In the middle of the first round of my bridge repetitions while I lay on my back on the gym floor, my weight trainer Cindy and I were laughing so hard we both had tears coming out of our eyes. 🙂 We’d been talking about sliders, you know for core work? She mentioned that paper plates would be a good substitute since I have wall-to-wall carpet and I said, “How do you get the plates to stick to your feet?” Well that got her laughing, which got me laughing. The more she talked – visuals of me stumbling around my apartment with white paper plates stuck to my feet; anticipating me texting her asking how to get these plates off my feet 🙂 – the more we both laughed WHILE I was still trying to get through repetitions.

It’s definitely not the jovial atmosphere I anticipated when I walked into her Lynn Brick’s Gym office during my 57th birthday month, ready to once again get serious about my weight loss – and this time KEEP it off. I’d fought even thinking about hiring a trainer for a long time first because I figured it would be a waste of $$$ when I have at home: a kettlebell, a set of five-pound dumbbells, a set of 10-pound dumbbells, a 15-pound dumbbell, a set of 5-pound ankle weights, a stepper with videos, a stationary bike with videos, Zumba videos, yoga videos UGH! Yet even with all of that and the added bonus of having access to Instagram where I can find free workout videos and advice from every woman – my age, younger and older – with a cell phone or camera, I still refused to pick up my weights. But five months of twice a week weight-training sessions later, this is definitely money well spent. I’ll tell you why:

• PERSONALITY BOND: I love to laugh. Being yelled at will either cause me to shrink or more likely yell back. thankfully Cindy is quiet-spoken, always with a ready smile, holiday-themed earrings, supportive words, event-themed workouts and quirky sense of humor. While doing reps for fire hydrant exercise she informed me, a 57-year-old woman, kneeling on the floor raising my leg up and lowering it down, that it’s called fire hydrant because it resembles dogs lifting their hind legs to pee. 🙂 I started laughing and could barely stop. 🙂 With all this laughter, are my training sessions intense enough? YES! When I really need to focus – like when I’m holding an elbow plank – then I focus. The point is that I’m more productive with a humorous atmosphere than I would be with a strict, unyielding one.
• ACCOUNTIBILITY: Not only am I running more, at the gym and from home, I’m focusing more on weights at home on the days I don’t have gym training sessions. Even if I don’t mention to Cindy what home workout I’ll be doing, I make sure to do some kind of movement every day, even if it’s just a 15-minute yoga session. And because I want to see results of from my workouts, I’ve streamlined my food portions, cut way back on alcohol, and I go to sleep earlier on the weekends.
• STRESS RELIEF: Have you ever ranted about a stressful situation either out loud or in your head while doing reps with a slam ball or battle ropes? One helluva counselling session! During our 30 minute sessions of at least three rounds of four exercises, Cindy and I usually share bits of our lives. The talking doesn’t diminish my workout at all, even when I’m panting. It actually keeps me focused to push harder. It’s how I determine that I’m working hard enough, but not so intense that I can’t say a few words.
• FEMALE TRAINER: I’m more comfortable at an all female gym and therefore more comfortable with a female trainer. Having a strange man keeping an eye on how well I tighten my glutes, or being waaaay too close when I’m laying on my back lifting my butt to bridge pose, then spreading my knees wide against the band around my knees. I guess it’s my upbringing but I think there are some things strangers of the opposite sex don’t need to know about each other. 🙂

WITH CHANGE BRINGS GROWTH

After running away from lifting weights for years, I’m excited about weight training now! I look forward to increasing my weight strength during my training sessions and I’m more proactive with my weights at home. With the two subsequent computer assessments that I’ve had since starting my training sessions with Cindy, I’ve notice muscle gain, and I’ve noticed a change, not only in how my clothes fit but in how much stronger my muscles feel when I practice yoga, as well as when I run. Each week Cindy has me doing something to challenge my fitness level. She’s a runner who is a few years younger than me so I feel like she is in tune with my workout needs. I know I won’t need training forever. I want to push my body to a maintenance level of strength that will support my running, activities with my grandchildren and keep my body healthy and strong as I move into my 60’s.

It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for my physical health. 🙂