No Gym, No Problem?

I have had a gym membership off and on since I was 17, and joining or quitting has always been an awkward experience.

When joining gyms there's this awesome FREE personal training session they "offer" that they nail down an appointment for right then. I. Hate. These. Every time I have done one of these sessions I feel terrible about myself afterwords. First off, they like to calculate your BMI which for me has always been slightly above normal (as I'm told by everyone else, its because I'm SO "muscular.") Then they move on to ask me what my goals are... at 17 it was just, "Oh, I want to be 'toned'" later on I had wanted to lose 5-10 lbs and one lady looked straight at me and said, "And do you think you can do that by yourself if you haven't been able to so far?" (Yes... I cried, I mean I was 22 and only wanted to lose a few pounds!!!!) I don't want to join a community that whenever I walk through the doors I feel like I'm being judged about how I look and what I'm doing while I'm there. And don't even get me started on the process of trying to "quit" the gym (Please just refer to the episode of Friends where Chandler would rather close his bank account than speak to the gym about quitting.) I want to be a part of a community that supports each other, and builds self-confidence.

It took me years to figure out that motivation lead by the urge to get rid of the body I hated didn't work for me. My body didn't start responding until I was treating it with care and time. It's not about starving yourself and punishing yourself with grueling hours of non-stop sweat sessions. It's about only putting in whole healthy foods to fuel fun activities that get you moving. It wasn't until I did a Whole30 that I really realized how much food impacted my body weight/shape, and then I realized I only needed to do 30 minute workouts and I was finally getting somewhere with my weightloss. I preach this all the time, because really who wants to starve and workout all the time when you can eat the right things and make sure you move for at least 30 minutes a day?!?! My first couple Whole30s I didn't even work out. After our Whole 100 was over I remember going out to run 3 miles for the Tone it Up Bikini Series, thinking "I'll aim to run 1 mile and just walk/jog the rest" (I hadn't run in probably 6 months, I HATE RUNNING, and I could make it 3 miles if I was focusing on running more often.) I was amazed how I could do the entire 3 miles without stopping or feeling fatigued the entire time! Then I thought, well, I've been working out consistently, eating good food, and I've lost over 20lbs, so ya some activities that use to be hard could be fun now!

So back to the gym! The last time I had a gym membership I just paid for the entire year upfront, this way I didn't have to face the dreaded "break-up" (Even tho they did call and send me emails, they were no longer taking my money out of my account when I wasn't going...) And I set up the training session, and later cancelled it and never re-scheduled it, because I don't need that kind of negativity in my life... I went, I did machines, I got in pretty good shape for my wedding (mostly thanks to Whole 30.) But When my year was up, I didn't go back.

This is when we started our Whole100 and Kayla Itsines Bikini Body 12 week workout guide. I am a firm believer in no gym, no problem! In fact, I'm living proof of it -25lbs later. Once summer started I had co-workers and friends suggest I should try their gym or fitness centers that they love so much, which - don't get me wrong sounded fun but at the same time I had gotten into a groove, a FREE groove. I wasn't paying $20-100 a month to workout, I was intrinsically motivated to move when I got home from work everyday.

So here's the shocker... I joined the gym today. I know, after all that, what am I thinking?!?! Here's why I made this decision: 1. My husband never stopped his membership and tells me I should go with him all the time. 2. Co-workers have memberships, are going to the classes ($5 a class if I go, however the membership is $20/month) 3. I'm looking to switch up my cardio routines. Lately, I've just been itching to try a spin class, and feeling like I need to step out of my comfort zone. I have been so motivated by the Tone It Up girls to try something new and take classes. So I'm gonna go for it! Frankly, I no longer give a damn what people may think about me when I walk into the gym. Over the course of this year I have really built up my confidence (mostly thanks to our Instagram account and the amazing supportive people in our community.) I know now that when I walk into a class I will no longer be the shy quiet girl in the corner, I will be that girl that offers encouragement to other women and not judgement. So here I go on a road to step out of my comfort zone, try new things, and hopefully make some new fitness friends!