i hate the gym

There's a reason I gained weight in the first place - I'm a pretty lazy person.  Given the choice between a long walk on the beach, and sitting on my ass on the beach with a good book, I'm probably going to choose the sitting option.  This is why I made the promise to myself that I would always say I'd go if someone asked me to do something active.

I joined a gym once.  I was really motivated at the time, doing Weight Watchers and trying not to be the biggest I'd ever been anymore.  I even went to spin classes there (if you want a killer leg workout, fill your boots).  It didn't take long before it stopped being a novelty to go to the gym and work out.  I often hid in the "ladies only" section and avoided eye contact with all the women who couldn't have found a spare pound even if they had a goddamn ice cream baby.

A friend of mine (who actually worked at the gym and signed me up for the gym) asked me if I wanted to join boot camp.  All of a sudden, I didn't have to think "What do I feel like doing now?" while looking at all the gym equipment as if it was coated in syphilis.  Someone was telling me what I was going to do next, make sure I was getting a well-rounded workout, and then kicking my ass if they saw me slacking.  I loved it (and still do). 

A little while later, a friend asked if I'd like to join her dodgeball team.  (I had many visions of getting pegged in the face in the weeks preceding the start of the season or embarrassing myself horribly with my jiggling arms). You can get a surprisingly hard workout when running around a half of a gym avoiding large balls (ha).  I've now played on 3 different teams, including an all-girls team of awesome bitches, and I play two nights a week under the nickname "Crusher." If you'd asked me 2 years ago if this would be my life, I would have laughed and keep eating the cupcake in my hand.

I'm also a golf pro. No big deal.

The point of all of this is, you don't have to "go to the gym" to get a good workout.  In fact, I would avoid the gym and find something else that will keep you interested and encouraged.  I've tried a bunch of weird things over the last few years, including Zumba (the perfectionist in me did not take well to that), CrossFit (holy fuck), and 5 mile night runs (in the snow, no less).  You would be shocked what you can subject your body to and it will actually enjoy.  If you're lazy, like me, try something that has a social aspect (yoga with a friend, running buddies, dog training classes, pole dancing) to give you something to look forward to.

Up next for me - hot yoga?