I love my new classes approach to working out. I continue to really enjoy the variety that taking classes offers me, and I am starting to see and feel the benefits of varying my workout.

I try to find variety in two different ways. First, I try to get a couple of ‘mixed’ classes in each week. As opposed to jumping on a piece of cardio equipment for 40 minutes or so and following that with 15-30 minutes of weight training, I find it so much more efficient to combine to the two in a class. Most gyms have these types of classes that mix cardio and strength training; they’re incredibly challenging and very efficient. I’m typically out of the gym in 45 minutes!

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A belated happy “Embrace Your Inner Geekness Day” everybody.  No lie, it was yesterday.  Having spent most of my teen years trying to get anyone to embrace my outer geek, the holiday seems to have come about 30 years too late for me.

I celebrated by playing Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii with my oldest daughter and running on the treadmill while watching the MLB All-Star Game.  It reminded me that, for the vast majority of us, the real value of technology in fitness is not in its ability to give us a ‘better’ workout (though it can) but rather in that it helps us forget we’re actually doing exercise. A very small percentage of the population actually enjoys exercise.  The rest of us do it for what it does for us and look for ways to make it more bearable.

My daughter has always been much more enamored with music and drama than team sports; but turn on the Wii, and she’ll happily dance for an hour.  For me, it’s a struggle to get up and run every day, and the most reliable variable for how long I can go is my entertainment option.  I’m at my best when I’m running with a group (see Dirty Nerd post from last month).  However, when that’s not available to me, the length of my session is almost entirely dependent on what’s on:

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I’ve been in a rut. For about 15 years. Seriously.

I go to the gym, week after week for many reasons, most of which I have detailed in this blog in the past. I remind myself of these reasons daily – I feel better and healthier, look better and like myself more – and that’s what gets me to go. But, truthfully, working out on those damn machines bores me to tears, and I dislike doing it … intensely. I equate working out to doing the dishes or laundry (except it’s not quite that fun.)

Every once in a while, several days go by and I haven’t worked out. I feel sluggish and down on myself but I just can’t get myself to go to the gym. That happened about two weeks ago, and I didn’t go to the gym or work out for about 8 or 9 days. I was miserable and tired and just couldn’t get myself back on the treadmill or the elliptical.

I needed something to shake me out of this rut, this boredom. So I checked out the class schedule at my gym and showed up for a class I’d never taken. I figured doing something different with other like-minded people (hopefully a bit more upbeat than I am) would motivate me enough to get through the class. And it worked! I actually had fun, the time flew, and the workout was great.

I’ve since taken several classes and have found some that I like. Here are a few suggestions:

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This week’s health news kicks off with dual reports reminding us to think before we eat:

What do the ‘organic’ label and Dora the Explorer have in common? Both lead people to eat more. (Livescience and USA TODAY)

Get more tips on healthy eating for kids from GeekDad (Wired) and from personal trainer and mom Kimberly Garrison (Philly.com)

From Zoloft to Zumba? The evidence mounts for treating depression with exercise. (Time)

In one town, it’s legal to play blackjack but illegal to bike. (NBC 9News) Bicycle Colorado fights back.

How do busy executives stay in shape? The “What’s Your Workout?” multimedia feature has answers. (Wall Street Journal)

The first formal study comparing sports bars and gels to sports drinks just released its results. (New York Times)

Last month, we reported on warnings about environmental hazards from the President’s Cancer Panel. Now come 9 tips for what to do about it. (Environmental Working Group)

What happens when you blog before lunch? You find a disproportionate number of tasty food stories:

Just in time for summer, this Spicy Pea Soup recipe comes with the endorsement of a dedicated pea-hater! (Salon.com)

Not much of a cook yourself? Sign up for online cooking classes, called “How to Cook Real Food,” starting June 1. (Nourished Kitchen)

Is E. coli scaring you away from your leafy greens? Check out this story on why pre-packaged salad may be a bigger danger than the wash-it-yourself kind. (Washington Post) Or just follow these grow-it-yourself tips! (CNN)

Overdoing your gym workouts? An ancient folk remedy may just alleviate your muscle pain. Hint: snaps and ale don’t count! (LiveScience)

