Why I Exercise

Over the past 4 weeks I have lost 9 pounds. 4 weeks ago is when I decided that if I was going to be a good example for Willow, I had to start NOW. So, I started counting Points. In 2005, my New Years resolution was to lose weight. I was the heaviest I had been in my life and it was time to make a change. So, I started the Weight Watchers Program, which I love and tell everyone about. In addition to starting to eat right, I knew I had to step it up in the exercise department. So, I joined a gym called Curves after my mother-in-law (MIL) told me about it.

When I start something new, I tend to kind of "dive in" and just go for it. That’s why, when my MIL told me about Curves, I was sold. I called the next day and made an appointment to sign up. I wanted to start working out right away.

I don't know if you have heard of Curves, but the workout is 30 minutes long and it's circuit training. There is a big circle in the room and you go from machine to "recovery station" every 30 seconds for a 30 minute total workout. The Curves website has a "Is Curves Right for Me?" section that has a lot of good information about the program.

The thing I like about Curves, as opposed to a regular gym, is that it's women only. The second best part is there are no mirrors. I don't know about you, but I am not pretty when I am sweating my butt off and I really don't want to see that in the mirror.

I had a friend join a regular gym recently and she mentioned Curves and the person trying to sign her up immediately started bashing the Curves program. So she had a man (men aren't allowed at Curves) telling her about a gym that he had not personally experienced. The thing that he apparently mentioned was that Curves gyms tend to be small and this is true. You don't need a lot of room to go in a circle. But, that doesn't make it bad. And the machines you work out on are not weight based, they are resistance based. So you basically get as much out of them as you put into them. This is by no means a traditional gym.

In the past year, Curves has introduced something called "Curves Smart". Prior to this they had what they called the "Advanced Workout" where you had to keep track of the repetitions you did on machines and you were reevaluated every month to see what you needed to change in your workout. But Curves Smart is like having a personal trainer for each workout. With Curves Smart, each machine tells you if you are doing the correct range of motion and if you are going fast enough. And, based on your workouts over time, it changes your workout as you progress in your fitness level. And every day you can check your progress and see what your strengths and weaknesses are and (my favorite part) how many calories you burned in your workout.

I had been routinely burning over 470 calories per workout (with a high of 498), but since I have been sick and Willow has been sick and I haven't been able to work out like I would have liked to I was down to about 410 (boo) on Wednesday. Hopefully I can get back into the working out groove now that everyone is better and I will be back up in the high 400's.

Not too bad for a 30 minute total body workout, huh? If you are a mom who has been considering joining a gym I would HIGHLY recommend Curves.

Before I started Curves, I didn't work out and I hated the prospect of exercise. Now that I have almost 650 workouts, I love working out and I look forward to it especially if I have had a bad day. It's a GREAT stress reliever!! And since I want to be a good example for my daughter, that good example includes letting her know how important exercise is. Telling her is one thing, but having her see me walk the walk instead of just talking the talk is a good thing. In this day and age where 1 in 3 Americans is overweight (according to the National Center for Health Statistics) I don't want that to be her.

That is why I exercise. Hopefully you do too.