I'm noticing several little things lately, and no one in my usual circle of friends would quite understand the way you guys will.

I went to the gym in the evening this week. My trainer was sick and missed our regular session at 9 a.m. and so rescheduled for 7 p.m. the next day. It had been a while since I went to the gym after dark. The whole place had a different vibe at that time. The people seem more mellow, more focused on the zen of the workout. Definitely less grunting happening.

When I was single, I went to an aerobics class almost every weeknight (sadly, I had no life) but I never gave much thought to how different it was from working out in the morning. After that evening session, I was completely wiped out, especially since I had had rowing practice in the morning. With a morning session, I feel like I'm ready to face the day when it's over. Considering going back to the gym more evenings to see if the difference was a one-time thing.

I really hate it when I finally get around to planning my food for the day and then DH eats for breakfast the leftovers I planned to have for lunch. Is it off-plan if I have to make a substitution in that case?

How is everybody anyway?

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Another random rant: I was really excited to see that Yahoo's Hungry Girl had her own show on the Cooking Channel. But I'm finding I like her online personality much better than her in person. Trying a little too hard to be funny, IMHO. And her recipes seem to require too many special ingredients, not the kinds of things you keep in the pantry. Perhaps that's an unfair comparison to KD, but there it is.

susan, you are right. i have also noticed the clients who are really not interested in exercising. there is this one guy who pays for the most expensive trainer the gym (because of her reputation) and all he does during the session is chat. once in a while, he does 1 rep of something. the rest is chat chat chat.

thanks for the good observation--you jogged my memory!

One of the reasons I like my gym so much is that it is predominantly a personal training facility. At any given time, most of the people are working one-on-one with a trainer. You can get a monthly membership or pay a drop-in fee (which is what I do) to workout on your own, so there are usually a few "solo artists." But that setup eliminates a lot of the jockeying for equipment and preening that tends to go on at other places. That's the stuff that drove me nuts when I belonged to the Y.

And iz, I laughed at your comment about people paying for a distracted, ineffective trainer. I always think, "you're paying for that!" when I hear a client whining or arguing or just generally refusing to do the exercises the trainer recommends. I mean, I can slack off on my own. If I'm paying for the hour, I want to work all 60 minutes. Then again, trainers have told me that's not the norm among their clients.

I avoid gyms like the plague, so I can relate to your rant, but have made my own "gym" so that I can workout whenever it's convenient to my schedule. I just don't feel like I can stay focused on really working out, I'm easily distracted by all the movement around me.

As far as the leftovers thing, after DH ate some "special" leftovers from a restaurant I get to once a year (if that) several years ago, I started to hide my leftovers that I really wanted from DH. Since he never looks past the front of the shelves, it's pretty easy. Now with him gluten free, we have our own plastic containers, and if it's not in a red container, and on his shelf, it's not his to eat.

you are so right. finding the right person makes a huge difference. and eye candy does not hurt, i tell you.

i like to think of personal trainers like teachers. my best teachers in school were the ones who inspired me, connected with me for some reason, were "real". being in their classes never felt like work. it was just great. it's awesome you have found the right fit for you with a trainer. i see some awful trainers at the gym. they seem totally disinterested, and their program look like the same ole, same ole. i always feel bad for their clients (you're paying for THIS?)

quote:

Originally posted by iz:

how is your training going in general?

I love my sessions with my trainer. He pushes me appropriately, more with encouragement than Jillian-style humiliation. If he says "you can do it," I believe him. Of course, I should confess that I have a bit of a cougar crush on him -- he's 20-something and he looks like Sidney Crosby. (Hmmm -- wonder why I wanted to keep this board instead of going to Facebook?) So I'm forever trying to impress him.

I've been very lucky to have found trainers with whom I've had good rapport. A little over a year ago, the trainer I'd been with decided to leave the gym and go out on his own. I opted to stay with the gym because it's so convenient and I like the people. The owner knows me well enough to figure out which of the other trainers would be a good fit. And he was right!

As for the leftovers issue, I can't get too mad at DH. He is the king of leftovers and often turns them into something else. And I didn't tell him I was saving that particular Gladware container for later. So lesson learned. Stake out the leftovers if you're going to plan!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: susanrows,

wouldn't it be nice if a gym could screen its members--only nongrunting, nonshowboating members allowed. no hoochi-mama's. no mid life crises tolerated. no drama. no hygeine-haters.

now...wouldn't that be cool?

My gym is like Iz and Jill's. The morning is stay at home moms and retired folks. Evenings are more the hard core folks and those looking to socialize.

I hate when someone in the family eats my planned for food too! I don't consider it off plan if I'm forced to make a change unless it's way over on calories.

As for me, I'm morning the end of ski season and needing to make the transition back to running. My ankle has been really good and I'm worried that running will flare things back up. I'm going to be very careful and try not to over do it.

I agree with Iz, my gym too has the louder, grunting, muscle-y crowd at night and the more laid-back, quieter people in the morning. Time-wise going to the gym at night is better for me but I don't enjoy it because the free weight areas and weight machines are filled with college-aged or younger men mostly and a few female wannabe body builders with umpa-lumpa tans-I feel very out of place and usually the monopolize all the weights anyway.

I think too that if someone eats your lunch and you have to substitute it is no big deal because your really have no other choice.

Jill

doing pretty good. i am focusing more on rest and restoring myself. work has been busier by the day.

i notice the opposite at my gym. the morning folks are sleepy, career folks, not much grunting. just sleepy people. i go to the gym friday after work with dd. more college students, muscley guys walking around like Beach-Adonises. more grunting, and people staring at one another.

i don't think it is off plan to make a substitution if someone gets to your lunch before you consume. you have to eat lunch. i guess i would consider it off-plan if your substitution was a high caloric "poorer choice" type of meal, but most restaurants offer enough good choices.

i don't really think too much about food chocies and exercises any more. it feels more automatic to me, and i don't feel deprived. it is great to get to this point, i have to say.

how is your training going in general?