No woman is an island...

This was the message that a few people have being trying to drum into my stubborn head in the last couple of weeks. Personally, I think Life has been taking a monumental dump on a lot of people around me and frankly, my problem shared is a problem doubled. But I took their point and have been leaning a little more on those around me.

Last Tuesday, I went for my New Patient check up in my new doctor's surgery. I've only been out in the Wilds for 18 months, I figured it was about time to organise my healthcare over. I got a bit of a shock when the nurse went through my stats. It seems I've been a little too successful in my comfort eating. Yes, my butt has become the size of a South American country. I have been meaning to get back to the gym, but struggled. I sat down, thought about it and signed up for a fitness class before I thought about it too much.

In the past, I've avoided fitness classes like dog poo on the pavement. Generally speaking, the ones I've gone to in the past were filled with bright, shiny, thin, fit women bouncing all over the place. I've got an amazing history of signing up to one class...

I signed up to a Stretch and Flex class, billed for all fitness levels. The women in this fitness class ranged in age from early 20s to mid-60s and were a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They were so welcoming, they pointed me towards the equipment I needed and helped me get settled. The instructor was exactly as you'd expect: young, gorgeous and bouncy - totally lovely. She talked to me beforehand to emphasise that I must only work within my level and to find out what issues I may have. And then we went to work. It was only yesterday that I could move without moaning and groaning. I could barely walk the next day.

I knew I'd let things seriously slip...but good grief...I didn't think it was that bad. But yes, it really has got that bad. It's clear I can't fight my way out of a paper bag and that just won't do. 

The gym I go to is amazing in that the prices of the classes are included in the fees, which is very unusual. Given I'm not particularly robust and quite tight and blocked up, I've decided the more gentle the class, the better. Today, it was a Stretch class (without the flex) and I was practically purring by the time we finished. It was pure bliss. 

Keeping that in mind, I'll do yoga tomorrow and Thursday and do the Stretch & Bitch class again on Wednesday. Because of the booking process, you have to be quick off the mark to get a place on the popular classes, therefore, if I miss a class, I'll hop on the exercise bike or elliptical machine, but keep things fairly low impact for the moment.

It's not the way I envisaged doing gym stuff, I miss lifting and running, but I can't face doing either of those things right now. It's too much. Both those activities require more willpower and effort than I have now. If I keep doing classes, it'll be fun, get me moving; and doing something is better than not moving at all. I also hope that by doing yoga regularly, my knee, lower back and wrists will strengthen up and become more robust. 

That's the Plan.