my first meeting with the trainer

I'm sore.  Not super sore, but sore nonetheless.  My inner thighs hurt when I stand up and my upper arms hurt when I left them.   

Wednesday night was my first appointment with Mark, the personal trainer.  He said it would be an "easy night," which would be spent at "an easy walking pace on the treadmill for 20-25 minutes" while he asked me a lot of questions. He would then do some physical assessments so he could make a training plan for me. Sure, that's great.

I got there and we got right to work.  I got on the treadmill and he had me set it to my liking.  I typically warm up at a pace of 2.5 MPH and then increase to 3.0 to 3.5 MPH and walk for 30 minutes or so.  I set it to 2.5 and we started.  He asked me all about my health, physical condition (have I injured anything or do any parts of my body give me problems?), home life, work, etc.  Pretty much everything except my sex life.  About 10 minutes in I started getting out of breath--I had forgotten that I would be talking the whole time and wasn't used to talking while on the treadmill. He pushed the speed down a bit and then I was fine.  We talked so much that I ended up walking for 40 minutes.

Then he did the physical assessment, which would help Mark determine what my training plan should be.  He said he needed to asses my core strength, my range of movement, any weaknesses in my joints, and any other trouble spots.  It involved balancing on a big ball while sitting and holding out one leg and arm, balancing while standing on a soft platform (harder than it sounds!), squats, and lunges. He also tested my pulse, had me use some big ropes attached to the wall (think Biggest Loser), and then tested it again.  He said it was good, so I'm happy about that.  He didn't want it to spike to 140 or 150; mine went from 80 to 110.  Then, the dreaded pushup.  UGH!  I've never been able to do a pushup and Wednesday night was no exception.  I got into position and could hold it, but once I started going down, gravity just pulled me the rest of the way.  And I couldn't push back up. Well, eventually I'll be able to do it.  If so, then it will be the first time in my life.

That night I was very sore.  I started feeling it almost immediately in my hamstrings.  Yesterday my inner thighs and arms hurt.  They're still a little sore today, but not bad at all. It's surprising, though, because I didn't feel like I really did anything of substance.  Guess my muscles haven't been used in a long time.

I really enjoyed the appointment and I really like Mark.  He's very nice and not nearly as intimidating as I expected (former MP!  trains state police!).  He's very open and honest, and explained the why and how of everything he did, what he will do, what I will do, etc.  I think I'm going to like working with him.

So, my first homework assignment is 20 lunges today and tomorrow, and 8,000 steps everyday.  It doesn't seem like much, but I barely break 4,000 steps since I sit at a desk all day.  And watch a lot of Golden Girls on the weekend.  However, just by walking around the outside of my building at work I can easily add about 1,500 steps; it's about a 1/2 mile around.

My first real appointment is on Monday night.  Wish me luck!!