Posting this to motivate myself (and hopefully others), in the same vein as the Walking threads in the past.

I am on day two at the gym. We have a new gym now. I like but I don't love it because they lost both the track and the steam room. They do have a co-ed sauna but I preferred the women only steam room in the old gym.

On the upside, the machines are crazy good.  They replaced the machines in my old gym, twice in the time I was a member and so?  The last time they replaced them, it was a trauma as the new machines were inferior to the old from day one but not so with these.  These machines are damned GREAT!

They also have a 30 min workout circuit, where you speed around.  This is probably not new but it's new to me and appeals to Mars Mercury. The machines are in a circle and when the light turns green, you do 8-12 reps in 30 seconds and then move to your right, along with whoever else is on the circuit. There are 10 machines and you are to go around 3 time = 30 min.

I went around once today, to check it out. I like the low level of commitment with this, and also that there is a commitment because my idea is, if I do get on it, to at least do the ten machines, once.

Outside of this, I am on my beloved cross-trainer (though I don't love it as much as I used to) and I am trying to determine a good level for an old lady to use.  I've also checked out the classes but I am not ready for that yet. My husband has urged me to start slow so I don't get discouraged and I think he's right.

My goal right now is to be able to walk around Vegas all day and all night, with 4 teenagers. I think this is doable...

Anyone else trying to get back into some kind of shape or groove?

Yes!  I hit the gym 3x a week.  Arms and abs one day, legs and butt the next, full body on the 3rd day. 

My issue now is that I want to eat more LOL.  I try to eat a small amount of complex carbs and protein after working out and to get potassium and electrolytes back in my system.

Starting slow is a good idea.  I had to take Advil for the muscle soreness in the beginning.  Stretching is paramount to me, especially caz I have always had tight hamstrings.

Walking around Vegas all day with 4 teenagers is totally doable.  Good on ya for thinking of your health!  :) 

Go go Elsa!

I like the sound of the super-fast circuits, nothing like an external thing telling you to move to make me move...

I'm trying hard to get back in shape. I'm walking to or from work at least twice a week (it's about 2 miles), and trying to do regular zumba at home... I finally got the original DVD Zumba set at Christmas after asking for two eyars and I love it!

The only snag is that when I get home at 7.30pm, Mr Aries is already in and  don't like to hog the TV/PS3 for an hour.

But when I do it regularly, I really notice the difference. Had to run for the bus the other day wearing heavy boots and was amazed at the speed and strength I pulled out!

When I start my new job I want to try and get to a class every week - either Zumba or a dance class or a circuits class. i get lonely working out by myself!

Good luck with your mission :)

Awesome, Elsa! I have been trying to get to yoga once per week. I have been successful for one week so far and I loved the class. It was heated flow and not obscenely vigorous as some heated classes are. It was perfect and the teacher was great. The studio is a haul (30 minutes to and fro) but the teachers there are top notch in the area, so you know that's where I have to be.

"They also have a 30 min workout circuit," - Never heard of that either, but it sounds amazing!!! Having a system like that in place makes my virgo very very happy :)

Go Elsa Go!!

Have to get my booty back to working out too..either Yoga works or my equinox gym :)

Yeah, you don't move off the machine in front of me, I am going to tell ya. "Tick, tock, damnit! Move your ass!"

It is pretty cool and the machines are like none I have ever been on before. The seats are not stationary. Imagine that. It's just motion-squared, anyway you turn it.

So today = 10 min weights after the cross-trainer. Just a little wake-up for my muscles.

Saturn's been in my 1st for a while now and I've been hitting the gym for quite some time.  The frustrating thing was that even though I had been keeping at it as Saturn crossed my Ascendant I didn't *see* real results until it was trine my Sun and sextile my Moon quite some time later.  I am stronger and more toned than I've probably ever been - very much liking my legs at the mo!  There's nothing like feeling good in your own skin - it gives you a confidence and self-assurance that there's just no substitute for, IMO.  The work is always worth it!

I find the gym to be just a good place for stress relief in general - Mars/Mercury, yanno?   I do long, leisurely workouts on the weekends and usually shorter workouts once or twice a week to keep it manageable.  It feels good and I can say there's never a day where I dread going to the gym.  Plus, the people-watching is always a fun added bonus, LOL!

I'd like a gym like that. I love gyms. But the gyms over here don't have a system like that.

In college we have obligatory physical education, we go to the gym once a week.We do something like that, as in we work on one machine and then we switch to the one next to us until we finish the circle. The problem is that the machines are placed so that you have a group of machines for abs, then legs, hands and but. You end up overworking one group of muscles, then the other and so on. Which ends up with a lot of pain and inability to complete properly all the machines in one group.

