Am I officially a gym rat?

Yesterday, I received a card in the mail to join a new gym. Catalyst Express. (Gold's Gym is changing their name to Catalyst Fitness.) It is much closer than the one I currently go to. It hasn't opened yet, but they are planning on a May 15th opening.

It is $9.99 per month with no contract. While I'm in a 2-year contract with my other gym (also a $9.99 per month membership), I figured this one would save me so much time and gas. So, I now have two gym memberships! And if it doesn't work out or I don't like it, I quit. In the past, I would spend $20/month on crap. Now, I'm choosing to spend $20/month on my health and fitness goals. So worth it.

I will still go to my original gym for my weekend workout, as I grocery shop next store at the Wegman's after my workout. So I will be using both memberships!

Some details:

Current gym: 16 miles from home and work, approximately 30-35 minute ride when traffic is light (usually it takes me about 40-45 to get home in traffic)
New gym: 11 miles from home and 7 miles from work, approximately 20 minute ride from home regardless of traffic, 15 minutes from work

I use the gym for cardio workouts. I mainly use the treadmill and elliptical. I do my weight training at home in the basement. We have free weights, an adjustable bench and a Schwinn 790 professional home gym. I also have a recumbent bike and spinning bike. (Yet, sadly, I have no motivation to do cardio at home!)

I'm training for the 5K Color Run in Cleveland, Ohio on June 16th, so I'm primarily using the treadmill right now. Today, I walked .25 then ran .25 for a total of 4 miles. I ran 2 miles total. Working up to 3 miles slowly. I don't want to burn out or risk injury. In 2010, when I began running, I ended up with shin splints because I pushed so hard. This time, slow and steady wins the race! I also have plantar fascitis, so I'm taking it easy. I do plan, however, to run the entire 5K. I have 7 weeks of training left.

My dear friend Kym is running the race with me. I'm so lucky to have great friends in my life who support me! (Thanks Sherri, Kym, Sarah and Melissa!) And thanks to my mother for her support!

Update (and a promise to blog more often...)

I'm so sorry I haven't been updating my blog this past month. I've been keeping very busy and doing well. I've been working hard getting into a workout routine. Since my gym is about 30 minutes from my house, three days a week I travel for an hour, not including my actual workout time. I do my weight training at home as we have a basement full of weight training equipment!

I'm currently down a grand total of 34.8 pounds since my failed IVF! (21.4 since joining WW!) I'm very proud of this, as in the past when working on losing weight, I'd given up by this point.

I've had a few people ask me what I'm doing and what's working for me...

1. I track EVERY morsel of food I put in my mouth - the good, the bad and the ugly. Even if I go over my PP (points plus) for the day, I track it. Seeing it in print makes me accountable. And the reality is that even if I don't honestly track what I eat, my body will and it will show on the scale.

2. I pan ahead. I plan my grocery shopping instead of just walking into the store without a plan. I also plan out my meals. My husband used to do all the cooking, but now I cook for myself. (He won't eat what I make. He is a very picky eater. I'll leave it at that.) I've found several websites with delicious WW recipes! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE EMILY BITES! I also get ideas/recipes from JILLIANS KITCHEN and SKINNY TASTE.

3. I exercise. I know, I know, the dreaded E-word. I do cardio on Tuesday, Thursday and one weekend day. I do weights M, W, F. M is legs and shoulders, W is back and biceps, F is chest and triceps. My cardio consists of either the treadmill or elliptical. I'm mainly running/walking right now since I'm training for a 5K June 16th. Yesterday, I walked .25 miles and ran .5 miles for a total of 3.1 miles. I ran a total of 2 miles!

4. I stopped drinking soda. This was a big change for me, as I <3 Coca Cola. I have a sip, literally just a sip, maybe once a week out of my husbands Coke. I drink water, plain or with a sugar-free flavor packet in it.

5. I go to my WW meeting EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. Someone this week at my meeting compared the meeting to like filling up your gas tank. You can only go so far before you need to fill up. I couldn't have made a better comparison.

6. I visit several blogs daily. I've found blogs of other WW'ers and others who have lost weight. I find it motivating to learn about other peoples successes and struggles.

7. I eat lots of fruits and veggies. I don't reach for crap food anymore when hungry. I reach for fruit if I want a snack. My favorite F&V's right now are acorn squash, spinach, bananas, strawberries, red grapes and blueberries. This is not to say that I've cut out treats. I had chocolate ice cream the other night. That is the beauty of WW - you can eat anything as long as you account for it.

Some days are harder than others, but overall, I'm not struggling as I have in the past. I won't say it is easy, because it isn't. But, I'm determined. Persistent. Motivated by my desire to achieve pregnancy in the future.

I shared my infertility journey (the abbreviated version) with my group this week at WW. (My group is 100+ people). People there seemed touched. I really am lucky to have so many friends, family and strangers rooting for me.

I promise to get back to posting more frequently. If you are still reading, thank you for continuing to follow me. Please leave a comment with any tips you have for losing weight/getting fit!