My goal has always been to be healthy.
Going to the gym has been part of my life for the better part of the last 15 years. I have tried all different type of gyms, classes, routines, programs and I feel that in the past year I have really hit my stride finding what really works for me best. What I was looking for was something to keep me active, help me improve my strength and let me burn off some nervous/anxious energy.
When I was in high school and probably through college I didn’t take fitness seriously. I wasn’t the most athletic and having gym class in high school was rough. I got through it but it was a struggle for me. Running the mile was a dreaded event for me along with going to the weight room. I was terrified of the weights and machines and the only thing I would do at the gym was walk on the treadmill for a half hour, go on the elliptical for ten minutes and then do 10 sit-ups I should also mention this gym I was going to was in a house. Yes you read that correctly, a house. Each room had different equipment in it. It was a little gym and I loved it.
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When I got out of college, I tried a larger gym that offered classes. I thought classes, at that time in my life, were the way to go. This gym was large, it had rows of cardio equipment and machines and a lot more people than I was used to. The classes at this gym were okay, they weren’t anything that I thought it was going to be. It was a lot of yelling and really high intensity movements- even the Pilates and yoga classes. Lets just say I didn’t last that long at that gym. I think I wasted most of that gym membership and getting out of that contract required a lot of effort and money that I totally didn’t understand.
I went to that bigger gym for about two-ish years and during that time, I bought the at home DVDs for Pilates and I was truly enjoying that for a while. I ended up going back to the smaller gym but they had moved into a bigger building behind the small house. I felt like this is more of a gym atmosphere and it helped with the motivation (a tiny bit). I still stuck with the elliptical and treadmill and maybe the sit-up machine. My parents belonged to this gym and mama would help me figure out machines I didn’t know. I was still very self conscious and very intimidated by the men lifting the heavy weights. I loved this gym for three reasons: one. the newest issue of Architectural Digest was always available to read and it always looked as if I was the very first person to read it and two. There was no contract for this gym and three. I felt comfortable there. (so important)
For about 4-ish years, I went to this gym on and off. I didn’t have any goals, I just did it because I knew as an adult you were supposed to stay healthy and fit. I was eating pretty healthy and staying pretty active outside of the gym-lots of walks and I believe at the time I was attempting to play golf. (That was short lived- a mean frog tried to eat one of my pink golf balls one time and after that, I was done!)
In 2015, I started taking private yoga classes with a local instructor. She offered a variety of different classes that included barre, spin, standup paddleboard yoga. I’ve tried all of the different types of her classes, over the years. I fell in love with yoga- provided me with strength training, movement, low impact activity and a way to get my body moving and keeping it healthy. I’ve always had the Thursday 6pm spot since I’ve started with her. She has tailored each session just for me with both yoga and strength training- knowing my limitations and what I am capable of. If one night, I was not feeling well, we would customize what we would do to fit my specific needs for that day.
I have learned so much from her and I’m still learning- about yoga, the correct form for working out and what exercises to target specific areas.
I loved our workouts were always something different. Each week, I had no idea what I would be doing and that I think always kept it interesting and I never pre-dreaded what we were going to do I might have dreaded the workout while I was doing it but in the end, I loved it. I was getting stronger and I felt more physically capable. It’s a great feeling, knowing you accomplished something that you didn’t know if you could. Having someone by my side, pushing me, guiding me and teaching me has been an amazing journey and I am so thankful for her!
In 2017, I signed up for my town’s Couch to 5K program. This program will take you from sitting on the couch to running a 5K in 8 weeks. It was a lot of fun and I felt as if the program really paced you well and kept you moving further each week. I really enjoyed this program a lot. Each week we would meet to do a group run, usually the first day of the week we were training in on the app, and then it was up to us to do the two other runs for the week within the app. I had a lot of fun with this, I met a lot of great people and I ended up finishing my first 5K proudly.
