I'm through with the old school, so let's commence the winning.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is Friday and I am in a great mood. And though you may concede this mood to the fact that Friday is my most favourite day of the week, I am also quite chipper because I've just started going to the gym...for the past two days.

I know - ME. If you know me, you know I don't "do" gyms. This is the first gym I've ever joined. I'm much more of a "walk around the city" workout kind of girl. And even occasionally kickboxing DVDs or Wii Fit from the comfort of my home. I tend to be awkward in many situations, and I logged "going to the gym" in that category as well.

However, a gym opened up a block away from me (no need for extra motivation in winter: it's steps away!) and I got a great deal signing up early. I'm way cool with any situation in which I get called a "VIP" (in this case, for signing up early!). And for the past two days, I've gotten up at 5:45am and walked over for an hour workout. Of course, my first visit was a little out of the if-my-life-were-a-sitcom files:

Me: Hi, this is my first time here since I signed up before the gym opened...

Receptionist: Great, let me just give you your official card then.

Instructor (standing by): Are you here for the spin class?

Me: Um...well, I...I have to leave by 7am for work...

Instructor: That's NO problem! We do 45 minutes Spin, 45 minutes Yoga...so you can stay for the spin and stretch out after in the locker room!

Me: Well, I, uh...I've never taken spin?

Instructor: It's okay! Your butt will hurt but you can totally go at your own pace!

Me: Well..... okay!

Then she fixed up my bike thing and I was a bit uncomfortable on that seat, but I was ready to go and her first workout song was "Hella Good" by No Doubt, so I was like, YES! LET'S DO THIS!

Cut to ten minutes later and I can't breathe and if the bikes weren't stationary everybody's going at a speed that would have lapped me about 10 times on a normal track.

Yet - I lasted 35 minutes and got to watch the sun rise over Brooklyn through the windows. The music was good, the instructor was VERY nice, and though I almost fell flat on my face when I got off the bike, the point is: I didn't. Yay! (Small victories.) I have also never felt so good throughout a day in terms of energy levels than when I worked out. I know people always say this, but since I've never had a gym membership nor worked out very early in the morning, I can now attest to this fact.

I decided to go again this morning - but not to spin! My body wouldn't be able to handle that again so soon, methinks. Instead, I worked out on the elliptical for 45 minutes while listening to the "This American Life" podcast. It was fantastico and I sent a post-workout picture of my incredibly red and sweaty face to Jesse, because, yes, I don't think my own husband has seen me post-workout. And no, I'm not posting that atrociousness here.

And you know what? I may do that spin class twice a week. I'M FEELING INVINCIBLE! And I wanted to make sure I wrote this all down, in a public forum, so that I won't renege on my newfound health-kick. Also, I'm not doing this for any weight-loss reasons: I simply want to be healthy and not run out of breath when I walk up three flights of stairs or jump around at a No Doubt show. I mean, this is who I have to keep up with:

There you have it. I've got "working out" into my routine, what's next? Cooking! Maybe. I flip through recipes almost daily, I have the awesome Epicurious iPhone app, and I have a subscription to Cooking Light magazine (thanks to my lovely mother-in-law!) - I just need to dive in, I suppose. Maybe I'll try one new recipe a week. Just typing-out-loud here, don't mind me. Check check CHECK, as my mind tends to sound when I think of these things.

As you can see, without a wedding to plan and with Jesse out of town, I set my mind to TASKS! I think I'm looking for a lot of self- and skill-improvement to get better use out of my time. It's "working out" just fine so far! Got any tips?!