DH and I joined a gym that opened near our house. I call it a gym, but it’s really a “fitness center” complete with a cafe’, a hair salon, a climbing wall, and water slides for the kiddies (no joke about the water slides!). We toured the facility on Thursday night and I left the place almost in tears. It was a very emotional experience for me. Even though I saw people who look like me walking around, I just couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by how much out of shape I am. As we were leaving the place, I said to DH “Please be gentle with me!”
I realize that I’m not very fit, and I realize that over the last year, changes have happened to my body so that it’s in the worst shape I’ve ever seen it. A lot of these changes are related to the fact that I live a rather sedentary lifestyle. I know that getting into shape will help my chances of conceiving because exercise will help regulate the hormones in my body that the PCOS has thrown out of whack. That somehow only makes it marginally easier for me.
I’ve never really worked out before. I had to take a PE class in college, so J and I took weight training. It was kind of a joke. We showed up two mornings a week, rode an exercise bike for 20 minutes or so, did some lunges, and took off. We satisfied our requirement and graduated.
DH and I went to the gym to work out for the first time today. He’s a fan of the elliptical machine, so I gave it a shot. My heartrate was at 163 in about five minutes! I felt like I couldn’t breathe! I managed to survive 18 of the 28 minutes in the program I was doing. Even if it was only 18 minutes, I feel like that’s a success for me. After the elliptical, we used some of the weight equipment.
About an hour and a half later, I feel good. When I was on the elliptical I was thinking “There’s no way I can keep doing this!” Now, I’m ready to go back, but I think I might be using the stationary bike tomorrow!
Whenever I hear, ‘It can’t be done,’ I know I’m close to success.–Michael Flatley