Exercise is still an ugly word for me but I’m getting around to accepting it as an everyday ‘must’ in my life. In my mid-forties, like everyone else, I was looking to lose weight and feel better. Like everyone else I was looking for a cardio exercise to burn off those calories. Spinning was the rage back then. So, for the first time I stepped into ‘The Gym’, the place years ago my teenage boys would spend most of their free time in hopes of building up muscle. The spinning class ended up being a flop.  I thought I could just take it easy on my first session and if it ever got to be too much work I would slow down on my cycling.  Well, about 15 minutes into the class, my heart was pounding a bit too much so I eased up on the pedals.  My heart rate didn’t seem to slow down, and I got scared.  I jumped off the bike and started pacing in the back of the room. After a few more minutes of pacing, my heart finally slowed down. No more spinning cardio for me. As I began to walk out of the gym, feeling defeated and wondering what my next move was going to be. There must be an exercise type out there I can do and enjoy doing.  On my way out of the gym,  I glazed at the postings at the front desk and saw an offering for personal training sessions for a reasonable price.  Why not? And so began a new chapter in my life with strength training.