I was sad when we left our old gym. I never knew how to say goodbye to our old gym friends. I was afraid of what changing gyms would do to our routine. And I was worried that we would lose motivation. We ran like clockwork at our old gym, messing with that kind of commitment was scary.
Partially I was right, but mostly I was wrong. Josh and I did take a lot more time off from the gym than we had anticipated. Life got in the way and between getting married, moving, and figuring out how to be married, the gym was pushed way down the list. Eventually, however, we found our way back to the gym. We started off slowly, just going 1 or 2 days a week for a short period of time, but lately everything has fallen into place. We are now consistently making it to the gym (or running outside) 3-4 times a week. Not too shabby for the kids who didn't do much for 3 months!
Part of what has made us work harder at the gym is personal motivation. We both are competitive and like being active. We also both like the feeling we get after a good run and enjoy that our clothes are fitting better :) The other part of our gym motivation is the new gym friends we have made. This time around, we actually know some of their names. In the morning we say hello to the extra friendly staff, but the afternoon is where we shine.
We have made friends in our Zumba and Spin classes. We know the instructors and some of our fellow classmates. Unlike at our old gym, these people know who we are too! Well, they might not know our names, but they know that we exercise together and are the crazy husband and wife combo who dress alike (how embarrassing, but we have a plethora of maroon t-shirts in many sizes and really, who doesn't love wearing black shorts?) at the gym and laugh through hard workouts. We have finally hit a groove in our new routine. We run1-2 days a week and cross-train another 2 or so.
I've learned long ago that the only way to be consistently successful at the gym is to have a large support network. Otherwise it is all stops and starts. Working out with Josh is a huge motivator, but not always foolproof. While going to the gym together is a million times better than going alone, hanging out at home together is a billion times better than going to the gym. Sometimes it is hard to get our butts moving when we could just sleep an extra hour in the morning or curl up on the couch after a long day of work. But these days, knowing that we signed up for a class in advance or told a new gym friend we would see them the next day is the extra bit of motivation we need to stick to our workout schedule.
I am confident that we have hit our stride and will continue to be regular fixtures at our gym...at least I hope so.
Partially I was right, but mostly I was wrong. Josh and I did take a lot more time off from the gym than we had anticipated. Life got in the way and between getting married, moving, and figuring out how to be married, the gym was pushed way down the list. Eventually, however, we found our way back to the gym. We started off slowly, just going 1 or 2 days a week for a short period of time, but lately everything has fallen into place. We are now consistently making it to the gym (or running outside) 3-4 times a week. Not too shabby for the kids who didn't do much for 3 months!
Part of what has made us work harder at the gym is personal motivation. We both are competitive and like being active. We also both like the feeling we get after a good run and enjoy that our clothes are fitting better :) The other part of our gym motivation is the new gym friends we have made. This time around, we actually know some of their names. In the morning we say hello to the extra friendly staff, but the afternoon is where we shine.
We have made friends in our Zumba and Spin classes. We know the instructors and some of our fellow classmates. Unlike at our old gym, these people know who we are too! Well, they might not know our names, but they know that we exercise together and are the crazy husband and wife combo who dress alike (how embarrassing, but we have a plethora of maroon t-shirts in many sizes and really, who doesn't love wearing black shorts?) at the gym and laugh through hard workouts. We have finally hit a groove in our new routine. We run1-2 days a week and cross-train another 2 or so.
I've learned long ago that the only way to be consistently successful at the gym is to have a large support network. Otherwise it is all stops and starts. Working out with Josh is a huge motivator, but not always foolproof. While going to the gym together is a million times better than going alone, hanging out at home together is a billion times better than going to the gym. Sometimes it is hard to get our butts moving when we could just sleep an extra hour in the morning or curl up on the couch after a long day of work. But these days, knowing that we signed up for a class in advance or told a new gym friend we would see them the next day is the extra bit of motivation we need to stick to our workout schedule.
I am confident that we have hit our stride and will continue to be regular fixtures at our gym...at least I hope so.
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