One Month Later

As some of you may recall, I have been making a concerted effort to go to the gym.  Attempting to get in better shape has been quite the interesting venture.  There's my son who tells me that I look great already.  (That boy is so getting that puppy dog for Christmas.)  Then there's the scale which was not nearly so complimentary.  Those of you who do not recall, I started this mission approximately two months ago.  After one month I was disheartened to see that I had gained five pounds.  At this point, one of the women at the gym encouraged me to tuck away my scale for a month and continue on with what I was doing.

One month later, I am here to report.  (Drum roll please.)  To date, I have ... gained an additional three pounds.  That's right.  A grand total of eight pounds have found their way to my posterior region since the onset of this endeavor.  Now the kind lady at the gym is busy trying to convince me that muscle weighs more than fat.  While her theory may be sound, I'm going to say hogwash.  I want to see some downward progress on that scale.  Her next effort to lift my spirits consisted of asking me how my clothes were fitting.  In all honesty, my pants have gotten quite a bit tighter.  I look forward to putting my jeans on a day or two after they have come out of the dryer.  (Come on, I know there's a couple of women out there who know of what I speak.)

There was a brief moment at this realization when I really wondered why I was continuing.  What exactly am I gaining?  (Besides weight, that is.)  Could I gauge any progress?  (Not including the progress of my gluteus maximus as it continues to spread.) 

Here's the good news.  I'm consistently doing some form of exercise two or three days per week.  Perhaps not always at the gym, but exercise.  Maybe not a major victory, but better than doing nothing two or three days a week.  After two months I can run an entire mile without stopping.  Those of you who are avid workout folks are probably laughing at your computer screen right now.  That's okay.  I consider this an accomplishment.  Point two for me.  I'm slowly working my way up to 100 crunches.  To date, I have made 80.  Again, perhaps not a major accomplishment for some, but I'm feeling pretty good about that also.  Most importantly, I am not as tired anymore.  Each day, I have a little more energy and a little more to give back to my children.  Perhaps on the bottom of the list for some, but at the end of the day this is the real goal for me.  Being in shape, as defined by the Diann Rickert dictionary, means being healthy enough to live a good life.  Point and game.