When the new year started, I made a promise to myself that I'd get my butt moving again. 

I had, toward the end of 2009, not been to the gym nearly as often as I'd wanted to and I wasn't eating as well as I should have been.  

So much had changed in my life between summer and the holidays.  I ended a long-term relationship, started seeing someone new, moved into a new house, and thew myself into the job I'd started last January.  It was overwhelming and the routine I'd been in of gym visits four times a week and watchful, healthy eating took a backseat to all of the changes.  

Knowing full well the role that smart eating and regular activity had had in my losing almost seventy pounds and keeping it off for nearly a year, I realized that my break from these good habits couldn't go on.  When I got settled in my new place in mid-January, I googled around for gyms in the area and made some visits.  I toured a couple of nice facilities and reviewed prices.  And I joined a new gym.  

I was pleasantly surprised by a few things.  First, for a really reasonable monthly membership fee, this place has great equipment and excellent classes.  On top of that, they start every new member off with a meeting with a trainer, a total body assessment and a review of goals.  When I asked if they had a trainer who might be familiar with type 1 diabetes, they answered yes.  Even better, when I sat down with said trainer, he was indeed familiar with the challenges of exercising with type 1.  

I was also surprised at my total body assessment.  I was lighter than I thought, by eight pounds.  I had cut my body fat percentage from 38% three years ago when I was at my heaviest, to 23% now.  Holy cow!  I was thinking the body fat percentage might be lower, but not that much lower.  Beyond that, the trainer's fitness evaluation found me stronger and with more stamina than I've ever had.

We set several goals at that first meeting.  Namely, losing seven pounds of body fat, while maintaining lean muscle. 

Of course, my thought then was "those last seven pounds will be harder to lose than the first seventy."  

It's been about a month now.  I've been to the gym three times a week each week, I'm eating lots of good protein, veggies, and whole grains. 

I'm also seeing the trainer for a half hour each week. And he actually understands type 1 diabetes.  He is patient about testing, is willing to carry my test kit and a juice box around the gym as I work out, and realizes that when my sugar is dropping rapidly, I need to stop and rest.  A couple of my sessions have run to forty five minutes to an hour, with no complaint from him.  He's teaching me new techniques for strength training - some that I can do at home - and he's keeping me motivated around cardio.  

So far, I'm down one pound.  We'll do another total body assessment in a couple of weeks, but I just know that I'm building lean muscle.  I can see the changes in my body already.  

So, new year, new attitude. 

And I'm ready to stay on this track.  It's worth it.  I'm worth it.