Why I "Heart" My Gym

I have been asked the question, "What do you look for in a gym?" Different amenities and features of a gym are important to different people and we all seek one that is just right for us. I have been a member of Bally's, 24 Hour Fitness, and now Crunch. Of those three, I am happiest with Crunch. Just go to www.crunch.com and you will see its philosophy on fitness. It's a very laid back, no judgements fitness facility that I don't feel intimidated to go to. I don't like feeling like I have to keep up with the latest fashion trends and put on a lot of makeup to go to the gym. If any of you have ever seen me at the gym in the morning, you know that I don't wear any makeup.

Another aspect of Crunch that I love is their fitness classes. I have never been to a gym with such professional instructors in my life! Some of them have been featured on television or made their own fitness videos. Their training is impeccable and I have not found one gym that has surpassed them in this area.

Crunch also has a nice facility with clean locker rooms and updated fitness equipment. I refuse to go to a gym that has sweat stains on cardio equipment and elliptical machines that are practically from the early 90s.

I know other people that are happy with their gyms. My master's thesis was on Curves, and I think that what that facility has done to improve women's overall fitness is amazing. I will post a link to my thesis once my new website is up and running so you can learn more. But, to sum it up, I like the fact that Curves has tapped into a completely "untapped" market. Women who weren't previously exercising do so now because they are in an environment where they feel comfortable.

So, I "heart" Crunch. What gym do you "heart" and why?

Nothing Tastes As Good As Thin Feels

I read this quote by "anonymous" for the first time in a famous quote book. Since then, I have seen it sporadically. Most recently, I saw it this week while watching "The Biggest Loser." After Lezlye got voted off of the red team, the cameras went to her home in Louisiana to show viewers an update on her progress and I saw the quote posted on Lezlye's refrigerator door. I do see a lot of truth to this statement, but sometimes I have a craving that must be satisfied. For example, I love cheese fries from Outback Steakhouse. The cheesy goodness piled on top of fries alongside their homeade ranch dressing is an indulgence, but defintely worth it. Ahh, how I miss the good old high school days of eating a 20 piece Chicken Mc Nuggets and a medium order of fries... or eating 1 1/2 to 2 full whoppers, and still being thin! Knowing how many fat and calories in those items now helps me stay away from them, but back then, it didn't matter. Don't you wish you were young again with the metabolism of a 12-year old? I know that your metabolism just slows down more as you age, so I'm not excited about getting older. I'm in my 20s, and I'm depressed about aging already!

Are there any comfort foods for you that contradict the statement "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels?"

Scary Realization

I had a Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi the other night. I just happened to look at the calorie count and saw the number "160." Upon turning the can around, I noticed that I had bought "Wild Cherry Pepsi" instead of Diet. I laughed for a long time over my silly mistake. What is even funnier is that I only had one left in the fridge!

No Skinny Aerobics Instructor

I had an interesting conversation at the gym this morning. I was talking to one of the regulars in the spin class that I am co-instructing. He asked me if I drank alcohol and I said, "Well, I limit it to about once a week because it has a lot of calories." He nicely replied, "Oh, you don't have to worry about that." I said, "Whatever. My metabolism isn't that great. I can gain weight quite easily. I need to be thin to be an aerobics intsructor." He said that he didn't like skinny instructors, or women that are too thin, for that matter. He further said, "If you lost any weight you would blow away." I kind of rolled my eyes, because I am sure that I could stand to lose a few inches here and there, but we are all more critical toward ourselves than we are others.

As noted in my SWOT analysis, one of my weaknesses is chocolate. In fact, I had a slice of chocolate cherry bread from a local bakery - Buckhead Bread Company- this morning. I just don't know what I would do without chocolate. I gave it up once for Lent and decided I would never put myself through that pain and agony again. I probably should though, because the point of Lent is to give up something that is difficult so that you remember why Christ died for our sins. I think if I gave up chocolate for a while I would have even more definition and tone, but what kind of life is it without chocolate?

Do you have any food weaknesses?

Stay Tuned

I just bought a domain name- www.flabyouless.net

Stay tuned and I will let you know when the site is up and running!