For Bike Month, check out the Copenhagen Wheel. It turns a regular bike into a hybrid e-bike, storing energy when you break to make cycling easier later on; it also links to your smart phone for traffic and other info. (MIT)

Finally, a few notes on a different kind of wellness: the psychological kind. The recently widowed writer Jane Brody shares her thoughts on what to say to a grieving person. She offers some wise words to get you through the ultimate ‘I don’t know what to say’ moment. (New York Times)

As a woman who’s running 24/7, it seems unfair to me that it doesn’t count as exercise. But the grim reality is that it doesn’t and it isn’t only the mirror (and my too-tight jeans) that are reminding me of this.

Exercise has always been a part of my life and although I almost never look forward to it and can always find something I’d rather do, it’s always something that positively affects many aspects of my life. This post serves to reinforce those positive effects to me (and perhaps to you) as well as pass on some of the numerous, relatively easy ways I have successfully integrated exercise into the busy life of a working mom.

First the reasons I exercise:

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Today’s Wall Street Journal featured an article on cutting the cost of gym membership. GlobalFit gets mentioned under the “Review your Insurance” section, but the article’s earlier “Check in with HR” section would also be a good fit.

Earlier this week, CBS News also suggested GlobalFit as a money-saver for New Year’s fitness resolutions. You can read the transcript here, or check out this video interview from Up to the Minute’s Michelle Gielan.

Today will be my last day to enjoy my free trial at the gym. With Christmas just around the corner, I’ll be traveling and eating and hopefully at least getting a good walk in after the giant meals (although past behavior has tended to lean towards a nap).

For my last day, I plan on taking my last class, most likely, before the New Year. Already, I’ve noticed that my sleeping tends to get worse and worse the longer I don’t workout, so I may have to sneak into the gym next week sometime … just not cat-burglar style. Mostly because I’ll be a real, honest-to-goodness member, but also because I still have to hit the gym for a good while longer before I can pull off a catsuit.

In case you didn’t catch that, I’m joining the gym!

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This week, I went to the gym — by myself — for the first time! This may not seem like a giant feat of courage to any of you that regularly head to the gym by yourself, but it was a big deal to me.

Of course, since I’m still somewhat intimidated by the gym experience, I decided I should stick to what I know. So I stayed in my comfort zone and just took a class I knew I already liked. (Of course, having never been to the gym before made everything about my first week outside my comfort zone.)

I started last week off with yoga. I’m not new to yoga. I had been taking it at a yoga studio for a year and a half before moving to Philly. I then proceeded to not take it for a year and a half after I moved here. I was a bit apprehensive about taking a yoga class at the gym. Just about everything about a yoga studio is opposite of my perception of the gym. There is typically something calming, inviting and relaxing about a yoga studio, which is the whole point. The gym tends to have a cold get-down-to-business feel to it. I was afraid the yoga instructor would be a bit the same. But after seeing him put his leg behind his ear, I realized this guy was no ‘fitness instructor teaching yoga to the musical stylings of Olivia Newton-John’; he was the real deal.

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Tatyana, one of our graphic designs, had a bad case of gym intimidation. Fortunately, some co-workers talked her into a Zumba class, and she had so much fun that now she’s thinking of signing up for a real membership. (Go, Tat!)

As a newbie, she wasn’t sure what to bring and asked me for tips on filling her gym bag. My list below cites a few of my preferences, all strictly personal; neither GlobalFit nor I get anything for these endorsements.

1. Gym Clothes – Obviously. I prefer lined running shorts (it’s like underwear and outerwear in one), an old tee shorn of its sleeves (removing the fabric that’s most likely to stain adds to the life of the shirt), and well-fitting shoes.

2. Combination Lock – Most gyms provide lockers, but not a lock. I grew up in New York City; I don’t take chances. Any lock will do, but to help me re-find my locker, I use a purple-faced model that stands out from the crowd.

3. Water Bottle – It’s important to stay hydrated during exercise. The scientific advice on plastic bottles seems to change frequently, so I play it safe with stainless steel.

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