Wait it out. No, seriously, wait it out.

I went to a workout class for the first time in months, possibly years. After my last attempt at a workout class, I went through a running phase, but I think I like classes better because you are forced to work for an hour or so rather than giving up after twenty minutes because your lungs are screaming at you and there's no one around to tell you to keep going.

The workout class was a step class. Seemed easy enough, I'm in reasonable shape, and the step box didn't seem so intimidating. I was fine for the first fifteen or twenty minutes, even enjoying it. The steps were hard, but I figured them out soon enough.

Then we got to about twenty-five minutes.

My heart was pounding. Sweat accumulating. Every inch of my body begged, pleaded for me to stop. I seriously considered walking out, but with twenty other people there including two friends, I knew I needed to keep going. A brief reprieve at the half-time mark allowed me a trip to the water fountain, refreshing my body and spirit. But it wasn't so far into the second half when I was pushing myself again, as the steps got harder and my knees started to ache from overwork.

And then it happened.

I got to that place. Runner's high, they call it. Maybe it was the right song coming through the stereo system, or the promise of finishing in less than one-quarter hour, but something clicked over. I began to enjoy the steps, I began to want more. Another part of my mind drifted to happy thoughts. I was in the zone. Sure, my body still ached, and I still wanted to be finished, but my endorphins were running high. I thought about all the happy moments of the day and the week and my life. I thought about the happy moments of my future. With my energy level high, I got to thinking about plans I wanted to make and I feel like I was reinfused with a desire for better things, something I've been lacking in the past week or so of virtually sleepless nights.

I'm already planning on next week's class, and a few more classes in between.

I think I'm going to like this working out thing after all.