Progress on the walking goal

I went to my nearby Gold's Gym today and did eight laps on their indoor track for a total of one mile. Then I did 30 minutes plus cooldown on the treadmill for a total of 1.79 miles. So I walked 2.79 miles total today!

I'm trying to make the return to Gold's Gym this winter after a long absence. I had not been to Gold's in over a year, and I had never stepped foot in the year-old new facility nearest me until last week, but I had maintained my membership there because I wanted to return easily. I like the new Gold's better than any of the others I've been to before. The others were old department store or supermarket buildings converted into a gym -- this one is a brand-new building. I really like the walking track -- that was the primary thing that attracted me to coming back this time. I really enjoyed walking outside during the late summer and fall while listening to my iPod, and am using the indoor track to continue that into the winter. The treadmill, though, will help me walk consistently faster than I might on the track, so I'm trying to do both.

I've only been twice so far, but I think the new facility, due in part to its newness and location, attracts a wider range of ages and fitness levels than I've seen at other Gold's Gyms. The old Lexington one I went to seemed dominated by college students and slightly older adults that were already in much better shape than me. The one I used to go to in Arlington, VA, five years ago seemed to be nothing but young, fit professionals. I frequently felt like the only out-of-shape person of my age in the room. And I imagined that these people were more disciplined than me in every other aspect of life, too. I'm sure they weren't, but I was really being hard on myself back then. It was not a good time.

Now, however, I'm more secure about myself in general, so I'm not wondering what the other people at the gym think of me. So maybe that's the real reason it feels less intimidating to me.

My next goal is to see if I can get to the gym after work on weeknights. This is the other reason I'm returning to Gold's -- it's open late. I tried Curves back in the summer, and I felt much more comfortable with their strength training equipment than the way-to-many choices at Golds. But Curves' hours just don't suit my current job -- they seem to be designed for people who don't work outside the home or who work very set "9 to 5" hours. No job I've had has ever been like that, but the one I have is certainly not -- I start too early to do Curves in the morning and frequently work too late to do Curves at night. And I can't do a scheduled lunch workout, either. So I have to find another alternative. Gold's should also suit me better than Curves for a while because my plan is to concentrate primarily on cardio first to jumpstart weight loss, then see if I want to add strength training later.

I'll let you know how things go.