I don’t know about everyone else but, I certainly need my peaceful spots.

This world is so fast paced and unrelenting.

If I don’t take the time to really be quiet and introspective, I tend to end up in an emotional tailspin. That sort of thing never ends well for me and takes too much energy to get back on track. So, I make sure I find my happy place on a weekly if not daily basis. I’m just sort of stunned that I found a quiet, recharge spot at the health and fitness center. The health and fitness center is certainly part of my routine because health and wellness comes with a certain level of fitness. My main reason for going is for the group fitness training classes. I find that working out with a familiar group of people is motivating and makes me want to go to the gym more frequently. Plus, I like to go to the health and fitness center to learn more about how to get the most from my body. The nutritional counseling has had a major impact on my life. Having the right fuel for my body has only enhanced my workout program as well. But the real surprise for me has been the steam room. It is my new happy place. On a whim, I decided to give it a try as that was something I had never experienced before. It was the most relaxing 20 minutes of my life. Now, when the world seems to be folding in on me, I hop in the car and head to the steam room for some peace, quiet and rejuvenation. For sure, the steam room is my new happy place.

 

Wellness and fitness

Like I imagine yours is, my life is really hectic and stressful.

That seems to be sort of the default nowadays doesn’t it? I don’t have any friends or colleagues who aren’t in the same boat when it comes to dealing with life.

I really don’t remember my parents struggling and juggling as much as I am. They always seemed to have some time for themselves and each other. My parents were also into health and fitness. It might not be the stereotypical way we think of now. But, my folks always stressed good nutrition and getting our exercise. And we did the health and fitness thing together as a family. Until lately, I could barely get out for a walk much less apply for a gym membership. One evening not too long ago, my husband brought up our health and fitness levels. He pointed out that we just weren’t taking good enough care of ourselves and we should commit to making health and wellness a priority in our lives. We did just that with a gym membership at a local health and fitness center. This was something that we were determined to explore together. I’m here to tell you that this was one of the best decisions of our marriage. When we’re at the gym, there is no career, kids or life juggling. It’s just me and him and our workout program. This has so added a depth of connection that we have been sorely missing from our relationship. I can’t begin to explain how much of a benefit it has been to have my husband as my loyal workout companion. It has been amazing in more ways than I thought possible.

Certified gym

Who knew that I would be so into something so quiet? My personality is actually quite loud indeed.

It’s not like I am some sort of obnoxious idiot but I do really love big sounds, big actions and a vibrant life.

Following that has led me to find a career that I am passionate about and I genuinely love my life. However, there has been a feeling of incompleteness if you will. I have a hard time articulating just what I mean but, there was a depth to my life that I was longing for. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found that missing part of me in the local gym of all places. I have recently started frequenting a local health and fitness center. I’m sort of at a place in my life that I knew I had to get more consistent about health and wellness. It was time to get some personal training at the health and fitness center. Otherwise, I would get a gym membership and just sporadically go before I quit altogether. With some fitness coaching, workout plans and nutritional counseling, I was sure I could achieve my health plans. I got going with all of this for a month or two and was being pretty consistent. But then, I found the yoga classes and everything changed. Yoga was the missing part that I couldn’t really put my finger on. Through Yoga I have been able to find an inner quiet and depth that I didn’t know I would ever be capable of.

Nutritional Programs

My history with health and fitness is spotty at best.

Really, it’s probably worse than that.

I have had gym memberships off and on throughout my life. It always seemed like such a great idea when I first applied and paid for that gym membership. However, I really just lost interest after the first few months. It just really wasn’t something that I could find consistent motivation to go do. Plus, there just wasn’t all that much at the gym that really interested me. I didn’t have a workout plan or and sort of guidance. I just went in there and got on a machine after watching other people and their training methods. This is probably a really terrible way of going about using a gym membership. However, there was another reason I would stop going to the gym. It was just out of my way really. I had to make a special point of going to the side of town. That all changed due to our corporate wellness program. Now, we are incentivized to go to a local gym near our home. They were really thinking when they put this program together. Now, I could go on my way home from work or ever prior to starting my work day. This was the change I needed. Plus, the health and fitness center near my house is chock full of so many activities and personal fitness programs. I’ll now have the guidance I always needed to get the most out of my gym membership.

 

Getting to the gym just got a whole lot easier

Sports has always been a big part of my life.

However, I always hated practice when I did all the highschool athletics.

I especially hated the emphasis on weight lifting. It was boring and I just didn’t really get in with the muscle crowd anyway. That was sort of the beginning of my gym abstinence. After highschool, I still really loved doing stuff like tennis, racquetball, hiking, swimming and all that. It’s something that I kept up really consistently until my career kicked into high gear where the frequency of exercise diminished. Then I had a family and I rarely exercised at all. The results were what you would expect. I got a dad body real quick. About a year ago, my wife and I both committed to both wellness and fitness. We knew we couldn’t do it on our own. So we decided to join a health and fitness center. This was something that I was not all that wild about given my predisposition to gyms. When we got to the health and fitness center, all those old feelings about the gym dropped away immediately. There were so many personal fitness programs I could get into along with yoga. And the sauna and steam room sealed the deal for me. We were able to get membership discounts because we joined together which was great. That first day, I was able to get some introductory nutritional counseling and understand the benefits of fitness coaching. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that we made this move in our lives.

