love Pilates... it has been pretty life-changing for how I feel about myself. Then I started swimming and did that 4 or so times a week and that also helped to improve my fitness, but I started getting bored.
At Christmas I made the decision to start going to the gym. I have always been a passionate anti-gymer, but I decided something had to be done about my weight. So, since January I have been going to the gym at least 4 times a week as well as doing Pilates and I have lost 1st 3lbs. Whilst I can't say that I love it, I have certainly found it to be mood-altering and on Thursday I was in the foulest of all foul moods (I made Robert Mugabe look reasonable) but an hour in the gym (plus a glass of wine and a chocolate muffin - ooops!!!) seemed to help my mood, and even my bad head-space. The other plus side is that not only have I lost weight, but I have lost about 3 inches off my waist and several inches off other parts of my large body. Who knows, one day I might be wafer thin!!