Finding your Balance

In response to Daily Post Snark Bombs, Away!

It appears that our society is now ruled by extremists. Either you are extremely active and annoy everyone with your never-ending stories about the benefits of going to the gym and eating healthy and so on and so forth or you are a couch potato and eat like a crazy person.

They both annoy me. For the first group I have the following words:

• No, I don’t want your pills or crazy milkshakes!
• Running is not a new thing. I know it’s totally the hip thing to do now, but seriously, people ran before.
• STOP with the granola and Muesli and stuff. If you like it fine. But it won’t save the world, you know?
• I don’t want to check your photos while crouching. You look like you’re taking a dump.
• I don’t care how many steps you did today or how many miles you ran. That’s your thing, not mine.

For the second group:

• How lazy can you be that you have to take the car everywhere, even when going to the grocery next door?
• You have time to cook properly. Come on. There are healthy foods that are faster to do than grabbing take out.
• It won’t kill you to go to the gym or do some kind of sport once in a while.
• If you have time to rant about people who spend all their time in the gym, you have time to move yourself, before you become stuck to the sofa.
• Instead of taking the elevator, use the stairs use in a while. They’re friendly!

Balance is the key. You don’t need to become a Gym/Healthy maniac but please don’t be the exact opposite.

Take care of yourself. Run, walk your dog, go to the gym, eat healthy enough.

Originally posted on our late: https://letsmeetatstarbucks.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/finding-your-balance/

Gym Week 4

Technically it should be Week 5, but last week the only exercise that I did was driving my car through traffic.

Yesterday I went back to action and while I was on the elliptic bike trying to look half decent and not like someone who was dying of too much effort , I realized that I now belong to the group of people who go to the gym with make up on.

I always made fun of these women, who dress neatly, have a perfect make up and don’t break a sweat while doing the roughest of exercises. Now I am one of them. Well, truthfully, I dress like a slob with a big t-shirt and always black pants. I also look like I fell into a lake by being too drunk, why my red face and dripping hair. But, yeah I have my make up on!

Which actually makes it worse, because when I clean the sweat I smear my eye make up and end up looking like a clown….or worse:

 

NOTE TO SELF: Even though you go to the gym directly from work, you need to remember to remove your make up before you start your work out. You are not one of the cool girls!

Gym Week 3

Congratulations are in order! I’ve been going to the gym regularly. Well twice a week…but still! YEAH ME!

Yesterday I went to a cycle class and I thought I would die there. It’s wasn’t because of the physical effort. That was fine. But everything else was crazy.

The music was so loud I could barely think.

The trainer yelled so much I thought she was having a seizure and she needed our help.

She also wasn’t aware that if she has a microphone on, she probably shouldn’t be near a loud-speaker. The screeching noises from the Audio feedback don’t make me pedal faster.

So, I left there feeling like my ears were bleeding. Next time I will try another trainer or just ride a bike outside!

Since becoming a regular attendant of the gym I noticed a strange phenomenon. All of the people there are friends! They go to the same classes, they are Facebook buddies and they are all into the healthy business.

I feel like the intruder there. Which is fine, I don’t mind. But how the hell so many people have time to go to that many classes per week, and at 11 AM?! There are not so many people unemployed that can actually afford the gym, not with part-time jobs….or are they?

There goes my hero, Watch him as he goes!

Whenever I have to be at work at 7 AM, I take it as a huge effort from my part to get up and get ready so early. I don’t even eat breakfast because I know that I will probably fall asleep. So I drink my coffee, get dressed and try to find my car in the parking lot without using a flashlight.

I sit in the driver’s place and try to find the courage to use the key. Then I look around and see people running ( or jogging… I don’t actually know the difference). Who the hell gets up at 6 AM to run?! I can barely open my eyes, but there they are, running around happily.

If people find the will to do this, I think they can do everything. They are my heroes. Now I need to go get another cup of coffee because I am still not awake.

Gym is tiring

Last week was a week to forget. I’m not sure I was down because I became a year older or if it was just some Autumn tiredness. I get like that sometimes. But this week I’m trying to return to my usual self. And also to my skinnier self, so I went again to the gym (I’m not going to win any golden star for my attendance record).

I went to some machines and just watched some News on the TV, while doing the exercises. I like to pretend that I actually care about the stock market fluctuation, as I work in that field. I don’t give a rat’s arse actually, but that’s for another post altogether.

After sweating for a while, I went to a class. It was all about localized work. I started off great. Even better than some of my classmates. And then I felt dizzy and had to stop. I sat down on the floor with the bottle of water in my hand wishing that no one noticed me. I’m not sure if they did at first, but after the trainer got next to me to help me, it was a sure thing.

I rested for about 5 minutes and started to do the exercises slowly again. I was able to finish the workout and I felt really proud.

I woke up the next day almost not able to move myself. That was 2 days ago. Today my legs still hurt a lot. I was thinking of going again tomorrow to do some Pilates, but I think that if I go, someone will have to help me to get out of some positions.

There is a thin line that separates persistance and pure humiliation.

Gym Day 1

Today was my first day at the new gym and I feel like a champion. I didn’t pass out!

On my last gym, that first day was quite memorable. I was doing a class where it was only for legs. No music, no dance moves, nothing. I didn’t last 15 minutes. I had to lie down on the floor and the trainer had to grab a glass of water and sugar. It was a great day, where everybody learned my name. I was amazed that I even came back on the following day.

But today I was able to stand my ground and lasted the entire class. It was only the introductory class, where the Personal Trainer does a bunch of tests to ensure that you won’t drop dead in the middle of their shifts and then showed me how to use the machines. Nonetheless I tested all of the machines and I was able to speak afterwards!

Ahhhhh I feel great. I’m just trying to forget that the trainer told me that my body is actually 8 years older than me. Today I don’t care 😀

Goodbye Summer

Against all odds…

I am, once again a proud member of a gym. In the past 10 years, I have annually joined a gym and end up quitting. Every time I quit I promise myself that I will not join another one, because I need to remember that I can’t keep up with the training schedule. And every time that I feel fat, I forget all of that and think I can do it!

And I probably will, for some months and then quit again…