Why I exercise (hint: it's not because I love it)

Many people LOVE exercise. My husband is one of them. Until I met Josh, I used to think that people were lying when they said that they love working out. Exercise has never come easy for me. I never considered myself an athlete, and used to joke that I would only run if something was chasing me. I was always "active," talking long walks, hikes, and occasional leisurely bike rides, and thought that because I was thin, I didn't need to exercise, or eat healthy for that matter.  I was riding the tails of my good genetics and fast teenage metabolism into my early 20's. By the end of college, the reality that I can't live on Cheerios, Chips Ahoy (the kind with the m&m's on top), and Voss' Chili-cheese dogs had become apparent.

The first changes I made were to my diet. By not buying junk food, cutting out gluten and alcohol, I lost that freshman 15 pretty quickly, but I was more sedentary than ever.  I was going to nursing school, and studying most of my waking hours. I tried Crossfit a few times, only to quit after a couple of weeks every time. It took me a long time to find an exercise regimen that works for me and that I actually enjoy.  I found that I don't do well with timed, competitive workouts.  I enjoy strength training at my own pace, with a little aerobic exercise mixed in. Still though, it can be hard for me to stay motivated. 

The biggest thing that keeps me motivated is that I want to be a strong old lady someday that everyone says, "oh, she ages so well!" It sounds ridiculous, and I'm not really that concerned with how others think I am aging, but I don't want to be a cripple! As women age, that poor posture becomes more and more difficult to reverse, and eventually... you will be that little old lady looking at her shoes all the time.  What scares me more, is that working in a hospital, I see people in their 50's and 60's ALL the time who are in worse shape than my grandmother.
Good posture is not just the conscious thought "sit up straight." It involves a ton of muscles that on a daily basis we are doing nothing to strengthen!  We sit at desks hunched over, drive hunched over and eat dinner hunched over. Then we go to bed curled up in the fetal position, and its no wonder posture gets so much worse with age!
All of the little tiny muscles in your back and shoulders, when strengthened, work with your butt and hamstrings to keep you upright! This requires upper body pulling exercises like pull ups, dumb bell rows and scapular exercises, along with strengthening your posterior chain, ie. using your butt and hamstrings.
Without a well rounded exercise regimen, we can worsen these imbalances, and end up looking like an Olsen twin.  I'm going to shoot for Ann Hathaway and hope I land somewhere in between by the time I'm 75.  The goal is to "age gracefully."

So, why do I exercise? Its pretty obvious to me.... 

Olsen twin... Ann Hathaway...

It's up to you!

Find a strength and conditioning regimen that works for you. Everyone is different, so you can't expect your friend's workout routine to be your cup of tea. At Garage Gym, all of our programming is individualized and adjusted to what works best for each client. The important thing is that you are getting stronger and healthier, not following the sicker, fatter and weaker crowd.

Some SUPER EXCITING news is that as of the end of March, I have made some small changes in my job at the hospital which has allowed me to FINALLY have a regular schedule (same days off every week), which means I have my own clients!  Garage Gym has always been a team effort between Josh and I. We are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other and helping each other out with training and running the business.  The difference between helping out and training one-on-one clients for me has been tremendous!  I am inspired by their determination and love tracking progress made.  

We are expanding even further this summer with two more awesome trainers. We have been so blessed with this gym and I'm excited to see where we're headed!