Why I Joined A Rowing League

When I was younger, I spent my summers at 4-H camps in WV. My favorite class was canoeing. Now, you could say that was because of the handsome older waterfront instructor, sure, that may be why I signed up for the class, but after the first day, I was hooked. Even when we had a new counselor take over the class the following year, I continued to take canoeing. Every summer until college. So, when my coworker emailed me about some people from my company forming a summer rowing team at Community Rowing, Inc. , I jumped at the chance. I knew rowing would be different than canoeing, but hey how different could it be? (Spoilers: quite) Okay, why am I doing this? Accountability It's hard to skip the gym or workout when you're part of a team and are needed to fill a seat. If I don't show, I have to find a replacement or the other's won't be able to row. Not to mention, as our coach pointed out during our first practice, it's not about whose team is tallest or strongest, it's about whose team works the best together. If I skip out, my replacement may not mesh well with everyone. That coupled with having to pay to be on the team practically ensures I'll be there the whole time. Josh and I have friends visiting to run the Tough Mudder with Josh next week, and I've already told them that for 2 hours on Thursday I'll be at row practice. I'm getting my monies worth here. So what exactly am I getting myself into? The league consists of 5 practices, a 1k race, and a BBQ at the end for all the teams. Don't worry; I'll bring some low carb BBQ sauce and post the recipe. My Tanks and Shorts Now that I have my diet under control, I'm interested in trying a bunch of different workouts to see what works best for me. Obviously, I'd like my clothes to fit better. I'm less interested in the number on the scale and more interested in how strong I am and how my clothes fit. I took my measurements before the first practice. At 5 feet 2 inches, I currently have a waist size of 38 inches, a hip size of 46 inches, my thighs are 26 inches, and arms are 15 inches. So, in six weeks I'll check back in and see how (if at all) these numbers have changed. I know any changes I do or don't see in six weeks will depend on other factors like diet and any additional exercise I do, but this program will be a good time frame. In my update post, I will be sure to include all I've done over the six weeks food and exercise wise. Fun fact: Did you know rowing works your thighs? I figured it'd work your arms (duh - rowing) and I knew it was good cardio. I did not know your thighs were one of the muscles that got a lot of work. Our coach Coree taught us that at practice this week. INTERESTING! The Inactivity Crisis If I'm being completely honest with myself (and all of you) the fact that I recently accepted a job with a fitness organization (and also Boston generally being full of fit people) is probably playing a role in this too. Nothing motivates you to be active quite like being surrounded by people who are fit and actively trying to combat the inactivity crisis in the US. Did you know as of 2015, 80% of American adults did not meet national physical activity recommendations? I'm sure I was part of that 80% before accepting this job. So there you have it. I've joined a rowing team. Am I going to regret this? Possibly ... but that's because I'm lazy and would rather be on my couch watching SyFy not because I have any doubt about this being a fun experience. I guess we'll see in 6 weeks. Also the scenery isn't the worst. #fitness #rowing #exercise