For about a year, I stopped going to my yoga instructor because I moved. I moved about an hour away and I joined a gym where I lived. This was another big box gym. I felt like I needed something to keep me active and I figured maybe this gym would be different. Yeah, I was wrong. This gym was constantly crowded, so loud and I constantly felt like I was at a club- the way men stared at me like I was a piece of meat was unsettling. I didn’t matter that I was wearing baggy clothes, they still stared. It was uncomfortable and I have never have felt that way at my little house gym. I tried the yoga classes there and it was weird. The instructor was quirkier than a normal yoga instructor and I didn’t like his teaching style. They had a women’s only section at the gym that I used a few time but they didn’t enforce the section to be women only. I had to get the employees to kick out men who were up there. It was frustrating. I ended up wasting most of that membership too.
I would go for walks around my neighborhood and I ended up buying the Body Boss Method workout book, I found this program on Instagram- it kept popping up as an ad. I was drawn to this program because you did not need any extra equipment. I used water bottles for weights and most of the moves included body weight. It was good for what I used it for. It also came with access to their website for guided videos to help you go through each day. I used this for about a month and I did see results, but I lost interest after a month or so. During this time, I was really sick and preparing for a surgery a few months a way.
After I moved home late last summer, I contacted my yoga instructor to take private yoga classes again. I was still recovering from surgery and I figured this would help me get back to my old self. This helped me so much, getting back into my old routine and back into my old time slot- 6pm on Thursdays. I missed her yoga instruction so much and I was so happy to get back into my practice. Shortly after starting yoga again, I went back to my little local gym. It felt like I was home again, I wasn’t objectified and I felt comfortable again. I even started to run again. It felt good to get back to the old me.
Flash forward to the present day, COVID-19 has caused everyone to practice social distance and most places- gyms included have been closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. I was a tiny bit crushed when I realized I couldn’t go to the gym but I totally understood why that happened. I was a little lost what I could do to exercise at home in the beginning. My yoga instructor started live Zoom yoga classes and I jumped to sign up for them. It has been so much fun doing yoga at home yet with other people. I have also been taking other yoga classes from people know. Its neat to see how other instructors cue the poses and what they come up with. I have also signed up for Xtend Barre classes on Openfit. I’ve taken barre classes in the past and I was curious to see what this was all about. WOAH! These 30 minute classes really give me a workout. I am dripping sweat by the end of it and I feel like I worked out in a gym. These classes along with long walks around the neighborhood have been perfect to help me deal with all this stress and helping me process my feelings.
Overall, my goal for my fitness has always been to be healthy- plain and simple. I eat the things that fuel my body and when I eat something not healthy, I don’t beat myself up over it. Diets aren’t really something I personally like or take part in. I eat to nourish myself and not be hungry; if I want a snack, I eat a snack; if I want two snacks, I eat two snacks. I honestly don’t even own a scale and when I do step on one, usually at the gym, I don’t give that number too much thought (usually I think “boy, that was a mean word that scale said to me!”) I think, I have always had a pretty good balance between eating healthy and exercising. I am lucky that I have access to so many different types of fitness programs. I am including links to all the resources I have talked about above, down below.
What are you doing to take care of yourself during this crazy time? Do you have a particular virtual class you love? Let me know in the comments below!
**I am not a trained fitness professional, I have shared this with you to give you inspiration and ideas to bring into your own practice. Please consult with a doctor before starting any new exercise program.**
[[a little progress each day adds up to big results]]
-gabrielle
My Fitness Resources
Adrienne Costa-DiPaolo– My amazing yoga instructor who has a women centered practice; She has multiple virtual live yoga classes Monday- Saturday. I cannot say enough good things about her!
Eric Ferrone-He teaches yoga at a few different yoga studios around Monmouth and Ocean County, NJ. He will post where he is (virtually) teaching each week.
Jake Panasevich-He teaches multiple live yoga classes a day from his quarantine cabin in upstate NY (also adorable pup is usually in the class snoozing!)
Pure Yoga Toms River– They have pre-recorded classes available on YouTube for you to take and live classes available on the website. Perfect for people who can’t attend live classes.
Xtend Barre– Andrea Rogers is amazing with this and she truly makes you work! These thirty minute workouts are perfect for a quick workout.
Body Boss Method– The Ultimate Body Fitness guide is the one I have. Its a great resource and they have others available too!
Pro Body Fitness– The hometown gym that I love and have been going to on and off for the last 15+ years.