I went to the gym...and it sucked

Yep, not even going to try and sugar coat it. I dragged my aging, overweight, out of shape body to the gym today.

And it royally sucked.

As part of my wellness goals this year, I decided when my foot was healed enough from surgery, I would join the gym. Last week, I graduated from physical therapy and that same day, joined the gym. Go me!

I asked ChatGPT to create a training plan for me. I gave it lots of details, as you can see in the prompt to the right. The results it gave back to me were exactly what I was looking for. Have a look at the whole exchange if you want (I hope this link works...I've never shared a ChatGPT link before).

I copied all the information into a Word document and formatted it so I could check off each item when I did it, four times each week. I put each week on one sheet of paper for an easy reference. I also Googled some of the exercises and added images so I would know how to do them. Today, I took my plan to the gym and got started.

I started with 5 minutes on the treadmill. Then did some of the simple warm-up exercises. Next, I got going on the strength training. Then back to the treadmill for 20 minutes. Finally, some cool down stretches.

Was it hard? Yes.

Did I know what I was doing? Not a clue.

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not.

Did I look good doing it? Hell no.

Does it hurt? Sure does.

Did it go by quickly? Surprisingly, yes!

Will I do it again? Yep.

Several years ago, when I was working out with friends, we did Autumn Calabrese videos and she always said, "You can do anything for 60 seconds." My friends often quote her in our group chat when we all need a little extra encouragement to do things we don't want to do. So I kept thinking of this, especially on the treadmill. Before my foot issues, I walked at a 3 miles per hour pace. I knew I wasn't going to achieve that today and I thought for sure that 20 minutes on the treadmill would feel like an eternity. It didn't. It actually went by really quickly. I started strong, at 2.8 speed, but at about 11 minutes had to slow it down to 2.6 and then to 2.4 at 17 minutes. I walked .87 miles. I had been hoping to achieve 1 mile, but knew when I had to slow things down that I wouldn't hit that mark. And that's ok. This is Day 1. You have to start somewhere and starting where you were years ago when you were in shape and had a healthy foot is not realistic.

I took a couple "before" pics in the mirror. This is not how I want to look, part of my reason for starting the gym. But on top of looking thinner, I want to be fit, have more energy, and just overall live a healthier lifestyle. For that, I can spend an hour four times per week doing unpleasant things.

So wish me luck, cheer me on, and if you are embarking on a similar lifestyle change, tell me how it is going!