The First Day

So, Monday August 2^nd 2010 had arrived! I had made my lunch, packed my healthy snacks and my gym bag and set off for work. After my induction with Joe the day before I was sore but excited to be going to the gym that night to do my programme for the first time.

That day in the office was like any other day, with a concentrated effort to drink at least 2 litres of water and to drink less coffee. For a caffeine addict like me, that's pretty hard to do. So, I was making my 4^th coffee of the day, the last one I was “allowed” and there was a bit of an accident with the kettle - I managed to get my arm in the way of the steam, and gave myself what would turn out to be a pretty horrendous burn. Now, the Viv from last week probably would have gone home miserable and not gone to the gym! But I was determined and even though I'd spent the whole afternoon crying (I respond terribly to an adrenaline rush like that, and burns hurt horribly enough to make me cry - a lot), I went to the gym.

Joe was covering reception, and I showed him the burn! He looked worried. He gave me a bandage to put over it while I worked out. I was pretty miserable, but we laughed over how he only had an eye patch, and how my arm was now a pirate. He cheered me up and off I went to do my workout, still sore from the day before. I wasn't going to let anything stop me this time, I'd made my mind up and this was happening, burnt arm or not!

I had bought myself some workout trousers from Asda, not very flattering at all, but at £3 a pair, I decided that they were good enough and I had no intention for them to fit for very long. I also wore one of Guy's Everton (I know, right!!) training tops - Extra Large. I wanted to hide as much as possible from everyone else in the gym. Although I was under no illusion that it made me look any smaller, I felt that hiding under this huge top would hide the “jiggle” and I just hoped that no-one would notice me.

The gym was busy, a lot busier than the day before. Obviously Monday is the day everyone hits the gym the hardest before they lose the will by Friday! Walking through the weights area was even more daunting this time, due to the large number of enormous men. I just remember thinking, keep your head down, and no-one will notice! It turns out, that those enormous men are actually lovely! And have since become friends of mine! Just goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover.

I worked my way through my programme, and chuckled to myself at the little stick men Joe had drawn. They were great, and good for reminding me what to do for a certain exercise! It was hard, but I left feeling very proud of myself!

Every day that week I went to the gym, DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) or not. Guy and I had planned a weekend away in Amsterdam and I was worried about the break in routine so soon after starting. Worried I'd never go back, worried I'd stay fat forever, and get even fatter! Despite walking around 10 hours each day, I was also worried about the bad food I'd eaten while away!

Upon our return, I was delighted to discover that I was in no way “out of the habit” of going to the gym and was back there straight away- it had only been the weekend, so really there shouldn't have been any doubt! That pretty much confirmed it for me - I was hooked!

Next time, I tell of the difficulties I faced, as have many of you!

The Beginning

It was July 2010 when it really dawned on me just how bad things had got, just how much I had let go of everything in life and how much I had let go of me!

Attending the wedding of two of my oldest and closest friends was the start of this, having to find an outfit appropriate for such an event was almost impossible when everything looked, as far as I was concerned, horrifying on me. Luckily I did find something, just in the nick of time, but I didn't feel better.

Following the wedding we travelled further to join our friends from York on holiday in Cornwall. It was here, whilst getting into my swimsuit, that I realised, just how fat I'd allowed myself to become. I tried to pull in my tummy while looking in the mirror, and nothing happened...Nothing! I knew, that it was either now or never that I lost the weight.

So, upon return from the holiday, I announced that I would be joining a gym- again!

There were two feasible options as to which gym I would attend; the one practically next to my house, or the one practically next to my job. I visited both, was shown around and ultimately chose to join the gym next to my work. Why? Because, as much as the gym near my house would be easier to get to at the weekend, going there after a full day at the office, followed by a 45 minute commute home consisting mainly of sitting in traffic, was highly unlikely to happen. I decided to remove the hugely de-motivating drive home from the equation, therefore meaning I'd be more likely to attend.

On July 31^st I went down there, signed up, and booked an induction for the next day with the fitness manager, Joe. He would turn out to be the trainer I needed to get me through this task, and he did so, very well, going well above and beyond the call of duty to help me through the tough times and keep me motivated.

On August 1^st 2010 I arrived at the gym for my induction. In true Viv Style, I was hugely early so the receptionist recommended I went to warm up! I hadn't been in a gym in a couple of years and I was nervous! Especially walking through the weights area to the cardio area! As I rounded the corner, it all looked completely foreign to me. I approached what I thought was an elliptical trainer (my former warm up equipment of choice) and hopped on! It seemed a little high, and hard to get going but I went for it, thinking 5 minutes will have me all warmed up. 2 minutes in, I thought I was going to die!! How had this become so hard? How the hell had I let myself get THIS unfit? I got off and went to meet my trainer!

We talked about my goals and if there were any time scales. I declared that my goal was “thin” and the time frame was “as soon as possible”- for a trainer, this is a nightmare response! But he went with it! We also talked about nutrition. I had never really become too bad with the food I ate, there were never chocolate bars or packets of crisps- the occasional “treat” in the office? Sure! But nothing regular. But, due to a bout of depression brought on, in part, to a horrendous work situation, I'd become lazy at preparing our evening meals, and so take- out was on the menu more often than it should be! In the 2 weeks leading up to joining the gym this had stopped and I had started to prepare my meals and snacks for work and was cooking our evening meals again. Joe was comfortable that I had the basics right and just encouraged me to “Eat the Rainbow” (a phrase I now pass on to my clients) meaning I should try to eat vegetables that are all colours of the rainbow every day as they all contain different nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Having established my exercise likes and dislikes we went into the gym. Another warm up was now required and Joe led me to the Elliptical Trainer, it would seem that the equipment I had been on earlier was in fact a Summit Trainer, and, as I would very quickly learn, is one of the hardest pieces of equipment in the gym!! To say I was relieved to be able to easily complete a 5 minute warm up on the real elliptical trainer is an understatement!

Joe took me through all of the exercises he was going to put into my programme, explaining what each exercise does and why I should be doing it, taking into account various old injuries (a very old ankle injury and a dubious shoulder). After 2 hours, I was RUINED! I tried not to let it show though. I was embarrassed, even ashamed. A few years previously I had become quite fit and lost 2 stone, and was convinced that I shouldn't have found it so hard. Joe had no idea how fit I was before, so had no comparison, but I knew! He was very encouraging, apparently his favorite phrase is “breathe it out”!

I left that day, exhaused, and excited about my programme, and looking forward to getting started!

Next time; The First Step of oh so very many!