I'm also on day 2 and taking it slow, so I'm right there with you. Nice timing :)

Yesterday I got back into running and using 2 lb weights. I'm forcing myself to take it slow because usually I go full steam ahead and then hate working out. Plus the slowness helps me to pump myself up.

In addition, over the past couple of months I have changed my entire diet around to be a lot more healthy. I still eat treats, but I cook all the time now instead of ordering take out or something like that. And good, wholesome food, with brown rice and vegetables and so on.

Here's to everyone's health :)

I'm 52, and I'd been away from the gym for all of two months. I'm at a new gym now, and I spent all of 45 minutes Sunday getting to know the place. It's now Wednesday, and I'm still sore. haha

You know, one of the things people always told me was that if you work out again while you're sore, you won't feel as bad.  I never believed them...but tis true.  You just gotta be gentle with yourself.  Breathing into the pain helps me.  :)

"There's nothing like feeling good in your own skin - it gives you a confidence and self-assurance that there's just no substitute for, IMO.  The work is always worth it!"

@Alethea - I so agree!

After walking the dog for 20 min yesterday I actually got on my treadmill and can't believe how winded I got.  I wasn't even going that fast.  Then I did YogaWorks "Gentle Yoga" dvd (20 min) which was so good that I went back to the Library and got their "Beginners Yoga".

I am a little sore today but happy I got started:)

Last year I went to the gym 1/week for yoga.  For the last few weeks I've been going 3-4X/week.  I do yoga, light weight training and cardio.  I'm a student and fortunately going to the gym is a bit of a social thing.  Going with a buddy keeps me motivated :)

I'm a student so we go out pretty often (maybe 2-3X/week).  I was packing on the weight so I decided to go more often and eat healthier food when possible.  I've been trying to exercise more often and also eat healthier when I plan my own meals.  It's only been 3 weeks but the weight is coming off and I'm beginning to feel stronger and healthier.

My suggestion is...breathing! Yes, lower your respiration rate and you will begin to awaken your body from the inside out. That is a good way to 'hear' how you're doing on that day. You can always accelerate and then always bring it back down upon completion...embrace the body buzz!

Go, gazelle!!

Boy, those were the days. I wonder what the future is.

This gym has a screen. HUGE. You stand in front of it and wave your hand to turn it on. Apparently is shows you your new body if you diet, lol.  I turned it on (curious cat) but did not want to broadcast my ass to the entire gym so when I saw what it was, I walked away.

This gym also does not have mats by mirrors (independent) which makes some of the stuff I used do to (NY Ballet workout) not so possible.

You see the situation here, I have to regroup.

Just got a dog, so will definitely be walking more.  This is good.

Also been going to hot yoga once a week which has been an absolute godsend.  Leaves me worn out, stretchy and happy, as well as motivated to practice on my own in the days inbetween.

Honestly, I think I'm probably in the best shape of my life right now and really want to keep it!

Nice, Korellyn :)

Go Elsa!! That workout circuit sounds SOOOO interesting!! I wish they had that in my gym.

I used to go to a lot of classes with this lady in her 50's. She is amazing!!! Everything I would do, she'd do! I truly appreciate her. She kept me motivated. I was telling myself that if she can do it so can I! I had Jupiter transiting my 11th house so I met a lot of people during that time and we shared a common goal: to get in better shape. Kept me smiling most of the time! Now I really enjoy sweating and making my body feel more alive. It's an amazing feeling. :-)

I've been going to the gym very intensely for the past year. My goal was to get in better shape and lose weight, which I did! However now I have about 13 pounds left to lose and those pounds are stuck to my body so I have to work harder..
I go to the gym 5 times a week. 2 days I mostly work on my lower body and I run about 40 mins on the treadmill. 2 days on my upper body and 30 mins on the cross-training and 10 mins rowing. Saturdays I work out everything! What is challenging is figuring out how much to eat to be satisfied but still losing the weight. I used to eat about 1200 calories a day but now that I have more muscles I have to eat more, around 1500 calories and more proteins (but not too much!)
I got a bit discouraged this week but I'll keep going. I just have to change my routine to get better. Thank God for my Moon-Mars! Keeps me able to adjust to change without too much trouble and thanks for my Saturn-Pluto for helping me stick to things for a long time :-)

I want to...but so far I haven't been able to start. Mars is on my Pluto, you think I'd be full of POWER but not so much, maybe due the retro...

