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.