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Gym Rookies

I’ve heard people who are so self-conscious of their weight that they will forgo a gym membership just for that reason. Heck, I was probably one of them. Well, I actually thought gyms were for hardcore weight lifting men with excessive muscle. I had no idea that the gym was a regular place for regular people and their regular fitness routines until I joined one.

The first thing to remember is, some of these people started their fitness journeys in your same shoes. They may have been overweight, hesitant to join, and completely unsure of themselves in that new place. They know exactly how you’re feeling and can sympathize with your uncertainty. They are much more likely to be internally rooting for you rather than judging you. They’re more likely glad that you’re there, taking care of yourself, than not.

Second, everyone is really probably only thinking about themselves. People are very self-conscious when they’re grunting, sweating, and struggling in front of other people. They’re all worried about themselves. It’s actually sort of comical if you watch people for awhile. They all check themselves out in the mirrors around the gym. Don’t worry, they’re more worried about their own sagging skin than your cellulite. Or they’re busy focusing on their workout form.

Third, I’ve noticed, especially with runners, there is a sort of unspoken comaraderie among people who run. It doesn’t matter if you’re an elite athlete or a slow beginner. Runners cheer each other on. I have never seen so much enthusiasm or experienced so much encouragement as when I’m out running, especially in road races. At the gym, you’re doing something that most of the population disregards, and you can take pride in the fact that you’re there instead of glued to the tube.

The easiest way to acclimate yourself to a new gym is to take a tour, take the gym up on their free personal training sessions, or try out a group fitness class. Just getting accustomed to the lingo, equipment and faces let you dip your feet without drowning. Read up a little bit on fitness equipment before you head in and print off a few workouts you can try. Take a friend with you for those free weekly trials so you have a buddy in this unchartered territory. I also find that reading or listening to music helps me fall into my own little wonderland where I don’t even know what’s happening around me.

Happy Lifting!

Not All Opposites Attract

Here’s a little insight into the differences between someone who is healthy and someone who is not. Some of them might be overgeneralizations, but really, the habits between the two groups are significantly different. And in no way am I trying to be insulting, because I myself have been on both sides of the equation and know all too well the upsides and downsides of both. Here’s my experience with healthy vs. not-so-healthy.

1. Enthusiastic about each opportunity to walk instead of drive/Moan at the thought of having to cross a parking lot to reach a neighboring store.

2. Find little ways to incorporate activity into everything, even lunch/Barely leave their desk and would rather not even take the stairs.

3. Find time, no matter what the circumstances or how many kids they have, to work out several times each week/Offer an extensive list of excuses as to why exercise just isn’t feasible.

4. Take pride in trying out new fruits and vegetables and have a recipe collection for common favorites/Most fruits are ingested in juice form.

5. Knows what most fruits and vegetables look like/Not sure where to find an eggplant.

6. Pantries and fridges are full of healthy fare from the perimeter of the grocery store/Boxed meals and prepackaged goods usually make the cut.

7. Maintain a healthy lifestyle long-term/diet on and off; regularly sign up for different weight loss programs and quit after a short time.

8. Thoughts of the deep-frying process make you a bit nauseous/Thoughts of keeping down Brussels sprouts makes you turn up your nose.

9. Take charge, research and implement healthy living strategies/Wait for some miracle cure, supplement or equation to take all the guesswork out and require the least work possible.

10. Comfortable being uncomfortable for healthful gains/Huffing and puffing are avoided at all costs.

11. Have at least a basic idea of how to read nutrition labels and eyeball a serving size/Likely eat much more than one serving and think labels are way too scientific to even bother with.

12. Barely watch television and sometimes work out during commercials/Have at least 2 or more shows each weeknight that they catch on a regular basis.

13. Work at healthful habits one step and small goal at a time/Use an all-or-nothing approach and go all-out only to come crashing to a halt days later.

14. Small setbacks don’t completely derail the healthy lifestyle/A minor slip-up might completely sabotage willpower.

15. Enjoy small indulgences every once in awhile/Try to completely eliminate certain foods, label foods good and bad, and/or go overboard on portion size.

The Sweetest Dreams

Is it wrong to rue that day when nap-time comes to an end? It hasn’t happened yet, but I have this awful fear about how time flies too fast and this good thing will come to an end. For those three sweet hours, that 24-hour parental responsibility seems a little bit more manageable. Little tasks that prove impossible with a mommy-reliant Little One toddling about are completed, novels are revisited, marriages resurface and the house is again quiet.

I love love love being a mom. But sometimes that nap-time respite is required for sanity and retrieving my bearings. They leave mommy feeling rejuvenated and remind mommy about her valuable roles outside of mommyhood.

So far, my son likes to sleep. The 20-month-old drifts into REM for a solid three hours most of the time, on top of the 11 straight hours at night. I only get to enjoy these three hours on weekends because of my dear friend, Full-Time Work. So, my “me time” is limited. But this heaven-sent, built-in babysitter does all the work for me. I get to bring my own sweet dreams to realization when those little peepers are closed. I just can’t leave the house.

