I Love Exercise vs I don't mind biking while I watch TV

This journey for me was a whole lot of baby steps.  Now I can firmly say, "I love exercise!"  But that wasn't always the case.  In 2007 at 350 pounds I hated exercise, seriously hated it.  Sure like just about every overweight person I had a gym membership, owned a treadmill, had a collection of workout DVDs, and lots of other dust collecting things.  

I'd make it to the gym, feel out of place, intimidated, sticky sweaty gross and that was before doing much of anything.  I was already in a sweat.  Swimming to cool off?  Ummm, no.  No one needed to see me in my swimsuit, for pete's sake I didn't want to see myself in that contraption that did it's best under such pressure to hold everything in it's properish place.

So I invested in a personal trainer at the YMCA.  Well our first session I hated every single part of it, literally every single part.  And this was just a fitness assessment, honestly it proved I was not fit. Well I already knew that.  2 miles per hour on the treadmill was tolerable; I could do that.  3 miles per hour on the treadmill was pushing me to tears.  It hurt to breathe, and in my head all I could think was that this whole having a personal trainer thing was as my grandma would say "for the birds".  My whole body hurt. That was both our first and last session.  I realized I needed to be in some sort of shape before I could have a trainer.  I know some people swear by them, and later I did have a wonderful trainer.  This particular one was not a good fit.  So I moved on.

The one thing I took away from that fitness assessment was that biking on a recumbent stationary bicycle wasn't that bad.  I was comfortable sitting down, my back was well supported, and at 350 pounds it wasn't putting pressure on my knees or ankles.  

The next day after work my husband and I went to buy a bicycle for me.  I brought it home,  opened it up, assembled it, placed it in the living room with a clear view of the TV, sat down and biked, trying to ignore the warning label and stickers.  

My husband was pretty surprised as other exercise equipment we had magically transformed into coat racks, backpack holders, places to hang clean laundry; you know the usual things that happen when one piece of exercise equipment might just be "the one that saves you."  

I continued to bike in spite of being over the maximum user weight.  However when you're obese it's very difficult to find equipment so I found myself gingerly sitting on it as to not break the seat.  Someone we both managed to survive.  

The bicycle and I, we became a team, joined by our dear friend Mr. TV.  Endless shows to watch all at the flick of the remote.  I biked through movies, DIY Network, the Discovery Channel, The Biggest Loser, Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, all my favorites.  It turned into a habit of mine,  If someone was watching TV I went and sat on my bicycle and just peddled along.  It turned into a bit of a joke that it was my reserved tv watching seat.  I had stopped sitting on the couch altogether.  The bicycle became my spot, much like Sheldon's special spot in the Big Bang Theory.  Yes, I'm that girl, do not sit on my bicycle.  No one sits on my bicycle.

Over months and months the weight started coming off.  I had more energy and would bike longer and longer.  Eventually I reached the point where I felt confident enough to return to the gym.  I met with a personal trainer for a second time.  This time around I knew the fitness assessment was going to be difficult.  I was prepared for the hard work because I'd already accomplished a lot on my own.  I was ready for someone to push me further.

Now, years later, I love exercise.  I no longer have a personal trainer.  I work out at home, in the gym, run with my kids, am passionate about kettlebells, hiking and tennis.  My bicycle is still a part of my day and as silly as it may sound is my most prized possession.  

Anyone can go from I hate exercise to I love exercise.  It's just a matter of discovering what is their bicycle.