A Third Job?

Can you believe that yesterday I was considering a third job? It was a fleeting thought, quickly discarded as lunacy but it was there nonetheless. So what kind of occupation could have me even considering trying to add more to my already jam-packed days? (Hence a lack of posts this week!)

 

Personal training! I've written about the fact that I'd like to get into personal training before but this most recent longing was all Danny's fault.

 

My lovely husband has never really been one for structured exercise. He will work his butt off renovating or in the garden but wouldn't dream of hitting the gym for a workout. That's why I was so surprised when, a few months ago, he started suggesting that we go for a walk together. Then he made suggestions about maybe, possibly, one day going for runs with me! I made it a secret New Year goal to get him out and running in 2013.

 

I waited for the perfect moment to launch my attack... Last Friday we were on our way home from dinner when he suggested going for a walk.

 

"Why don't we go one better and try a run together?"

 

I didn't dare look at his reaction and we sat for an eternity in silence while he pondered my proposal .

 

"Alright then"

 

I was so excited!! I don't think I had ever been that excited about impromptu exercise on a planned rest day!

 

We got home with me jumping around, clapping and whooping like a loon while we got changed. I talked about how much I envied the bloggers who wrote about running with their partners. We did some stretches and a warm up walk to the end of the street and then we were off!

 

And then we were stopping...

Not because Danny's years of avoiding planned exercise had left him with the cardio function of a gnat but because Danny is very bad at taking care of himself. He has had issues with his back for a couple of years now and the physio told him to work on building his core muscles to help strengthen and stabilise his torso. How much strength work has Danny been doing? Well apparently every now and again when he is stopped at a red light he'll do some kind of exercise that the doctor gave him but apart from that? Nadda!

 

Running was quickly nixed as his poor mid-section just didn't have what it took to keep him stable and it just ended up making his back sore... I'm not going to lie - I was pretty disappointed but I had nothing on Danny. I think he finally realised that it was time to get serious about building some core strength before he woke up one morning unable to tie his shoes or something else basic. Like the nagging wife I am I just said (for the millionth time) "You need to do some strength training and build up the muscles in your stomach and lower back!" but instead of moaning and trying to say he was and that the stomach clenches at the traffic lights were enough like he usually does he said "I know, I know... If you do it with me I'll do it."

 

I swooped on that seemingly innocent statement like a hawk! In that moment it had become my personal mission to get Danny a rock hard six pack mid-section capable of running. I made sure he knew that 15 seconds while sitting in traffic wasn't going to cut it, that we'd need to start with two sessions a week and ideally move to three to really make the changes stick. And that we'd be starting that weekend where he could join me in my usual Sunday morning ritual of doing a strength training DVD followed by some cardio.

 

Jillian Michaels' 6 Week Six-Pack may not have been the best starting point... But to his credit he really did give it a good go! In my defence I hadn't done that particular DVD for a while and had forgotten not only what exercises it contained but also how much I had struggled with it when I first tried it! Poor Danny didn't stand a chance.

 

Not one to give up easily I happily informed Danny yesterday that Thursday's were officially going to be his second strength training day of the week. He may or may not have rolled his eyes at me. This time we skipped the DVD and headed down to the road. Our local park has a little circuit of weight training equipment. It's a pretty neat set up!

 

 

We did one circuit of the machines doing 20 reps on each and then hit the grass to do a mini workout I'd found on Pinterest -

 

[source]

 

Then it was back to the machines for another circuit before finishing up with one more go at the Pinterest workout! It was a great workout and Danny did well too. There were some particular moves that he found tougher than others but he didn't complain once!

 

 

As for me, I had a great time being a bossy boots while getting a decent workout myself! It was during the work home that I had the fleeting crazy thought that maybe, just maybe, I could find some spare hours in the day to study/train to become a personal trainer and make that my third job!?

 

Like I said... Crazy....

 

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I'd Like To Know...
Do you workout with your husband/partner/significant other?

 

Any suggestions for getting Danny run-ready?