Getting "Fit"

I joined the YMCA in my area in the summer of 2011, but didn't have the courage to start working out until September, when school started and our family established a sort of routine. I started out on the treadmill, which was the only piece of equipment in the gym that I knew how to use. I was using the treadmill 1-2 days a week.

Then, the Y held a Frosty Fitness Challenge for the month of December. You had to exercise 12 times during the month of December. Every 3 times you checked in, you got a new piece to add to your snowman, which hung on the wall in the hallway for everyone to see. After you completed your 12th workout, your name was entered into a drawing for a $250 Visa gift card. This was just the thing I needed to motivate me to step up my exercise schedule and make sure I exercised 3 times a week. During a month when I usually gain weight from the holidays, I lost 2 pounds!

Towards the end of December, I knew I wanted to step up my game, but I wasn't sure how. I asked my husband for some personal training sessions as a Christmas present, and he delivered. I thought the personal trainer might help me learn how to use some other pieces of equipment in the gym and then I'd be more in shape and could move on to taking some group classes without embarrassing myself!