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.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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! ;)
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."
-- 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!
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!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Surviving Vacation
I just got back from vacation. Normally, that is no reason to celebrate! But this time, I do have one thing to be proud of. I only gained 2 lbs!
Sounds silly, right? To me, it isn't. I used to come home 10 lbs heavier than when I left. Then again, in those days, it only took me a couple of weeks to lose it again.
This vacation was full of fishing, eating, drinking and relaxing~ so how did I not put on more lbs? I think I have an idea. I always scoff at those crazy articles in fitness and health magazines talking about finding a gym wherever you happen to be vacationing. And I still say "Yeah right!" This vacation, I just made a concerted effort to walk, climb stairs and not eat EVERYTHING on my plate. I'm actually starting to get the hang of this 'stop eating when you are full' thing. Sounds crazy, I know.
We took a hike around a gorgeous county park, there are 44 stairs going down to the lake that my family's cabin is on, and I have a very active dog. Those things primarily are the only reason I think I survived this vacation with so little weight gain. I'm sorry people, but there is no way I am not going to eat basically what I want on vacation. I also get to indulge in a few extra beers. That's the way I like to unwind. Healthy? Probably not. But everyone deserves a break sometimes. So I decided not to sweat it, but to make a few healthier, more active choices. And it worked like a charm. Chalk one up for the good guys!
Now, I do have to go through the trouble of losing those extra 2 lbs all over again, but trust me- a week's vacation was more than worth it!
Sounds silly, right? To me, it isn't. I used to come home 10 lbs heavier than when I left. Then again, in those days, it only took me a couple of weeks to lose it again.
This vacation was full of fishing, eating, drinking and relaxing~ so how did I not put on more lbs? I think I have an idea. I always scoff at those crazy articles in fitness and health magazines talking about finding a gym wherever you happen to be vacationing. And I still say "Yeah right!" This vacation, I just made a concerted effort to walk, climb stairs and not eat EVERYTHING on my plate. I'm actually starting to get the hang of this 'stop eating when you are full' thing. Sounds crazy, I know.
We took a hike around a gorgeous county park, there are 44 stairs going down to the lake that my family's cabin is on, and I have a very active dog. Those things primarily are the only reason I think I survived this vacation with so little weight gain. I'm sorry people, but there is no way I am not going to eat basically what I want on vacation. I also get to indulge in a few extra beers. That's the way I like to unwind. Healthy? Probably not. But everyone deserves a break sometimes. So I decided not to sweat it, but to make a few healthier, more active choices. And it worked like a charm. Chalk one up for the good guys!
Now, I do have to go through the trouble of losing those extra 2 lbs all over again, but trust me- a week's vacation was more than worth it!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
It's All In My Head
Sadly, my scale is still not moving as quickly as I had hoped. So, I have decided to judge my progress by instead looking at my self-confidence instead. I know, I know... all women's magazines say to think about how you FEEL, not how you look. It sounds cheesy and I used to roll my eyes until they almost fell out of my head at this advice. Until I experienced it. Weird, right?
For as long as I can remember, I have been growling at the jeans drawer in my dresser. Still, I cannot bring myself to throw away some of my precious smaller sizes so that I can have a 'measure' of my success. Not surprisingly, every time I fail to comfortably zip a pair of these 'goal' jeans, I pout and curse my slow progress. I am now realizing that even though I'm not where I want to be yet, I am making real progress, if only in my head.
Just recently, I have been anxiously seeking women's sweatshirts and t-shirts. I know that sounds like a 'what else would you be looking for?' kind of thing, but for me it's not. I have forever worn men's sweatshirts. Now, I want to find sweatshirts built for me. A woman. My shape isn't perfect. I am curvy. I'm still rockin' the pooch. But I have earned this shape. I go to the gym more often than not. And that is something to celebrate! I have succeeded in making a lifestyle change that I can live with. And I will be exponentially healthier down the road because of it. Chalk one up for the good guys!
She wears short-shorts? Dream on, Nair. These legs were not meant for polite company! Personally, I have always been of the mind that I would rather wear jeans than shorts. More coverage means less worry about spilling out of the shorts in a sausage-casing exploding sort of way. But now? I'm too old for that nonsense! I don't need to melt when it is 95 degrees out just because my vanity forbids a pair of shorts. Besides... these legs have seen countless miles in the gym. They are far from perfect, but they are strong. True, they will never grace the pages of a magazine, but they have served me well and they deserve to be appreciated.
I never believed that "judge your progress by how you feel" craziness, but it's true. I feel better about myself. I can appreciate my body not just for how it looks, but for what it can do for me. If you are not there yet, have faith. You'll get there. Take it from a skeptic: The magic is transforming not just your body, but your mind in the process.
