Why I Choose Double Workouts over Double Fisting

As I look back on photos from my ‘party hard’ days, I see a girl I used to know – a girl who had fun, a girl who smiled, a girl who made great friends with alcohol. I have no regrets about those days, but I now look at that girl and I don’t recognize her. I look back and remember how I drank to suppress memories I didn’t want to think about anymore, to forget the fact that all of my friends rocked their bikinis while I had to lie and tell them I forgot my bathing suit, how I spent countless dollars shopping for clothes to keep up with appearances while at the same time having battles with myself in every single change room. I look back now and I feel sad for myself. I spent so many years fighting over something that could have been fixed with just a few small changes, but instead I turned to something that just harmed me further for years.

In the summer of 2012, I was laying on the couch with my dog. She was whining to go for a walk, and I remember not even having the energy to get up off the couch to let her outside. It was incredibly embarrassing. I knew I needed to do something, I just didn’t know what I needed to do. Now, I’m not huge into ‘fate’ but at that moment, I saw an infomercial that literally changed my life. This little blonde woman was jumping around, kicking, punching, dancing, and I remember thinking “is this actually a workout?” I was so intrigued, I watched the entire 30 minutes. What was this phenomenon called Turbo Fire? Who the heck is Chalene Johnson? I hadn’t ever seen her before! I had to find out more! Within 20 minutes of my research, Turbo Fire was purchased and on its way to me.

And then came the FREAK OUT! Me? Working out? Jumping, kicking, punching? Ha! No way! Nope! Not me! Why did I even order this? Am I a total idiot? What a stupid purchase I just made! I had a week full of mini heart attacks waiting for my package to arrive. When it finally came, I opened it up, read, and pressed play. And that was it.

The workouts were completely out of my comfort zone. I did them anyway.

I couldn’t jump very high. I jumped anyway.

My arms got tired of punching within the first 5 minutes. I punched with everything I could anyway.

There was the need for coordination I didn’t have. I tried anyway.

I didn’t have the strength to do bicep curls. I did as many sets as I could anyway.

I struggled for 3 weeks to get the moves down, and it was SO tough. I danced for a few years and I can count beats like nobody’s business, but this was different. It was coordination I wasn’t used to, it was fast, there were moves my body hadn’t done in so many years, I got tired easily, and it made me sweat a LOT more than dance ever did! It created this really weird high I wasn’t used to. I had heard of ‘runner’s high’ but never really believed in it – until I found this workout.

Turbo Fire was the beginning to the rest of my life (so cheesy!)... but seriously. I never imagined I would look forward to working out. I never knew my body was capable of getting up at 5am every morning to SWEAT before work. I didn’t even know this much energy could come out of one person. I always thought those happy, energetic people just had different happy genes, ones that I was never born with. Doesn’t that sound sad? That’s because IT IS SAD!

 The fire inside you that working out creates is something that’s impossible to turn back on. My workouts and routine aren’t perfect, nor would I ever expect that of myself. I let life get in the way something, because I am human, I am still learning, and I want to LIVE my life rather than let life live me. All I know is that when I wake up on a Sunday morning and push my legs as hard as they can with a jog before I come home to lift weights, it feels a LOT better after a night of double fisting beer!