A few months ago I joined Shred 415, a fitness studio here in the city. The gym offers hour-long semi-personal interval training classes that kick my butt and keep me motivated.  The classes are a nonstop combination of hardcore treadmill work and muscle burning floor exercises.  I leave every high-intensity class sweaty and exhausted, and I love it.

Before I joined the gym, I had plenty of good excuses for not making the time to work-out. Three kids. Work. House. Husband. Lack of sleep. The expense. But, I saw how Cross-Fit changed my husband’s body and attitude, and I knew I wanted a change for myself, too.  When I signed up back in September, I had no idea how much better my life would be.

To say that its been life-changing would be an understatement.  After an hour of focused exercise 4-5 times per week, I feel more alive and aware than I’ve felt in months (years?).  I have emerged from a fog.  I feel like a new person. To be honest, I really don’t have any weight to lose (I’ve been back at my pre-pregnancy weight for a while now), but working out makes me feel stronger and healthier. And, I’d like to have some muscle definition so I don’t look like a wimp!

I am a very goal-oriented person.  Training for and completing three marathons was not very hard for me because the race was a manageable goal I could work towards.  I do not like going to a gym day-after-day and climbing on the same old elliptical or treadmill.  Personally, I need motivation.  I need someone to push me harder than I will push myself, so the trainer-led classes I attend are a perfect fit for me. 

With the new year fast approaching, many people think about making changes and getting healthier.  If you are one of those people, let me say this: DO IT. Find a gym that suits your needs.  Make some new friends who will motivate you to get out of bed and into your sneakers.  Drop the sorry excuses because we’ve all heard them a million times.  Just go!!