Curves and... 10k's?

So I went to Curves today expecting to get my socks knocked off by their friendly staff and a killer workout that promises to burn (up to) 500 calories in just 30 minutes.  I was a little let down the last time I went in when the lady I met with was injured, but expected today to be different.  I was ready to grab the gym by the horns and let my inner Workout Panther out... RAWR!

Sadly, although the lady who I met with today was super friendly and did a great job of guiding me through what Curves is all about while filling out the "I will not sue Curves if I decide to do chin-ups without the use of hands and thus hang myself accidentally" paperwork, as it turns out the first day you go to Curves... you don't work out.  Instead, you sit down with one of their staff and spend about 30 minutes setting goals, telling Curves what it is that you expect to get out of your time there, and covering any medical history that they should know about before you start bustin' moves.

The experience showed me that Curves' start-up on their program is perfect for women who are just starting their fitness journey, and especially those women who don't know what they are really expecting short or long term from themselves or their gym.  Part counseling session, part pep-talk, their intake really makes you feel like you CAN do the fitness thing and helps you to set realistic goals for yourself so that you aren't discouraged by the end of your third visit.

So, tomorrow morning I have my official first workout at Curves and I'm looking forward to seeing how the workout routine goes.  From what I've seen (other women have been working out both times I've been in) it looks like the workout is going to be very structured, and we'll see if that's something that I will love... or if it will drive me crazy since I'm such a "free spirit".

Since I wasn't able to get my calorie-burn on while I was at the gym, when I got home I picked up a couple of poop bags, some headphones to listen to tunes on my HTC Droid and asked Pooch if he wanted to go for a walk. He sure did!!  We headed out the door and I made sure to check the time before we started so that I could know how on-track I am for walking the 10K I am participating in October 3rd.

As it turns out, on our 2.5 mile loop around the neighborhood we averaged 16 minute miles the whole way!  I'm really excited that I was able to complete 2.5 miles in 40 minutes; it is probably the best time I've made all summer and is a testament to how well my body is rising to the challenges I put before it.  Especially since I was able to jog about 5 blocks of the loop this time, more jogging than I've been able to do all year.

It's been a good day ;)