Last Thursday it finally happened: measurement day! As it turns out, I lost over 5 inches off of my wast and few more here and there. I was amazed and super excited. After putting off dealing with my body for so long, it was fantastic to see what could be accomplished in such a short time. It really speaks to what Terri is always saying — that small changes can make a big difference. The results were way better than I expected, and I can’t wait to see what the tape measure shows in another five weeks.
I’ve almost finished my first block of sessions with Terri, and all I can talk about lately is how great it’s been. So much of what’s fantastic about working out with her is in how she, and her gym, are so radically different from the standard. She’s created a service that really removes so many of the barriers to working out that she really makes it easy. She’s not just there to put in her hour and get home – I really learn a lot when I’m there. And not having to watch myself sweat from every possible angle? Fantastic. I can’t count the number of times I’ve left my regular gym not focussed on what I accomplished, but obsessed with how fat/red-faced/fill-in-the-blank I looked when I glanced up from the treadmill and (accidentally, believe me) caught my reflection, especially given how hard I’ve trained my eyes to avoid that view at all costs. Or if not that, then how fat/red-faced/fill-in-the-blank I was compared to the skinny girl on the next treadmill. Or, on the worst days, how fat/red-faced/fill-in-the-blank I looked in the mirror compared to how the skinny girl on the treadmill did. The conspiracies of vanity and self-loathing were just too many to count, and to be honest, they kept me home a lot. Walking into Terri’s gym is something entirely different — no mirrors, no other clients, no distractions. Just an hour of hard work and learning that leaves me feeling better every time (no matter what I say while it’s happening).
So, I’m just finishing my first five weeks with Terri. When I started, just a few weeks ago, I had no idea what to expect from my first block of sessions. I only knew I had to show up, as Terri says.
Three years ago my life changed radically, and my body changed with it. For the first time, I found myself really overweight and out of shape. I spent about two years thinking about how terrible this was, and by extension, how terrible I was to have put myself in this position. Trust me, if self-recrimination or loathing were aerobic activities, I certainly wouldn’t be typing this now — I’d be too busy shopping the sample sales. So walking into Terri’s gym for the first time, I was completing a mental marathon, if not a physical one.
After nearly five weeks that have been packed with social obligations, some bad food choices, and fewer workouts on my own than I’d like to report, I’m not sure what the measuring tape will say. I’m crossing my fingers pretty hard. But I’m also aware, thanks to Terri, that I’m not just perfecting my pull-ups in my sessions (a good thing, because I have a long way to go on that front), I’m also learning to appreciate the small steps, like eating breakfast, facing of the cold hard facts, and showing up. So I’m not sure what the measuring tape or the scale will say, but I know that in tons of ways, I’m a lot stronger, and a lot lighter than I was the first day I rang Terri’s buzzer. I’m also ready to see what the next five weeks bring, and more committed to getting my workouts on my own done. For me, that’s a lot in just five weeks. With any luck at all, I’ll also be a little smaller.
clientI2 is a new client who’s decided to blog her experience! 
welcome.