Working Out: A Review

Last month, I hired a personal trainer. September marked the beginning of our fall schedule, when I knew I'd have a little more routine in my life and could fit a couple more things in. And, since pregnancy caused some lingering weakness in some of my muscles and just reshaped things a good bit, I was anxious not only to start working out but also to have some expert advice on shaping up the things I wanted shaped up.

So I hired Erin. Though we hadn't been in much contact lately (other than reading her blog every so often), I'd known her since we were kids. She used to come visit her cousin and my friend and neighbor, April, from time to time, and we'd all play together. I even have a pretty vivid memory of Erin getting the hugest goose egg one time when she banged her head into another kid at the neighborhood pool!

Anyway, the reason I hired Erin was not only because I knew her but also because I like her background. She's a personal trainer, yes, but she also has a graduate degree in nutrition, which appealed to me because it means she's a well-rounded health professional (not someone who would tell me to cut out all fat or all carbs or something). I also liked that she's got a little boy at home, because I was hoping to find a trainer who had had a baby and knew what it was like to bring your body back from the crazy musculoskeletal events of pregnancy and childbirth.

I ended up hiring Erin for eight sessions, and we met twice a week. I was sad that last week was our last workout together, because I totally loved it. If you're thinking of hiring a trainer, I would certainly recommend it. Here's one reason I liked it: I could show up and be brainless. She had a workout all laid out before I even got there, which means that I didn't have to think about anything; I just did what she told me to do, and that was that. I didn't have to figure out which muscles to work next, how much weight I should use, how to target a particular spot, how to adjust the machines, how to monitor that I was using correct form in each exercise, etc. Figuring all that out would have been a challenge for me, since I haven't worked out in so long. And all of those things would have slowed me down considerably, too, so working with Erin meant that I got in a whole lot more working out in half an hour than I would have been able to do on my own. In that sense, it was really efficient.

Plus, of course, she helped me start getting back into shape. While making sure I was working out my whole body, Erin also helped me target the areas I wanted to target. (Planks, anyone?) She really put an effort into personalizing my workout, which I definitely appreciated. For example, if I mentioned a certain area that was bugging me, she'd show up next time having researched how to work it in the best possible way.

The result is that I'm getting back into shape! I feel so good about that! It had been so long since I've worked out with any kind of regularity, and, honestly, I just wasn't feeling all that great. I was just feeling kind of sluggish, mainly, with some occasional aches and pains. Now, this is to be expected, not only during pregnancy, but during the few months afterward, when you're so sleep deprived. (And I have either been pregnant or recently pregnant a lot over the last three and a half years, so this accounts for a lot of my life recently.) But, eventually, I got beyond that point after Jane's birth and knew that the way I was feeling could no longer be attributed to pregnancy and sleep deprivation. At some point, I said to myself, "I am too young to feel this way."

And I have to say I'm starting to feel the results of that choice to invest some time into working out. I'm starting to have a little more energy in my everyday life. I'm definitely stronger. I can tell that my waist is getting smaller and the muscles in my arms are getting a little more defined. I ran a mile with no stops for the first time today in a long time, and just last week, as I was running on the treadmill, I thought to myself, with surprise, "This is starting to feel good instead of just hard!" And my mom told me I look skinnier today. :) So has it been worth the effort? Yes.

The purpose of this post was not to advertise for Erin, but it has kind of turned into that, huh? Well, if you are in Houston and are looking for a trainer or nutritionist, you can get some info about her services on her blog.

Hooray for feeling better and getting stronger!