Fitness Fun

I have struggled with trying to find something interesting and inspiring to write about. My day is not very exciting. I get up, go to work, come home and then watch TV. I can't help it at the moment because the Australia Open is on. Anyway, last year I decided I wanted to join the Army. To join the Army you had to be able to do 7 male push ups, 32 sit ups and do a running beep test. Easy hey? Well looking at me, people would think no worries as I am tall and slim. Being tall and slim does not equal fitness. The first hurdle was trying to push 65kg with twig arms! Having a flat stomach also does not mean you have the ability to do 32 sit ups in a row. Lastly, the stamina to run 8 minutes, increasing your speed as you go! I decided I needed to join a gym or something. I had a couple of options.

• First option: a gym. I looked around and found that you had to pay a joining fee and then sign up for 12 months. I was hoping to join the Army within 6 months, so I didn't want to have to pay for something I wasn't using. Also, I had used gyms before and found little contact with other people and they were quite cold and uninspiring. Also in big group classes the instructor really can't see if you are doing something wrong and won't stop the class just for you!
• Second Option: Do it myself. This was ok at first but I didn't really know what exercises I should be doing or if I was in fact doing them right.
• Third option: personal training. Well I thought this would be great but at $50 a session, I would only be able to do it once a month!
• Fourth Option: Group personal training. I found through a flyer I program called Step Into Life, they did exercise outdoors and the price was good at $12 an hour. In addition, as I was joining the Army, getting used to being outside in all elements would benefit me greatly.

This was the option I chose to do and I just love it. The groups are small and my instructors are great, they have time to stop me and show me how to do something properly. More important I have made some great friends, who during class encourage me to do my best and keep me on my toes. I have learnt to set myself goals, when I first started I could barely do 2 modified push ups (also known as girls push ups), it took me a good six months but before my operation I was able to complete all the requirements to join the Army.

Now, I must set myself new goals as my recovery from my operation took longer than I thought. I was unable to do anything for over 2 months and then I was told that I was not medically fit for the Army! This made me both angry and sad and I lost a lot of motivation to train as I had no goals to reach! I did not train for 4 months. My sister has inspired me to start again and I am determined to show the Army that my illness will not affect me. My sister Mel, who was never the sporty type and had never run, has started with my training group and within 6 months she is now able to run over 5km. We have set ourselves a goal to run 14.6 km in a fun run for a kids charity in March, so wish us luck. Anyway, in my next post I will share some tips for running. Oh the Monday nights is kick boxing and well it is just GREAT to push the crap out of the bag to let go some frustration!!!