New York. The city of dreams, skyscrapers, the most fashionable people on the planet.
Me. 5'1", 115 lbs. Sorely in need of new jeans.
Walking down Broadway one fine October day, I saw an advertisement for the new 1969 Premium Gap Jeans. I ventured inside to have a little look-see, determined to more-than-investigate new fashions for my stay in the city.
My own jeans (size four) were hanging from my little bum in a fairly precarious manner and after much deliberation and over-the-shoulder booty checking, I downsized to a much snuggier, much sassier, size two.
TA DA!! My Gap Jeans. Size Two. These jeans are no ordinary jeans. Nay, fair Ladies, These are THE JEANS. THE JEANS I purchased to accentuate my fine and firm buttocks, AND to blend into the much more style-conscious city of New York.
But that was October.
This is now.
:(
I'm sitting on my bed and they are hanging in the closet.
Bagels, beer, and basically, no exercise. New York was a chock full of those three things. This lovely combinationi equals love handles and stomach pooch, neither of which are comfortable when you're out and about in tight jeans. What's a girl to do?!
Enter Renee.
The personal trainer.
My Christmas present from the parents.
Renee is a blonde ball of sunshine with a million-watt smile and the work out routines of a Spartan.
But I don't know any of this just yet. Now, she is sitting across from me with her clipboard and pen. She asks me to make specific fitness goals. Goals with DEADLINES. February. I want to fit into those jeans by the end of February. That's my first goal.
Renee and I have thirty minute sessions. It is vitally important, then, to cram them chock-full of sweaty, heart-pumping work outs. Running, weights, exercise ball crunches are the order of the day. Renee is taking no sass. Her method? Interval training.
Start with 2 minutes of a medium jog (for me, 5.0)
Increase the speed .5 for 1 minute (5.5)
Increase the speed .5 for 1 minute (6.0)
Increase the speed .5 for 1 minute (6.5)
Increase the speed .5 for 1 minute (7.0)
Drop back to the Medium Jog speed (5.0)
Aim to repeat the cycle 4 times
You will keep your heart rate up in your Target Heart Rate Zone for a solid 24 minutes, strengthening your heart and burning more calories than at a steady pace for 30 minutes. I swear to the Sweet Virgin Mary that you will feel the difference in a few days.
With Renee by my side, smiling oh so happily from the next treadmill, it was never too difficult to push the envelope and run faster than I ever really thought I could. (I didn't even have to think about my jeans since I had a PT watching my every stride.) The challenge, of course, is pushing my endurance and working my body when I'm the only one around to motivate me. When I'm sprinting on that treadmill and the only thing I want to do is stop, I can't help but remember those Size Two Gap Jeans, hanging listlessly in my closet, and I pull out and put on my big girl face.
...If that doesn't quite work, I can always pretend zombies are chasing me. There's nothing like a good zombie chase to motivate a good-spirited sprint. :)
So--cheers, ladies! Here's to some empty hangers and tight-fitting jeans!
Your Wicked Work-Out Partner,
L. Watson
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