Tuesday, July 31, 2012

My Olympic Obsession

All right, I admit it- I'm hooked on the Olympics.  My DVR is fast filling up because I am foregoing my regular shows to watch the Olympics almost non-stop.  Truthfully, I am driving Andy nuts.  But that's just a bonus.  Seriously though, I only get this opportunity every 4 years!  I know that the Winter Olympics are only 2 years away, but the Summer Olympics inspire me more.

For instance, look at the women's sand volleyball team made up of Misty May Treanor and Kerry Walsh.  INCREDIBLE athletes and those bodies!  I am well aware that I cannot dedicate 8 hours a day to training like these ladies do- but they inspire me to try harder in the time I do have.  Can you imagine playing a difficult, physically demanding sport in a teenie-weenie bikini?  I sure can't!  And in front of the whole world to boot?  I'm feeling a little faint just thinking about it.

Truly, their dedication to their sport and being healthy is contagious.  They, along with other women athletes competing in the Olympics, have been in every magazine I subscribe to lately.  Each article makes me want to go to the gym- right now.  And that in itself is monumental.  I have even thought of posting a pic of Kerri Walsh on my refrigerator to inspire me every time I go looking for a snack, but let's be honest...  no matter how little or healthy I eat, no matter how much I work out, I will never match up to the 6'3" frame of a professional athlete.  Especially considering I'd have to grow a foot taller above and beyond the obvious training.

That being said, she inspires me to push myself.  All of the Olympians do.  Just look at what these gymnasts can do with their bodies~ I never cease to be amazed that the human body can bend and flip like that!  They are fearless!  I find myself sitting on my couch with Andy, mouth agape, saying more often than not, "WOAH!  Did you see that!?"  Incredible stuff.

Will I ever be an Olympic athlete?  Puh-lease.  Not only am I too old, but I don't have the raw talent required.  Nonetheless, I am choosing to let these feats of human strength drive me to work harder and try new exercises I might not have considered before.  I don't have the time to dedicate to perfecting a sport, but I can spend a little more time each week trying to improve myself.  The Olympics have taught me that with the right attitude, almost anything is possible.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Case of the Ex

Do you know what the only thing worse than trudging into the gym on a day where all you can think about is sleep is?  It's walking into the gym with your butt dragging, no makeup on, big old bags under your eyes and bumping into an EX.  Oy.

Now this ex of mine, who for the sake of this entry we'll call Winston* was not a long term relationship.  He was truly barely a blip on the radar that was my young love life.  However, he keeps turning up like a bad penny!!  The first few times I bumped into him was usually at a bar.  Then he'd ask if I'd like to go out with him again and I'd explain my long-term relationship status.  He eventually got the hint and luckily, he has stopped asking.  UNfortunately, he still wants to wander around the gym following me making small talk.  And it seemed that every time I'd turn around, there he'd be.

Of all the gyms in the world, he had to go and join mine.  I get that he now lives in the Port Washington area, but he's a musclehead so I thought maybe some other gym would suit him better.  Not so much.  Now, I am not truly bothered that it happens to be this particular ex that's a member of my gym...  it's just that an ex IS a member of my gym and a smile and a wave aren't enough to pacify him.  It doesn't help that we often seem to be there at the same time.  Selfish as it may be, I like my comfort-zone as judge-free and ex-free as possible.

Truthfully, I usually like bumping into people I know at the gym, as long as they are people (usually women) that I can chat up about what is working for them and what's not.  No way I'm going to ask an ex what his best advice for dropping a few pounds is.  And of course his first comment yesterday was "I haven't seen you here in a while.  Why's that?"  Big eyebrow raise to accompany said statement.  Go away Winston, I don't need you to judge me- I've done enough of that myself for the two of us.

My gym is a public place, no doubt.  I cannot and will not try to control who works out there.  Believe it or not, I do have a better grip on reality than that.

I did learn something last night the hard way:  The moral of this story is:   ALWAYS remember your headphones!  If you do happen to forget your iPod, just plug the cord into your waistband.   :)




*Names have been changed to protect myself from anyone knowing who that ex really is!  ;)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

MANTRAS

I love the idea of having a weight loss, exercise, or dieting mantra.  I have been in search of one that will work for me and remind me of what I am working towards in my times of weakness.  In my search, I have turned up a few that I really love and I'd like to share .  They are not ranked in any order except for the first one listed.  I am adopting it to keep my world a little more in focus.

-- Don't give up what you want most for what you want in the moment.

-- Admire what you have accomplished and bask in it.  The rest will come in time.

-- Every step counts.

-- Don't quite before trying.

-- If it was easy, everyone would do it.

-- What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

-- I am building the life I love.

-- Don't try- just do.

-- No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping the person laying on the couch.

-- Nothing changes is you change nothing.


All of them are good advice and I think I'll print them out and stick them to my fridge.  Or randomly on post-its all over my house.  And on the rearview mirror in my car.  And on my pantry.  You get the idea.

Do you have a mantra?  What works for you??

I do have one completely unrelated mantra that I have pasted to my desk to remind me of what life is about and that the only one responsible for me, is....  ME.  Words to live by:  "Make your own sunshine."

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Dreaded Slump

I'm in a slump.  I know it.  Just the idea of going to the gym just makes me want to hide- preferably under the covers with a good book and a bag of Oreo's.  And recently, I have let myself be indulgent if I'm being honest.  Well, sort of indulgent.  Shortly, I have house guests arriving and one of them has allergies, one of the worst of which is my cat.  Therefore, I have been cleaning like a madwoman (burning calories doing it, of course) and tearing out carpeting to help eliminate some of the fur.  So many things like washing cabinets and walls that often go undone in my household for long periods of time, are now done.  Certainly, I am no neat freak as anyone who knows me can attest to.  But people will be living  with me, not just visiting!  I thought some extra effort was in order.  Regardless, the house is far from perfect and it will remain that way.

All of this cleaning has conveniently allowed me to take time off from the gym.  The cleaning has to be done sometimes and right now, I am calling it 'prioritizing.'  True, I'm not melting into my couch with a tub of ice cream, but the calorie burn of housework is not nearly what it needs to be for me to make progress.  Thus continues my slump.

It seems that many of my friends that are on the journey to weight loss have hit a similar rough patch.  We all seem to be taking a step back, reevaluating what we are doing and starting again.  That's the point, right?  We have always been taught that when we get knocked down, it is time to get back up, dust ourselves off and start moving forward again.  That's my plan.  I haven't quite worked out the nitty gritty details.  Some plan, huh?

However, I figure the fact that I am now recognizing the slump for what it is, is that all-important first step.  Step two?  Get my ass movin'!  I'm going to shoot for working out a minimum of four times a week for now and see how that affects things.  Step three will be tweaking the diet. I hate this part most.  Food and I?  We're BFF's.  Food and my waistline?  Not on such good terms.  Luckily, I have learned to eat salad for lunch and keep the calorie count around 400, so I haven't gained much weight back, but I'd like to nip these sneaky couple of pounds in the bud before they call for reinforcements.

The Dreaded Slump seems to grab everyone at one time or another.  I'm not any different.  Now it's high time for me to get back up, brush the crumbs off my shirt, and start making my way to the gym again.  And I think that's a damn good start!