Come Fade Away With Me

Ever have one of those brilliant ideas that fade into vapor, never to be reached again? Oh, I just had one of those last night. I know, I know, I should always keep a pen and paper by my bedside. I think I had a dream where a story idea came to me, and I consciously remember thinking that I needed to remember the idea. I’m pretty sure I fell back asleep or never really fully roused myself to begin with, sending the idea back out into oblivion. Perhaps I can train myself in the art of lucid dreaming and attempt to retrieve this idea. Alas, I think it is gone.

This is one of three very memorable occasions upon which I have lost seemingly-significant ideas. One was driving in the car on my way home from work at midnight. I think I saw a shooting star and “just like that” the celestial sighting overshadowed the idea and when I went back into my mind to retrieve it, it was long gone.

The second instance was also in bed. I woke with a full set of lyrics and tune in my head. I had never really considered songwriting, but this song seemed, at least to my REM-induced head, complete. I remember getting up and writing one of the most important lines of the song on a piece of paper. To this day, I have no idea which piece of paper I used or where it ever ended up. Of course, by the time I woke the next morning the tune was also washed away. Even if I would’ve remembered it, I have absolutely no talent for translating tunes in my head into real music.

I need to think of some sort of strategy to harness those ideas so I won’t lose out on that Pulitzer. (Funny, those ideas probably weren’t that great to begin with, they just seemed crucial to remember after they were gone.) Either that, or I need to invent idea insurance.

Impulsive Behavior at the Dinner Table

You know you’ve eaten too much during Easter when:

1. You’re seriously considering a crazy detox diet. Ok, I don’t really believe in this, but I keep joking about it because of all I’ve eaten. And really, the only thing that looks good in the fridge is the fresh produce. That could be a good thing.

2. You have absolutely no cravings left in your system. Maybe this is a good thing too. There’s no way I could have any vitamin deficiency as of right now!

3. You eat breakfast the day after Easter and feel really really full. Even though it’s the same type of breakfast you ate before Easter and it barely left you fulfilled until lunch.

4. The sound of your favorite food ever (cake! beef tips!) makes you feel a little queasy. Gosh, I wish this lasted for longer. I know by the end of the week, cake will tempt once again.

5. Your fridge will be full of leftovers for a good week. Yes, there really was that much food at our dinner table even after seconds and thirds.

6. You had Easter brunch at 11:00am and your normally healthy appetite still isn’t asking for anything at 8:00 at night.

7. You fear the wrath of the little dentist devil sitting on your shoulder.

8. You spent just as much *gasp* on one meal as you have been spending for entire weeks’ worth of groceries.

We had quite a few far-reaching family members at home for the last three days. After the Chinese buffet, two family potluck dinners and other out-to-eat meals in between, I think it’s safe to say I am FULL! I think these splurges are important every once in awhile and that it’s important not to feel one morsel of guilt for it, though I don’t recommend this for three days straight. The important thing is to get back on track Monday morning or the very next day, or the very next meal for that matter. One weekend won’t ruin everything unless you let that lapse continue. So, I’m licking the remnants from my lips and starting today fresh.

Mining Happiness

Some of the best things in life right now:

1. Pink lemonade in spring
2. The warm crook of a baby’s neck
3. Those first days you can open your windows
4. An unexpected greeting card
5. Special occasions to dress up for
6. Songs that answer what you’ve been thinking
7. Purrs
8. A cute clutch
9. Anything with frosting
10. A fleeting whiff of hyacinth
11. Candid images
12. The first glimpse of spring flowers
13. Sitting with your knees to your chest with a friend
14. Clean sheets
15. Kitten heels
16. Church bells
17. An unsolicited hug
18. Early morning sunlight
19. Clean floors and bare feet
20. The sound of an acoustic guitar
21. A perfectly set table
22. Girl talk
23. Fresh chives from outside the back door
24. Watching the person in front of you breathe
25. A crisp, colorful magazine in the mailbox
27. Fresh-swabbed ears
28. A casual, swinging skirt
29. Travel plans
30. Fingernails all at the same length

A Broken Muse

My muse is broken. My muse comes in human form. My muse has left me due to distance, circumstance and irreconcilable differences, or something like that. No, my husband is not my muse, although that would be rather convenient, wouldn’t it?

This human had a way of bringing out the charisma, the passion, the impulsive spirit of my creative talents. She somehow vitalized me in a way that hasn’t been replicated before or since. It was nothing she really did or said, it was just her aura and her arousing spirit that somehow affected me to the soul, took my muse by hand, and opened her up to the sunlight.

I read a quote that had me thinking about that elusive muse. I get the Daily Om newsletter which had a quote today that struck me: “If you surround yourself with people who support you, keep a pen and paper handy, immerse yourself in culture, and brainstorm frequently, you will soon reconnect with your muse.” I love this idea! Immerse yourself in culture? It’s so true. Whenever I am surrounded by art and ideas, I myself start to bud new little ideas. Some of my best work was woven between the demands of full-time work, full-time college and other extra-curricular activities. All that responsibility is actually fuel. Stories seeped through the textbook chapters and the backs of all my notebooks were scribbled with snippets for songs, short stories and poems.