For as long as I can remember, I have been growling at the jeans drawer in my dresser. Still, I cannot bring myself to throw away some of my precious smaller sizes so that I can have a 'measure' of my success. Not surprisingly, every time I fail to comfortably zip a pair of these 'goal' jeans, I pout and curse my slow progress. I am now realizing that even though I'm not where I want to be yet, I am making real progress, if only in my head.
Just recently, I have been anxiously seeking women's sweatshirts and t-shirts. I know that sounds like a 'what else would you be looking for?' kind of thing, but for me it's not. I have forever worn men's sweatshirts. Now, I want to find sweatshirts built for me. A woman. My shape isn't perfect. I am curvy. I'm still rockin' the pooch. But I have earned this shape. I go to the gym more often than not. And that is something to celebrate! I have succeeded in making a lifestyle change that I can live with. And I will be exponentially healthier down the road because of it. Chalk one up for the good guys!
She wears short-shorts? Dream on, Nair. These legs were not meant for polite company! Personally, I have always been of the mind that I would rather wear jeans than shorts. More coverage means less worry about spilling out of the shorts in a sausage-casing exploding sort of way. But now? I'm too old for that nonsense! I don't need to melt when it is 95 degrees out just because my vanity forbids a pair of shorts. Besides... these legs have seen countless miles in the gym. They are far from perfect, but they are strong. True, they will never grace the pages of a magazine, but they have served me well and they deserve to be appreciated.
I never believed that "judge your progress by how you feel" craziness, but it's true. I feel better about myself. I can appreciate my body not just for how it looks, but for what it can do for me. If you are not there yet, have faith. You'll get there. Take it from a skeptic: The magic is transforming not just your body, but your mind in the process.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
HOLLA!!!!
On second thought, don't. If there is one place that I think is inappropriate for cat-calling, it is the gym. (I am choosing not to include workplaces, etc for the sake of this discussion.)
Just the other day, I was crankin' away on the elliptical when over the sound of my iPod I could hear whistling and hooting as a girl walked into the gym. Granted, she was beautiful. And as a matter of fact, she was scantily clad. BUT! The gym has become a safe place for me and a number of my friends. Don't forget, I have even written about the crazy things I wear to the gym before. I get to go to the gym without makeup or a care. I don't go there to feel like I am walking into a dance club. You don't get to judge me here. Besides, I do a bang-up job of judging myself already.
Granted, I can be sensitive to these situations because, truthfully, I am insecure about the way I look. That may well be part of the problem. However, I still don't think guys should be shouting across the gym to get the attention of a pretty girl. At least be kind enough not to interrupt our workouts too.
Just the other day, I was crankin' away on the elliptical when over the sound of my iPod I could hear whistling and hooting as a girl walked into the gym. Granted, she was beautiful. And as a matter of fact, she was scantily clad. BUT! The gym has become a safe place for me and a number of my friends. Don't forget, I have even written about the crazy things I wear to the gym before. I get to go to the gym without makeup or a care. I don't go there to feel like I am walking into a dance club. You don't get to judge me here. Besides, I do a bang-up job of judging myself already.
Granted, I can be sensitive to these situations because, truthfully, I am insecure about the way I look. That may well be part of the problem. However, I still don't think guys should be shouting across the gym to get the attention of a pretty girl. At least be kind enough not to interrupt our workouts too.
After this incident, I couldn't help but think of the Planet Fitness commercial where a conceited guy struts up to a girl who is just trying to get her workout in. Even though she looks bored, he persists to ask the gym loudly, "Hey, did somebody lose a washboard? Because I found one over here. I'm just joking, it's my abs." And he lifts his shirt up by strings at the sides that operate his shirt like a set of cheap blinds. I laughed at this commercial! I LOVE it! But part of the humor lies in the truth behind it. The Stiffler look-alike in this commercial exists everywhere. He's annoying and never gets the picture when you gently blow him off and go back to your workout. Such is life.
Thankfully, the gym has gone back to being my safe place. But sometimes when I hear someone, man OR woman, hooting at someone in the gym, I can't help but cringe. Don't get me wrong, meeting people at the gym is just fine! I am merely suggesting that you actually go up and introduce yourself. Don't scream across the room or machine-stalk them for an hour. Sorry dude, but that's just creepy. And it has happened to me.
So, I say... The gym is my place to sweat. This is my place to get dirty and not care that my hair is all jacked up and my face is beet red, even though I am surrounded on all sides by mirrors and plate glass windows. This is where no one cares that I haven't showered yet today. They care that I showed up, if they notice me at all. And that's just the way I like it.
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