Okay... here goes.
First - my Saturday workout at the gym was a disaster.
It seemed like every machine I tried had something wrong with it, and so I ended up angrily switching from machine to machine to machine... and by the time I got done doing little stints of intense working out on each of them, I'd done an hour of cardio! Zing! Just like that! It went fast, and it went well, and even though I was grumpy about the machines not working, I was surprised and happy that I'd actually done ONE HOUR of solid cardio. That NEVER happens to me. So - for those who are just starting out with exercising or looking to change up their routine, that might be a good idea: 10 minutes X 4 machines = 40 minutes of non-boring cardio!
Also inspiring to me this weekend was that I discovered that I'm actually developing
muscles! After six weeks of solid working out four days a week, it's finally starting to
work!! Like caterpillars in coccoons (or maybe I should call them "fatterpillars"), I am actually developing muscle tone - which you can't really see just yet under the fat on my thighs and arms, but I can certainly feel it there. Whoa! I began thinking about that... my "fatterpillars" developing and growing all winter while I coax them out with my exercise/healthy eating... and they will slowly emerge... and next year, with healthy cultivation on my part,
I will be the butterfly.
Okay, it sounds corny, but it works for me!!
Food for Thought:
I got inspired this weekend by a song. (This happens a lot, by the way, since both my husband and I are musicians.) You know how sometimes a song speaks to you, and you can
really identify with it, like the songwriter was looking right into your head and writing down exactly how you feel? Well, that happened to me this weekend.
I think we all know this song:
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day.
Again - CORNY - but look at the lyrics closely. On first appearance, this song seems Pollyanna-ish and overly-optimistic. But look at the second line - "
I can see all obstacles in my way." See, it's not just suggesting that because things are going well that it's always going to be easy... there ARE obstacles on our path, and there always will be. The difference in this song, however, is that we are seeing them
clearly. And seeing our obstacles, challenges and difficulties with clarity - being able to know them, identify them, call them by name, and OWN them so we can OVERCOME them - makes all the difference, doesn't it?
And so, I am calling out my obstacles - I see them and now I will name them and own them so I can beat them.
1) OBSTACLE: Complacency. I do not lose as much as I could because I become complacent, I overcome my mini-challenges and get so pleased with myself that I don't push myself further. I need to push, push, and keep pushing. Umph!
2) OBSTACLE: Husband's food choices. I hate to say this, but he makes things difficult for me because of his insistence on having junk food around the house and his reluctance to eat healthy things I make. I love him, but this is a problem and we are going to have to change the system if I am going to be successful.
3) OBSTACLE: Jealousy. I admittedly get discouraged and jealous when I see all those perfect bodies in movies, in television, in magazines. I know those photos are all doctored up, but still... so I am resolved to no longer buy fashion magazines. They fill my head with stupid ideas, anyway, and I don't need to constantly see that stuff and beat myself up about it.
I'm sure I'll think of more... but that's a start.