I am loving the personal training gig. Last night I worked out with Mabel's mom, Thelma, in the weight room. She is an amazing, fascinating woman and she knows her stuff.
Here are the top five things I learned last night:
1. I do have muscles in my arms and they want to be seen.
2. The reason gyms have mirrors is everywhere is not -- contrary to my belief -- to shame you into working hard, but, rather, so you can watch yourself to be sure you're working the right muscle(s).
3. Don't wear slippery underwear with slippery workout pants or you won't be able to stay on the exercise ball. Throw in some sweat and you're going to slide off anything you attempt to sit on.
4. I envy -- truly envy -- the confidence of African-American women and the love and respect they have for their bodies. I'm really pissed off that someone screwed that all up for white women (seems most, myself included, have nothing but criticism and self-loathing for our bodies).
Thelma and Mabeline tolerate no negative self-talk (they'll set you right, quick) nor are they out to work you into the ground. "We are here to build you up, not tear you down," Thelma said.
5. Counting reps forces you to breathe. I couldn't understand why Thelma kept telling me to count out my reps until she explained that counting prevents me from holding my breath (which is something I do a lot while working out...doing crunches, etc.)