Snowballs!

We are well into the resolution keeping period of the year, and while I don’t make ‘resolutions’ per se, I try to set goals. One of those being to exercise more frequently.

To that end, we have had an ongoing debate over joining our local RecPlex which opened about 8 months ago.

The RecPlex holds a lot of perks:

It’s only a couple miles away, within bike range in warmer months.

It’s brand new, with a pool, a work out room full of fancy equipment, and minimal gym sock smell.

Two of our friends are frequent users.

But there are also downfalls:

It’s a couple miles away, which means I have to get up, dress, get there, work out, get home, clean up – making my thirty-minute workout a day into more of an hour. An hour of which only thirty minutes counts for anything.

All the fancy pools and equipment in the world won’t necessarily motivate me, without a class instructor to encourage me. And sadly, my work schedule makes in nearly impossible to consistently hit a class.

Our good friends are there. We would like them to remain good friends, and as I feel that all relationships are based on a certain amount of mystery, seeing me in spandex might just be the tipping point.

Spandex does not allow for much mystery.

With all this debate, and a cost/usage analysis done, it was decided that purchasing a Well-Advertised Fancy Exercise Bike would be the better way to go. (From here on out noted as WAFEB)

And that is where the Snowballs  begin.

First it was where to put the WAFEB. If the television is to be believed, most WAFEB owners have thirty story penthouses with views erected just for their bikes.

Lacking a thirty-story penthouse with a simultaneous view of mountains and ocean, we went with the spot in our downstairs formally known as the Toy Room. (Our kids are 29 and 31. The name is truly a formality at this point.)

Snowball…

But we couldn’t possibly go with the room as is, except for the fresh coat of paint applied a year ago after the enormous flood.

So, what started out as a ‘let’s clean out the toy room' became:

What are we going to do with these tubs of books, blankets, electronics, office supplies…? Where did all these staplers come from? Is that a hole punch? And OMG, is that REALLY the floor under there???

That discussion concluded with me needing to mop and then steam clean what’s left of the ugly tile in prep for putting down the beautiful, new, really-too-pretty for a workout room, rug.

Oh, and a trip to Goodwill.

Snowball…

Yet all I really want to do is upload pics to a printing site and have wall art made to decorate….

And maybe make a vision board….

Oh, and there might be an aromatherapy diffuser to add a zen quality as I curse at the chirpy instructors and help cover up the cat box scent…(did I mention the new Workout Room is also the Cat's bathroom?)

Snowball…

One of the arguments for getting the WAFEB was me actually using the WAFEB.

I work four, 10-hour days a week. This gives me three days off.

So that’s three days of workouts.

But I am also a 58-year-old woman who clearly needs more than three days a week to make a dent in my current state of physical decline.

So….
I have plans to dedicate three of those four workdays to work outs. 
I have also recruited a friend to text me in the morning and remind (harrass) me to get up and work out. She is relentless. And not easily offended by my replies...

This means getting up at 5am to give me enough time to brush teeth, wash my face and peel my eyeballs open, change into work out clothes, feed the cat and crawl downstairs to get 30 solid minutes of exercise in before starting my actual workday.
But that is just the beginning.

Snowball…

In order to get up at 5 am, I now must:
Go to bed by 9:30 at the latest.

Cut out the occasional glass of wine in the evening to facilitate going to bed.

Turn off BRAVO, Home design and that evil entity known as Facebook.

Snowball…

I started this plan a little early by easing in to working out again with some yoga classes provided, conveniently by the WAFEB company.

With the purchase of WAFEB we got a subscription to their Fancy Work Outs. Which are subversively encouraging, given titles such as 2-week Yoga class for Beginners and 10 day Get in Shape or We Will Track You Down and Take Photos of You in Spandex intermediate strength training.

As it turns out, the WAFEB company is pretty darn prompt with their delivery so at this writing I have just completed week four of the six-week Beginner Learn to Cycle, because Clearly You Have Never Ridden A Bike Before, workout.

It has taken me this long to figure out how to UNCLIP my feet from the pedals at the end of each session. And it's still hit or miss if I remove the shoe or the foot first.

But I haven’t fallen off or over the bike yet, so that’s a win!

Snowball…

And there are so many rides to choose from, Pop Music Rides, Rock Music Rides, Love Advice Rides, Lady Gaga Rides.....
(I am dying to try that last one, not sure if it's just Lady Gaga's music or if she actually leads the class...)

Snowball…

And with all this working out, it seems a shame to eat anything less than healthy.

So…. meal plans…meal prepping….new lunch containers…

Snowballs!!! 

The WorkOut Room. Deluxe folding chair for putting on clip-on shoes of death. The table, sporting weights and painting is for the ipad should I manage to advance to Core work...

While JoeKatt is not thrilled with sharing his spa, he does appreciate the scenic photos and M&M clock. The jenky seat cover is purely a personal choice...

And, should you like to do a late night 'mood' ride...