second opinionHello, my name is Susan. I’ve been exercising since the 13th April (11 weeks) and I haven’t lost an ounce! Not a pound, not a kilogram.  How unfair is that? I know I started off gung-ho. I can tend to get rather zealous with things and fitness is one of those things. I can easily adopt the adage, Go Hard or Go Home…until I do an injury and am incapacitated for weeks.

I learned that I was exercising so my MHR would go too high, which means it is not burning fat. Then I had an epiphany.  Later on, I had 2 weeks off. Ugh, getting back into was not easy, despite Miss A’s encouragement and the backyard full of gym equipment. So, I joined Contours. All along, my motivation level has been pretty high, considering how tired I feel. Still, I constantly feel like it is two steps forward, three steps back. It is hard work. I do not enjoy exercising.

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My type of leg press-using a machine

Anyway, I joined Contours on a month-by-month basis as I hope to get back to the point where I can join another gym – a *real* gym. 😉 I want to lift weights, heavy weights. I’m just not fit or strong enough yet. I know that might sound strange but I really am not fit. I don’t feel as though I’m progressing or getting anywhere.

So, for now I’m exercising at Contours 3-4 times a week- slowly building strength. Miss A does (real) leg squats with weights. Get this! 100kg weights! Man, that girl is a machine! I wanna do that too. :rotfl: However, I’m using a pin-weighted machine (isolation exercises on a pin loaded machine which are not as effective as compound exercises using free weights) for leg press and just this week I have managed to be consistent with pushing 59kgs!

Last week, I had a scheduled rest day and was supposed to go to the gym the following day. However, life situations happened that prevented me from going in the morning and by the afternoon I was feeling stiff and sore. In one sense, this is nothing new as I’ve been sore and hurting for 11 weeks now. But this was a different sore. This felt like my muscles were starting to tighten and seize. After being ‘good sore’ for awhile I realised that I didn’t like this stiff sore. So with lessons and housework done and Miss A buddying with Master C to cook tea I zipped down to the gym! I don’t usually go there at 5pm

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Miss A does this with 100kg barbell

but I just knew I needed to. Golly, was I pumped when that was over! I felt good again. I felt sore, but it was the sore that comes from working out, not a static soreness.

So whilst I am pretty sure that I will not lose any weight and feel destined to be this weight forever I will not stop working out. Because I like the benefit that comes from working out. I don’t like leaving the house and going there, nor do I necessarily like doing it but I do love the benefit of it. So the pay-off is worth it. I may not reach my target goal weight, but I can still reach my other goal – Fit n 40…because it is an attitude. 😉

How are you going with exercising and working out?