Former Fat Guy Blog

Real People Real Results - Understanding how food, fitness and mental attitude affect weight loss

Poor Me Syndrome

PMS. The Poor Me Syndrome.

Guys, you too can be afflicted by PMS and not even know it.

This disease selects all gender, every ethnicity and all demographics!

Its running rampant and I saw three cases of it yesterday. Myself included!

Levels of severity can differ day to day and some of the symptoms to watch for might include:

  • Making excuses
  • Justifying to yourself that you have chosen to do the ”right” thing
  • Commiserating with others
  • Seeking sympathy

gym bag
I will share a personal experience with you. On Tuesday, I believed I couldn’t go to the gym because I was too busy from my work and at the end of the day I felt tired. A raise of hands if you’ve felt the same way. That was my belief but actually it was my own personal opinion created by what I thought was my own reality.

It all begins with a single thought and snowballs from there

 

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10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Gym

If you are a beginner like myself or a seasoned gym rat, choosing a gym is an important decision to be made and there are lots of things to consider. As the saying goes, “location, location, location”, but it’s more than just that. There are costs involved, contracts to be signed, hours of operation and if you’re a mom, what about the child care options. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a gym, and it should be done only after careful consideration.

I’m on a journey towards a healthy lifestyle filled with vibrancy and vitality. Most recently, I have made the decision and committed to a gym membership after serious contemplating. Exercise was the missing piece to my puzzle.

Significant changes over the last several months in my eating and lifestyle choices have been made but until now I was not mentally ready to join a gym.

The year was 1981 and Olivia Newton John zoomed to the top of the music charts with her song, Let’s Get Physical which inspired everyone to join a gym, sign up for gym class and wear spandex. Me, I was in Grade nine and (mandatory) gym class later ended ended for me in 1985. Not to mention, Participation.

Folks, it’s now 2008!

During my recent tours of various fitness facilities, the following are the top considerations I had to make before signing my contract

10 Things to Consider When Choosing A Gym

1 Atmosphere You’re going to spend a good portion of your time and money here so make sure it feels right to you. When a friend and I started looking for a gym I felt incredibly intimidated by one such gym with the amount of grunting, groaning and amount of posturing that went on in front of some of the mirrors. Make sure you get good vibes and feel comfortable the moment you walk into the door. Think of it this way, why would you spend your time or money going somewhere that you don’t enjoy? If you don’t consider this, your money will be wasted.

2 People A gym is like any other business, it’s there to make money. No matter how good the product is, it’s the people that can make or break a business. What is their interaction with others when you check out the gym(s) to make your choice? Are there many staff around when you need to ask questions? Can you connect with them or are they unapproachable? Do they have the qualifications? I actually interviewed the manager of the gym we chose and discovered she had been with this company for 25 years! She showed passion, enthusiasm and genuine interest in us when we met.

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So…you wanna sweat?

OH HI GUYS!!!!!!

A few days ago I offered up a , Edmonton, to someone who is ready to take action on their health and is ready to take action NOW!!

This is the gym that I play in all week and I can not express to you enough how much I LOVE IT!!!
The staff is amazing, the equipment is top of the line, and the atmosphere is incredible.
They now have two locations open in the city. Westmount and West Edmonton Mall. Both locations are 24 hour facilities and offer extras such as childcare, tanning, juice bar, and of course group classes.

Now, I have been wondering how to generate more interest with my original offer, but could not seem to close the deal.
The answer to this was delivered right to my door this morning…yep, handed right to me in a pretty envelope. There is no such thing as coincidence, something I am coming to terms with quickly…

Let’s sweeten up the deal, shall we….
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Me? The Gym? PFFFTTTT Yeah Right!!!!

I have recently set out on a venture towards personal health and well being.
My weight has consistently been an issue for me, as I have always been “a bigger girl”. But, I have never felt as unhealthy as I do right now. It is time for some serious action!!!

A few weeks ago I began looking more closely at the foods I was consuming. I have cut out additional fats and oils, but have replaced them with important “essential fats, more specifically, . I have also increased the amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. White rice has been replaced with brown and my pasta is now whole wheat. The nutritional aspect of my new lifestyle is a work in progress.
To go along with my new food choices I plunged into a DVD exercise program that could be completed in the comfort of my own home. I enjoyed the routines because they were fairly easy, quick, and I could do them in my living room, at any time of the day. I felt that I was getting a good workout, it was kicking up my heart rate and making me sweat!!! It’s true…..girls do, in fact, sweat.

Although I loved the program, I knew that I would grow tired of it. There was definatly not enough variation to keep me interested and I believed that I would quickly plateau or just quit all together. ( I know myself WAAAY too well)

I quickly wanted to get into an actual fitness center, with a trainer if possible. I had a few reasons for this:
1. The gym will provide more variety than have here at home, no question. I feel that the areas I wish to work on would be better suited for the gym.
2. Being in the gym would allow me to be surrounded by people that posess the “fitness attitude”. I like to see strength and dedication first hand, it motivates me.
3. Working out at home makes it easier to miss a workout or two…or three. No one but me will know if I skip out and I actually want to be held accountable by someone other than myself!!!
4. I lack motivation and need to be pushed. It won’t be like that forever, but for now I need someone to drive me into the ground.

So why didn’t I just start at the gym, you ask?

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Hmmmmmm good question…..

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Inspiration


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Determination


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Satisfaction


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