I'd love to do hot yoga, or kickboxing, but since i live out in the boonies there is nowhere close enough. excuses, excuses!

crap I forgot that I'm trying to walk daily. I will be out tonight so that's good.. may even include dancing.

thanks for the reminder and awesome that you've returned to the gym.

I am going to the gym in my Billy Jack shirt. I feel like a million bucks! :)

Yay!  I'm going today too.  :)

Been to the gym 4 out of the last 5 days which is my old habit.  I am not in there for long, but I am in there and more importantly, I feel really good and I'm beginning to think that I am back on track.  I am going to stay at this old lady level for awhile.  Anything is better than nothing and if it's sustained they'll be progress.

My upper back is sore after yoga this morning. A good sign :)

Today one of the people I used to know in there asked if I was going to be a regular again. I told him I was.

I was also obnoxious today as I was pretty sure I would be if someone got on that 30 minute circuit and did not move their ass when the light changed. Hey!  There are 3-400 machines in the gym and just 10 of them set up in a circle for the 30 min workout.  If you come park your ass on the machine in front of mine and you sit there when the light changes, I figured I'd probably say something and today I did. I think I scared the woman but really.  There was 5 of us on the 10 machines, moving in unison and then here come the wrench in the works and I could not abide by it. I am sure the other people on the circuit were glad I said something. Whoever is being blocked - well you're elected to enforce the code.  All my opinion of course! It is a gym, ya know.  We're working out - MARS!  Oh!  And these machines are red too so you know I love that! :)

Nice! I'm glad you said something!

Today I went public in a bathing suit. In all my years of gym going, I always avoided this. The old gym had a steam room in the locker room and I went in there rather than the coed sauna or Jacuzzi.  Even when I was in peak shape, I just don't like it because men try to pick you up all the time anyway. I was happy to avoid this because I would never date someone from my gym because it was my sanctuary and I could not afford to have it messed with over some bad break up.

Anyway, I went in there, very, very early.  There only two men in there (I was the only woman).  They were both my ages (or near) and showed great interest in me, so I talked about my husband non-stop, and about last night's shufflin' and it went well.

One of the men was an Israeli (immigrant). He owns a liquor store and he was interesting to talk to. He wants me to go to the Jerusalem restaurant with him but that will happen over my husband's dead body. :)

All this gym talk is motivating.  Last time I went to the gym regularly was 2 years ago when I still lived in CA.  I got pregnant soon after my move and the last year I haven't been able to afford it but now that I can afford it again, I feel like it's gonna be super hard. Anyone have any tips for people with small kids?  Both me and my hubby want to go but we don't wanna leave him at the daycare there.  Plus, by the time we get home in the evening it's nearly 6 o clock and after dinner there is barely an hour for me to hang out with my son, how the heck do I get time in for the gym?  Too bad there aren't any gyms close to work or I'd go at lunch time. 

I really need to get back into yoga too.  My body reallly needs a way to release stress. 

I really want to get over my struggles here and get to know my neighbors. The other man asked me about politics and I spoke openly. I also told the Israeli he might want to come speak to my Woman's Club. I just have to get it through to men that we're not going to lunch or any other damned thing, but the thing with men, is they keep trying to get their dick in. 

This is my experience of a lifetime. The only thing that stops it is if they actually meet my bf or husband. This stops it because I am always, always with highly likeable men.  So when they meet whoever I am with, they want to know both of and there is a cure. But with my husband not around...I dunno.  No matter what I tell them, they will still try "just in case".

Elsa: "We're working out - MARS!  Oh!  And these machines are red too so you know I love that! :)"

ROLF!!!   My merc/mars would really enjoy your energy on the circuit things :). 
Angie

"Tell 'em, touch me and you'll draw back a stub," my husband said.

"You don't think going on and on about my husband and my love-sickness is effective?"

"Fuck no.  Men understand, touch me even the slightest bit and you'll draw back a stub."

I'm home from a workout and I feel great!  Whatever force it is that restored my drive and stamina, I am sure grateful!

Cool, Elsa :)

I did my asanas Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend :)

I hit the gym Friday, Saturday, yesterday, going back today...  :D

I got in a fight in the gym today, over the 30 min workout. I still have adrenaline running, 3 hours later. Me against a 400 pound African American woman, clearly used to throwing her weight around. Thing is, I'm not intimidated...at all.

I'd have had your back.  I've got adrenaline coursing through me as we speak.  People who are used to intimidating others get surprised when they come up on someone unmoved.  Surprising them is a good thing.

I gave her a lecture about her choice to be anti-social, lol. I'm a real piece of work.