Strength Training vs. Water Exercise

www.grantcountyymca.org

I am pictured at the far right in the black sweatsuit with pink shirt. Julie is standing to the left of me. 

Great Weight Off Community Challenge

Week 5 of 12

Kathy Gerstorff

Weight: 298 lbs

"Satisfaction is in the effort, not in the attainment; full effort is full victory." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Five weeks into the 12 week Great Weight Off Challenge and the scales still haven't budged. It makes me ask myself if I am giving my full effort. Am I eating clean? Yes. Am I exercising regularly? Yes. Is it my full effort? No! My body feels like it's in hibernation mode. I don't want to go outside in sub-zero temperatures, not even to go to the gym. I just want to stay snugly warm inside until it's at least above freezing! At the same time I am determined to give my full effort to this Challenge and turn my health around in a positive direction, so last week I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to the Y for some exercise beyond the half-effort DVD workouts I have been doing at home.

The first class I tried was Group Strength Training. I expected it to be a lot of exercises with dumbbells and kettle-bells. I was in for a big surprise! While the instructor did use weights, that was only part of the variety of exercises in the class. She had us doing mountain climbers, burpees, planks, squats, lunges, tricep dips, and a lot of other exercises using your body as the weight. As you can imagine, my body was screaming like I was in a battle zone. My knees and feet went on strike! The pain was excruciating. I have been doing exercise classes off and on since I was 18. I worked at the Y for many years, so I know the number one rule very well, and that is safety first. There is a big difference between muscle burn and sharp pain. Although, you often hear “No pain, No gain,” especially in a gym, you take a big risk of injury if you ignore pain. So, I modified most of the moves and did stretches at the end. I decided that class is what I would consider advanced for my physical condition. 20-30 years ago I would have been dancing between the circuits instead of limping between them!

The next class I tried was water aerobics. Ah, that's more my speed. I used to teach water exercise and swimming at the Y back in the day. I love the water. It's so soothing on my body and uplifts my mood, especially in the dead of winter. It makes me think of warm weather and sunshine, which makes me happy! I haven't been to a water exercise class in years. The instructor had us doing cheerleader kicks, jumping jacks, cross country skiing, and a lot of other moves that would have been impossible for me on land. It felt so freeing to exercise without pain. I was moving all around and enjoying the workout. The next day I felt a little muscle soreness, but no pain. In fact, my knees and feet felt better. That's how exercise is supposed to be – fun, challenging, and strengthening to your body, mind and spirit.

So, it's clear to me that in order to give my full effort, I need to spend more time at the Y, in the pool. I signed up for their 100 Mile Swim Challenge. I'm looking forward to my aquatic journey to victory!

Kathy