Dynamic Fitness

Well, we finally did it! We purchased a gym membership at a new gym near home called Dynamic Fitness! We had been talking about doing it for a while because our fitness room here at the apartment just doesn't have up to date equipment, nor does it have all the machines we need to get the best workout possible. We went in two weeks ago to look around and get a feel for how crowded it was, and what the cost to join was. It was a little more expensive than other gyms but we went during the peak hours and it wasn't very busy, the equipment is all brand new, and it's the closest to home. This gym is owned by two guys who worked for 24 hour fitness for years and wanted to open their own gym. One of the things that I have enjoyed for the past several years has been the fitness classes that I have gone to, and I wanted to make sure that I enjoyed the classes they offered at this gym. So, we decided to do a trial membership and I committed to attend a class that very next morning. It was called body pump, and throughout the entire hour we used hand weights, or a bar. It had been months since I'd done a class like that, and lets just say that over the next few days I felt like I had been hit by a train!=) Joe started playing football that same weekend and had some minor injuries and soreness. You should have seen us just trying to walk up and down the stairs to get to our apartment! We looked like a couple of 90 year olds!=) ha ha! Well, we decided to join the gym and along with that we got a couple free sessions with a personal trainer. They called and set it up for us to come last night at 7. When we first got there they took our weight and measurements and then the trainers took us each seperately to warm up and then to the weight machines. Joe was such a good sport and made me laugh by making faces whenever I'd look at him. He was off with his trainer, and I was with mine but afterwards we talked about some of the things we learned that we weren't aware of before the session. One of the things that was stressed to both of us was that if we're trying to loose weight, one of the most common misconceptions is that we have to do cardio, cardio, cardio. They said that cardio, ALONG with weight resistance is what will help us the most. When we build muscle, it helps our bodies burn more calories and we become stronger and more defined. Marathon runners do so much cardio that they first burn through the muscle, then the fat and other tissues. That's why most of them are so skinny but they also look "softer" because they have burned through their muscle. My trainer said it's ok to run sometimes, but companies have done research and what would help me burn fat faster is to walk on the treadmill at a 2.0 speed and between a 15 & 18 incline for at least 30 minutes. The key to that is NOT TO HOLD ONTO THE TREADMILL at all! She said if you hold on it defeats the purpose of the incline and it's just like walking flat. Joe's trainer told him that it's better to start off your workout doing weights, and then do cardio because during weights your body is able to burn through the muscle and then when you do your cardio you're burning straight fat. We learned that crash diets like atkins dont work because when you introduce carbs back into your diet you will gain back everything you lost. They said it's all about portion control and eating healthy foods but we also shouldn't deprive ourselves of things. Everything in moderation. We have already been trying to make a lifestyle change as far as our eating habits go, but without working out we haven't been able to really see the benefits. I have been making a lot of dishes from The Biggest Loser cookbook, and surprisingly they have been really flavorful and delicious! We're excited to get healthy and lose weight, and with motivation and help from one another we know we can do it! We were both scared for our session with the trainer (after watching The Biggest Loser) but it was SO helpful! We learned very important information and got a good workout. After being with the trainer for an hour Joe felt like he was going to throw up. His trainer told him that he was done with the session but if he could, he'd like Joe to do 30 minutes of cardio. We both got on the treadmill, but only made it about 5 minutes before Joe felt extremely sick. When we got home he laid down on the floor and said he was never eating again=) ha ha ha! Here's a cute picture of him on the floor. We'll keep you updated on how it's going!