No, it's not a post about pole dance classes, even though they are supposed to be incredibly fun and a killer workout. I was originally planning on writing about something completely different today, but as I started writing the following is what came out instead. I find it interesting that this happens on occasion when blogging, that sometimes the posts that you start out writing change entirely and new ideas come seemingly out of nowhere and write themselves.
Still, I didn't really think too much of it. I was too busy enjoying my new friends. Going out to listen to jazz, or enjoy a coffee was far more enjoyable than worrying about how I looked. I'll never forget the moment I realized that something had to be done. I was sitting in a theatre with a couple of friends. Feeling a little cramped I tried to cross my legs. I couldn't. Hmmm. The ankle resting on the other knee would have to do, I thought. But there really wasn't enough room for that. Hmph. What was I supposed to do? Well, besides shifting uncomfortably on occasion there really wasn't much that I could do. I made it through the movie, and that night I remember looking at myself in the mirror. Really looking at myself in the mirror. Seeing where the white sweater I was wearing pulled in the wrong places, and noticing for the first time just where my pants were too tight. Yikes. This was not how I envisioned myself. Really wanting to continue this wake-up call, I weighed myself the next morning. 148. How could I be 148? Shocked by the number I felt the call to action.
My closest friend at that time is a huge part of my first success story. We went to step class together, went on epic, hard core bike rides together and went to the gym together. We sweated, laughed and cried together. She made me keep going in class when my face was beet red and my hair was soaked with sweat. She was a pretty sweater, and I looked like ass. I can just see her perfect hair in a perfect pony tail, perfectly out of her face. I can see my short, blazing dyed red hair sticking up everywhere that it precisely shouldn't, the absolute picture of anti-perfection. It didn't matter. She made me realize it didn't matter how I looked while I was exercising. That the results were far more important than the few minutes of looking like a blotchy, perspiring, purple faced crazy woman. We lost weight and gained confidence together. It was the perfect taste of health that I needed. It was the beginning of my journeys to and from, and back to being fit.
There have been many ups and downs over the past decade. I did a mini du-athalon. I wore my first bikini as an adult and a crazy small cover up on an epic trip to California. I realized just how much I like poutine. I love wine and beer. I discovered that I'm a fairly good cook. I met the man that I will spend the rest of my life with. Sweat pants and movies in really are a wonderful way to spend an evening. I got busy with life, my bike got stolen, and exercise became a part of my past. I walk mostly everywhere, and quickly too since I'm usually running late, but real, sweating, hard, kicking ass exercise kind of left my life for about a decade.
It feels right that as HTB and I are about to start the next chapter of our lives together exercise is making another appearance for both of us. We've enjoyed doing yoga occasionally for the past year and going for fresh, long walks in the park by our little place. It feels like it's a natural progression for both of us to want to take it up another notch now. HTB tried out the gym by our home yesterday, and is thinking about joining. I've joined mine, and am eager to start beet-red faced, sweating again this week. I discovered yesterday that the Wii is even more challenging when I added free weights to the squats and lunges, and I'm now able to do 12 good form, crazy man style, push-ups in a row. I'm back down to my lowest weight yet since I started my affair with the scale last month- 148.6. I did not buy zesty cheese Doritos yesterday at the grocery store, even though HTB had to stand between me and them to break the MSG craving trance I was in. Thank you, HTB. Decisions about what to eat, (or what not to drink!) are getting easier, and the exercise results are slowly becoming more and more visible, which just makes both HTB and I more inspired to work out and eat well. Admittedly, having less than 6 weeks to go until we're in Mexico helps too!!
What motivated you to start exercising? What motivates you to keep exercising? What are your favourite forms of exercise? I hope you join me this week for more Going for Granite adventures, including my favourite, easy to make soup recipe, and a post about the most seriously amazing sports bra ever!