Personal Fitness Trainer

My lifestyle just had to change. While I wasn’t into anything that was expressly harmful or dangerous, I just wasn’t really taking care of myself. It was evident to me and to my wife. While I had a gym membership, I only went in their for weight lifting ever so sporadically. That was all the gym really meant to me. So, when my gym membership came up for renewal, my wife sat me down to talk. She had been going to a health and wellness center for over a year. And, she raved about it. But, this wasn’t all that unusual given that she has been into health and wellness since I met her. We talked about whether I wanted to waste our money on renewing my old gym membership which I hardly used or doing something different. She made a lot of sense and was really simply caring for me and my health. So, I decided that I would accompany her to the health center she belonged to. Well, what an eye opening experience that was. It didn’t even dawn on me how diverse and interesting a health and fitness center could be. I found all sorts of workout classes that fascinated me. Then there was the yoga which is something I have always wanted to explore. Honestly, I was simply blown away by all the health and fitness center could offer. That was all it took. It was a new day for me and a new gym membership was definitely now in order.

Cross fit

Don’t bet me if you’re not willing to pay up when you lose.

And I mean pay up big time.

No, I’m not talking about a bunch of money. My bets are rarely monetary in nature. Rather, they are more twisted than that. Like if you lose you shave your eyebrows off and if I lose I shave my eyebrows and my head. It’s that sort of competitive thing. There are few takers. But, I have one buddy who is into this sort of wagering. Our latest wager has to do with gym. We both belong to the same health and fitness center. While we both enjoy going to the gym, neither one of us is as consistent about it as we’d like to be. This led to a competitive wager with the loser wearing a dress to the gym for 4 months. We went to the certified fitness experts to help us formulate a reasonable personal fitness program. It had to be something that made sense and was achievable. The idea was to make a commitment to the workout plans. And the first one to not complete the weekly workout plans was the loser. It’s funny how this turned into a deal at the local gym. There were people who were rooting us on and were making side bets on who would be the first one to cave. Remarkably, it has been over six months and we have completed every weekly workout plan. I’m not even sure if either of us will ever be inconsistent about going to the health and fitness center ever again.

Personal Trainer

The universe works in truly subtle ways.

This is a truth that I come to find more and more lately.

And the more I follow along and let it happen, the more interesting my life becomes. The latest example of that is a recent invisible nudge toward the health and fitness center. A few months ago, my buddy wanted me to go to the local gym with him. After a few minutes of inquiry, he confessed that he just wanted me to sign up for a gym membership. If I signed up for a gym membership, he would get all kinds of perks and discounts at the local gym. I figured as much and politely declined. I have never been all that much of a fitness or gym sort of guy. I stay somewhat fit by walking, playing tennis and trying to stay on a nutritional program. But, going to or joining a gym has never been very appealing to me at all. I had joined a health and fitness center back in college to try to get buff to attract girls. Of course, I quickly lost interest and subsequently stopped going at all. Plus, I just wasn’t all that into weight lifting. So about a month after my buddy tried to con me in to a gym membership, something truly weird happened. On my way home from work, my car broke down right in front of the health and fitness center. Like right in front of it. My phone was dead so I had no choice but to go into the health and fitness center to ask to use the phone. I was so stunned by how awesome the place was that I walked out with a gym membership!
Cross fit

Motivation is not my strong suit. It’s been this way all of my life. Even when I was a kid, my parents just couldn’t seem to get me interested in much. But that was the height of the first video game revolution and that is really all I wanted to do. I was so not interested in health and fitness in any way, shape or form. It just wasn’t for me at all. Being uncoordinated and out of shape didn’t help much either. So, I found a certain solace in alone with my video games. That behavior set a sort of precedent when it comes to health and wellness in my life. Instead of doing something positive for my health and fitness as an adult, I tend to go to work and then surf the couch when I get home. And, I wasn’t all that happy either. When a really dear friend pointed out that doing just a little bit of a workout program would greatly benefit my life, I listened. I actually accompanied him to his health and fitness center to see for myself what I might be interested in. Instead of a bunch of macho dudes pumping iron, I found a very diverse program with plenty of personal fitness programs. It was such a revelation to see so many possibilities. But what was really great was just how welcome I felt. I didn’t feel like the only pudgy guy in there. I got into some group fitness classes and met many other people who were also beginners when it came to health and fitness. I’m glad I made the change. My friend was right, fitness really has added a benefit to my life.

 

 

Certified gym

Within months, I was seeing great improvement in my health

I honestly can’t tell you how many times over the last 50 years that I have paid for a gym membership only to quit going. It’s embarrassing for me to even start counting. But, it’s truth. Seems like every holiday season when I felt fat and horribly out of shape, I would go join a local gym. Then, I would do some weight lifting for maybe a month or two. Gradually, my time at the local gym would dwindle to nothing. This was the same routine and cycle that I would do over and over. Man, I wish I knew then what I now now with regard to health and wellness. This year, once again, my doctor got on my case about my poor health and fitness. I gave him the same answer that I’d join the local gym and stick to it this time. That was not a good enough answer for the Doc this time. He gave me the number of a health and fitness center and told me he would be following up with them. This hit me a bit as the seriousness of his tone let me know that I was treading in dangerous waters. So, I went to the health and fitness center. To my total astonishment, they were ready for me. Not only did I get a gym membership but I also received a personal trainer. Let me tell you, the fitness coaching was the missing element to all of my previous gym forays. Within months, I was seeing great improvement in my health. More importantly, I really began to embrace wellness and fitness. I can’t tell you how valuable I found fitness coaching to be in my experience.

Health plans