Image courtesy of artemisphoto/ freedigitalphotos.net

Yesterday I had my first session with John, my new trainer.

Yep, I’m sore. Tomorrow will be worse. That’s expected.

So this morning I hopped out of bed (yes, hopped), put on my workout clothes and went on a 2.58-mile walk. Not expected.

I feel grrrreat!

I’ve used trainers before and it was always the same. Work me like a dog and for a week I’m in pain. Every single frickin’ session. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Not this time. Yea, I’m sore, but I can actually function. Woohoo!

My trainer told me up front that people (especially women) are more likely to quit their trainers because they get destroyed by their sessions. He’s right. I hated that I couldn’t do anything without pain. That includes curling up in a fetal position to feel sorry for myself.

Training became an excuse not to do my normal routines because I need to recover from my sessions. Oh, and injuries always followed. Yikes.

So my new trainer, John, wants to focus on getting form correct (reduces the chance of injuries), do a full muscle workout each session and push me so that I have some soreness, but not to the point where I have an excuse to stop doing anything else.

I really like what he told me – “This is long term. Don’t think about losing weight. The weight training, cardio and diet will help reshape your body.”

I also liked that he took the time to explain what each exercise does, the importance of form for the each lift, pull, squat, and what food adjustments I need to consider now that I’m adding strength training. My past trainers conversations would be along the lines of “Give me one more,” “Hold the position,” and my favorite, “You can do better than that.”

The session was terrific. I was sweaty, felt great and discovered I had muscles in places I didn’t know existed. I go back for more tomorrow.