Staying in Shape

One of the cruising myths out there is that you will lose weight while cruising.  If you're overweight to start with, love fast food and don't ever exercise, then you probably will.  But if you're in decent shape, watch what you eat and run the occasional mile, odds are, you're going to be constantly looking for ways to stay in shape.  OR....do what I did and completely forget about it, resulting in 10 pounds of jiggle.

I'm an externally motivated person (meaning I need others to get my butt off the couch) so when I got home and started really paying attention to those around me, I decided to do something about it (not to say I wasn't fully aware of the jiggle before hand...just not motivated).  My high school friend, Kim, has just finished a triathlon.  One of my best friends, Jennie, just finished her second(?) marathon and is threatening me with 4am cross fit classes when I come visit in VA.  My college friend, Nikki, runs 8 miles uphill with a double jogging stroller on any given day.  And another friend from my college days, Ted, runs ultra marathons ...seriously.  All of these people have jobs and responsibilities and families so there is really no excuse I can come up for me with that would fly.

I've been running and walking for the past month, since we got home, and while I feel better, it hasn't done much for my physique.  AND I need to find something sustainable, meaning something I'll continue to do on the boat.  As much as I believe in a good jog, sometimes it's hard to make that work on these small islands.  I'll spare you my plethora of excuses (crazy drivers, running in a skirt?, dinghy troubles, rather drink beer with Andy...I have plenty) and move on to what I think might be a good supplement to my sporadic aerobics.

I ran across another cruiser's website back when we were in Samoa and learned a little about the TRX.  It was created by some navy seals to keep them in shape wherever they went.  This couple (Zero to Cruising) swears by the TRX and they look hot (and incidentally, are probably pretty healthy...those two things keep popping up together, huh?)  They make their living off of being fit and we all know by reading the last three paragraphs, that isn't me....but it looks like it has its merits...and most importantly, might be perfect for the boat (and both Andy and I).  So...I was walking with my mom the other night and we passed by a fitness place here in Redlands, CA - The Energy Lab - and I could see TRX straps hanging from the ceiling.... I decided to do a drop in class last night and see what all the hubbub was about.  To keep from looking like an idiot, I went all out, probably not the smartest idea seeing as I can barely walk today and typing this blog is taking a serious toll on my arms.  But I enjoyed it and think it might work.

It's a pricey little thing so I wanted to see if anyone out there has any experience with this...  I can see how  many of the exercises can be done without the TRX but I can also see that there is probably three times that many that you can do with it.  The possibilities are endless.  So I'm asking for your help.... a few questions...

1) Does anyone out there use this?  If so, what do you think?

2) Does anyone on a boat use this?  The folks on Zero to Cruising are on a catamaran as well, but in their pictures I see they have a trampoline that they can use as space to exercise.  We have nets...think hammocks, so it seems our space might be a bit smaller.  I was wondering what kind of space folks use for this.

3)It seems this is only as good as you make it and I haven't seen that many places showing types of exercises you can do.  Does anyone have a good source to go to for that?  I'm going to take another class just to get a broader scope, but I get bored easily....I need some additional material.
(NOTE:  ok, I went back and checked the TRX  website and of course they have tons of excercises...does anyone know where I can find some that are printable?  I won't be able to watch youtube on the boat)

Hopefully there's someone out there that can help here.

In the meantime, I'll keep running (well, trying to...I find I can't run up the mile long incline here at my parents house, but I can run downhill three miles...my friends tell me that still counts) and trying new things and you guys keep overachieving so I have something to look up to, ok?

By the way, as a side note, anyone in Redlands looking for a great place to work out - The Energy Lab was fantastic.  Jill is a very friendly, peppy little thing that could no doubt kick Andy's butt.  They have many more classes besides the TRX and if you were doing it by the month, looked to be fairly economical.  It's downtown on Citrus Ave.