My own SWOT Analysis

If you've ever taken a business class, you are quite familiar with a SWOT Analysis. It stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Companies analyze themselves and their competition this way. Strenghts and Weaknesses are composed of all the elements I can control. Opportunities and Threats are composed of outside elements/factors which I can't control.

Here is my own personal SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:
-Dedicated- I will work out AT least 5 times a week, usually 6 though.
-Hard Worker- My mom taught me a core set of work ethics to live by
-Strong Values- My parents taught me a core set of values to live by
-Ability to Cook- A trait passed down from my mother
-Entertaining- I love hosting parties when my schedule permits
-Social- It's very easy for me to meet people- trait passed down from my father (except he can remember EVERYONE's name from years ago and I can't!)
-Music- I have played the piano since I was 6 years old. I'm so happy that I have a piano here in Georgia because I have been able to practice regularly

Weaknesses:
-Chocolate- The darker, the better, and Swiss is my favorite!
-Pleasing everyone all the time- I'm always on-the-go because I have so many interests. It's hard to take a step back sometimes have time to myself
-Procrastinate- I'm getting better about this. In college, I waited until the last minute to study for a test. It usually paid off because I have a great short-term memory. I try to get the things I can done within a reasonable time frame and not push anything off. Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't put off til tomorrow what you can do today?" It's a great quote!

Opportunities:
-Fitness Instructor- I think I have the ability to inspire people to be their very best!
-My Blog- I think that this can be used as an outlet for people to either vent about their own fitness struggles, or get comic relief from mine!
-Travel- With my knowledge of French and passion for becoming fluent in a 3rd language (I am looking into German right now), I can converse and meet people from all over and learn about other cultures
-Mobile- Not only can I travel anywhere at the drop of a hat, I can move wherever I want because at this point in my life, nothing is tying me down
-Relationship with Jesus- I am so lucky to be brought up in a Christian home because God has given me so much to be thankful for. I want to continue to grow and strengthen my relationship with Him.

Threats:
-Death in Family- Although I hate to think about it, it's always a possibility. I may need to move back home and take care of some things, which may delay my career
-Unexpected Cost- If something major were to happen, I would need to borrow money to cover the cost. I like paying off my credit cards in full every month, so being in debt would be hard to swallow (by the way, I'm already in debt from the cost of my graduate school, so it's already hard to swallow!)

What Does Playing Through Pain Have to do With Yoga?

I had a great conversation on the phone tonight, and one of the memorable subjects that resonated was "playing through pain." Have you ever played through pain? I have. In fact, a particular racquetball competition from my college days comes to mind. I made it to the semi-finals and was neck and neck with a fellow classmate. I had my game face on and was ready to go. We were tied and it was her serve. I jumped to hit the ball. I hit it alright, and fell on my ankle in the process. It swelled up and was handed a set of crutches immediately. My schoolmates were nice and carried my book bag to the classes they could, but making it around campus proved quite difficult. After two days, I decided I would just walk in pain rather than use crutches. I limped considerably, but after a few weeks was back to normal.

I don't mind working out when I'm sick or injured. I have heard mixed reviews about exercising when you're sick, but it usually doesn't bother me so I do it. I do, on the other hand, try to be fairly mindful of my body when I am injured. For instance, at the beginning of this summer, I hurt my right hip trying to do the splits after a long run. I thought my body was warm enough and could take it, but apparently not. Now that it is September, my right hip is still not at 100%, but I am getting there. I have yoga to thank for much of my overall improvement. It has been great for increasing my flexibility and relaxing my mind; I highly recommend it to anyone who is remotely interested in those two areas.

Speaking of yoga, I have another story of how it has helped me in running. When I moved to Georgia at the beginning of the year, I was injured and couldn't run any longer than 7 minutes without hurting. After practicing yoga for a few weeks, I was able to take up running again, and last much longer than 7 minutes!

As noted earlier in one of my posts, I am on my way to being a cycling instructor. Another one of my goals is to become a yoga instructor. First things first though- right now is cycling. Once I master that, it's on to yoga...

Discussion Questions:

What's your take on playing through pain?

Do you practice yoga? Why/Why not?