Surrounding yourself with people who support you is 100% essential as well. On the other hand, people who don’t support you will stifle the poo out of you. That’s one of the worst characteristics of a friend or family member, when they don’t support you, because there’s no excuse for stealing someone’s spirit.

So, as I go in search of a new muse, I will give these tactics a try. Perhaps I can take the proactive approach and create the muse with my own two hands, figuratively speaking. (I guess that means I should leave the cliches in the wind!)

As a side, I’m writing about chocolate before lunch–someone help me!

High Rollin’ on Skates

I’ve decided that today, a cross training day, will be dedicated to roller blades. The weather is finally shaping up and I have a pair of shiny new skates in the attic that have been waiting to come out of hiding. I bought them just as it was getting cold and snowy. So, I did a little research on roller blade workouts, because I don’t want to sell my workout short. Here are some different moves that I’ve come across that I might try when no one’s looking:

1. In N Out: While skating, get into squat position. From there, move legs out wide, bring them in and repeat.

2. One-legged In N Out: Same as In N Out, except move only one leg out to the side at a time during each rep.

3. Riding backwards: Basically the same as In N Out, just propelling yourself backwards.

4. Leg lifts: Grab a bench or tree for balance. Since the skates provide extra resistance, leg lifts to the side get an extra push.

5. Rear leg lift: Same as above; use skate for resistance and lift one leg behind you.

I found a whole lot more intricate moves as well that I am not even going to attempt. Even just braking is going to take some getting used to again. We’ll work on the more coordinated dance steps some other time:)

Class and Poise

I have been thinking more and more lately about what demonstrating a little bit of class does for your image. I’ve quoted Vonnegut before, but one of the lines from Slaughterhouse-Five that struck me the most was, when you stop taking care of yourself you die.

While I think it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, I also think that the way you appear has a lot to do with people’s perception of you anyway. When I was a teenager, I thought I’d get more attention by walking around with a grimace on my face while wearing unexpected clothing. Cuz that’s what teenagers do. I thought that if people were going to judge me by my outer appearance, then I didn’t need to be their friend.

Well, that didn’t work so much to my favor of course. It’s taken years of observing and growing up to understand that radiant smiles, classy understated clothes, polite “thank yous,” and clean fingernails work miracles for your image and identity. People that practice that are the ones who get the attention. All it takes is a little posture control, a little purpose in your step and an up-kept brow line to turn you from dowdy to wowwy, from a whisper to an exclamation. Well, maybe not that dramatic, but you get the picture.

When you take notice of this principle of class and poise, you start to see it in progress everywhere you look. You read about it, picture it and see it taking place in person. There are some examples that stick plainly in my mind. I remember visiting a church where the preacher talked about being advised to leave his hands out of his pockets because holding your hands in your pockets gives off an air of apathy and sloppiness. I remember my grandma telling me about my uncle’s firm where they interview people over lunch and determine employability by the person’s table manners. I remember reading a small biography of Jackie O where I came across a passage about how her family made up their own family tree despite working class roots and simply believed themselves into their stature.

It takes mere seconds for people to judge you just by your body language. And for some good reason. If you care enough about yourself to wear crisp clothes and keep your hands moisturized, you’re probably a great job candidate who takes their job seriously. If you’re dishevelled, this might reflect upon your desirability as a roommate. I think you start to lose a little bit of yourself when you stop taking care of your body.

Now, I’m not talking about being some high maintenance superficial diva, I’m just talking about a little bit of poise and daily grooming. If you want to be successful, you have to look and feel the part. Or at least fake it till you make it. You might feel like an impostor inside, but if you pull your shoulders back, you’ll instantly feel a bit of heightened confidence and stature.

Breaking out the Bento

So, I’ve read about Bento boxes at least twice in the last few weeks. I wonder if they could be making headway into mainstream American society if the momentum keeps building.

The concept makes a whole lot of sense. You have a lunchbox that is partitioned into several different compartments. You fill the compartments with your lunch. You have built-in portion control, you incorporate a variety of food groups/colors into your meals, and it’s all in one spot–there’s only one dish to pack/clean. Instead of trying to eyeball or remember how much of your plate should be full of veggies and protein and so on, you need only let the Bento do it for you. Not only that, but brown-bagging it is an environmentally- and wallet-friendly way to do lunch.

Me likey.

I was thinking that without having to go out and buy a new lunchbox, I could easily incorporate the principles of the Bento box into my own lunch-making. I could just grab my measuring cups and find out exactly how much food fits into my most-used Tupperware dishes. Then, I could determine what portions of fruits, veggies, carbs, protein, etc I need for lunch and plan accordingly. If I already know which dish holds the standard 1/2-cup of cottage cheese, I won’t have to play any nutritional guessing games when I’m rushing around in the morning.