My Happiness is in the Gym
17th of April 2018
It's no secret I've been trying to lose weight. I've talked about it for the past year. I've had my ups and downs in the gym, but I feel like now, I've become more consistent on going. April last year, I only went 16 times whereas this year, I'm close to beating that number. Summer was low attendance as well. September, I started back up. October was a slip, but it was also an explosion. November had me going in a lot. I was bound determined to make the gym apart of my life. It would have carried over into December, except I got very sick. I had to miss 2 weeks, and I was pissed. Since then, I've been consistent. I treat the gym like a job. If I'm going to miss it, I let them know why and when I plan on coming back. The only difference between my actual job and the gym is I feel happy in the gym. I feel motivated by all the trainers in the gym. I've worked with all of them in some way at the gym. I asked them all for input on every topic whether it's how to do an exercise, what I should be eating, what exercises I should do more of and other topics. Sometimes, I think I just talk their ears off. However, they remain patient with me, and that's much appreciated. They keep me on track, which is greatly appreciated. They give me motivated to challenge myself and step outside (sometimes on if it's the exercise I'm doing) of the box. I used to be able to do push ups. Whether I stopped doing them or just got overweight is what caused me to have to drop to my knees, I don't know. I just know now that I'm almost to the point where I'm not on my knees doing them any more. It's thanks to them for doing that. I don't get this encouragement anywhere else.
A few years back, I did the Mud Run, and it was tough. There's no question that it kicked my ass. I had nobody cheering me. I was doing this run with my ex, and she wasn't even motivating me the way I felt she should have been. Instead of "hey, you can do it," I kept hearing "you should get a cart back. You can't go all the way through." I used it as motivation so at the end, I could tell her "I told you so." People on the course were doing this, too. I remember one woman saying "this is tough." I replied "so am I." I finished the run, and I got my "I told you so" moment. I was gassed, and I'll do it again some day. However, I need to be in better shape. My gym of choice is Anytime Fitness in Downtown Des Moines. They've helped me get on the healthy road, and I don't hear ANY of what I heard at the Mud Run.
Instead, I hear them telling me how I'm killing it even if I feel like I've been killed. They went to a conference and apparently played a video of me running at the St Paddy's 5K for everyone to see. I'm not sure exactly what they said about me, but the fact that they played the video (I'll post it down here shortly). They give me more encouragement than I've ever had besides my mother. My mother was my biggest cheerleader, and unfortunately, she's not alive anymore. The staff at Anytime Fitness in Downtown Des Moines has come the closest to giving me as much encouragement as my mother. One factor that both AFD & my mother have in common is that they never gave up on me even when I have. I know I can get through anything because they tell me I can. When I'm in trouble, I get advice. I hear from Hunter the same thing he tells everyone, but I believe he means it. He tells everyone he appreciates them. At the gym, I feel accomplished, but I do struggle sometimes. However, that won't stop me from going. It will only encourage me to keep going. One day, I hope to keep doing this but faster:
