Today I laced up my walking shoes and chose the most gorgeous February day to kick-start a 2 week trial-workout plan. I've been painfully aware lately that my jeans are a little snugger around the middle and my favorite sweater dresses are packin' a little more heat in the booty department. I've heard its normal to pack on a little bit of a love layer shortly after getting married but I always thought I was disciplined enough to be the kind of girl that continued taking care of myself regardless of the circumstances. Sad to say, this hasn't been the case.
I started running in college. I was a gym rat as a teen but wasn't brave enough to hit the track and treadmill until I found my comfort zone in UREC where I fell in love with the runner's high. I don't claim to be fast or especially gifted in any way. I've done a couple of races and earned some fun t-shirts, but I know I'm never going to be fast. I've been pleased with myself for finishing a race running and shaving a little time off of my last race. Tory lovingly picks on my awkward gait which I know is awful from the few times I've watched video footage of myself in a race. I don't have a runner's body, my butt jiggles and my boobs practically need a straight jacket to be contained. But I liked to run. It was challenging and gave me a great adrenaline rush. I also liked running because it seemed to be the great equalizer in athleticism. Running is free. It doesn't require expensive lessons or equipment. You don't even need shoes, if you buy into that run free school-of-thought. Anyone with a pair of legs and somewhere to go can hit the road and run. Hell, you don't even need a pair of your own legs, the Army 10 miler taught me that. You can run for miles on the road, in the trees, along the beach, the VA Beach Rock N Roll half marathon taught me that. You can run in the sleet and snow with jingle bells on your shoelaces and finish behind black Jesus and cookies n milk, the Jingle All The Way 10k taught me that one. Running is a no-charge, exhilirating, free, and simple way to keep yourself healthy, get some fresh air, relieve stress.
So I liked running, Liked. Past tense. Somewhere inside myself I still think I like running. But right now, running is the last thing I want to do. I have such a strong distaste for running that in the last several months I have avoided exercise and the gym all together. There were spurts where I tried using cardio equipment. Then I tried just strength training. Sometimes I counted walking the dog as my workout of the week. Eventually, I just gave up.
Now, I'm ready to hit the road again. But I think I'll hit the ground walking. Today I started a short-term workout plan that I think I can stick to. It's a 2-week walking and strength program to get me moving again. I think I'd be ok running again. I could lay down a few miles (surely much slower than usual), if I was motivated. But I think I need to try something with staying-power and a goal that is easily within my reach to get me going again. I think if I start running again right now, I'll end up finding any excuse under the sun to avoid the workout all together. So I'm walking.
Check out my workout plan here and wish me luck. I need to find my stride again.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
XX vs XY
There are a great many things that separate women from men: our views on drying laundry, our opinions on how often the sheets should be changed, our shopping needs, our chromosomes, and most importantly: our feelings regarding the bouquet/garter toss. Exhibit A, DeLong Wedding:
Women
 |
| Children hoisted in the air, arms, out-stretched, possible body check, diving catch) |
Men
 |
| " Oh crap, here it comes." "Look what I found!" |
Side Note: The garter catcher and the almost-bouquet catcher are getting married in June! There really is magic in the toss! :)
Just sayin, I'm suuuper pumped for wedding season to kick off with showers and celebrations starting just next month! 2012 is going to be a good year for weddings. Called it.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Love Letter
Dear Friends,
As a married gal, I have acquired a new, wonderful love and appreciation for you. The women in my life have become even more valuable, priceless treasures since I said my i-dos 9 months ago. I have learned that the special effort that it takes to maintain relationships is more worth it now than it has been in the past how-ever-many-years-I've-known-you. I hope you know much your reciprocation has affected me and how much it makes me want to be a good, or even better friend to you. In case you didn't know, I wanted to tell you all...
I love you for our dinners. Whether you're cooking, I'm cooking, or some unknown cook in a restaurant kitchen is doing it, I love how we've bonded over food and, frequently, wine or cocktails. Thank you for sharing recipes with me. Food is like an heirloom to me, I can't tell you how many times I eat different foods and think of you all. I hope I always do. And thanks for taking me to new restaurants and fun spots. T and I are creatures of habit, so it's rare that I get to try something like Greek Tapas or (gasp) a wine bar! I am glad I get to explore these places with you.
I love you for sharing cheesy TV shows with me, laughing when I am mean or slightly judgemental, and dare-i-say adding your own judgemental commentary to mine. I admit that my criticism is an unattractive character flaw of mine, but it makes me feel accepted when I am allowed to make fun of rediculous people on TV and even more accepted when you're ok with it and add your own 2 cents. Thanks for encouraging my bad behavior, I mean that sincerely, because ranting about TV stars is my way of avoiding ranting about the real-life people I deal with, even though I know I do my fair share of that too. And while we are talking about TV, thanks for getting soaked into the pathetic drama of Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, and The Bachelor with me. I realize that it's absurd to feel any attachment to the fictional characters on these TV shows (even the half-fictional ones on the Bachelor), so thanks for meeting me in fantasy land and getting involved with me.
I love you for sort-of breaking the law with me to talk about crap that happens at work. I guess it's not really illegal, especially if you happen to be living it too, but I am sure it's frowned upon. Few people in my life really get what I do and what happens at my job on a daily basis. I count my lucky stars that I have at least 1 person that gets it and has even better stories than me most days. For the record, I love my girls who don't really know what goes into the day-to-day but listen to my stories with horror, laughter, and sympathy too. Just your "listening ears" mean so much to me. I am also happy to listen to your frustration with your different types of jobs too. It fascinates me that most people in the work force work in a world of adults and not toddlers. I really do like hearing about that world.
I love you for confiding in me. It means a lot to me that you trust me to share your thoughts, secrets, and insights. I don't take it for granted and I never want to lose the trust you have in me. I've heard some hum-dingers in my 25 1/2 years, but nothing I've heard has done anything to change my love and respect for you. I hope you all know that in confiding with me, you will not be met with judgement. I might give some unsolicited advice (another unflattering character flaw and side-effect of big-sisterly-ness, I am told), but I hope you know it is coming from a loving place. I am sorry if it is annoying. I am becoming more and more aware of it, and I am really making an active effort to nix the habit, but holy moly is it against my nature to keep my mouth shut.
I really love you for letting me continue to talk about my wedding 9 months later. Even when we are actually talking about your future weddings. That must take a lot of patience- but thats another part of why I adore you, my friends, you're patient. Know that I will listen to stories about your wedding for years and years after it has passed. Wedding-talk, in most cases, is just evidence of how completely happy someone is to have made the leap of faith with someone else. If you're that happy about being married or getting married, tell me! Hell, tell whoever will listen. That kind of happiness is a blessing, keep it alive.
There are so many other reasons that I love you ladies. Truthfully, most of them are far too personal to post in cyber space and risk the world (or maybe like 15 people) reading. Really though, the purpose of this letter, friends of mine, is just to let you know that I appreciate you, even in these little ways. Some I have known for a gazillion years, some since college, some since the real-world. I've lived with some of you, near some of you, and some of you are an entire country away from me. Some of you are family, but all of you might as well be. We all seem to be in different places in our lives: single, dating, engaged, married, mothers...some of us love our jobs, hate our jobs, or are apathetic, we seem to always be moving and changing, but I am glad that we are close and extremely grateful to have the chance to stay that way.
Thank you for being wonderfully, undeniably special people. I am so blessed to have you all, and while I really like the idea of "livin' on love," having such meaningful women in my life has made me realize that there's more to it than that.
Love,
Amanda
P.S. While writing this post, "Where I Land" by JJ Heller came on my Pandora. And since I sometimes think it's funny to speak in "twitter" even though I don't have the first clue how to tweet... #appropriate. (#ilovethehashtag).
As a married gal, I have acquired a new, wonderful love and appreciation for you. The women in my life have become even more valuable, priceless treasures since I said my i-dos 9 months ago. I have learned that the special effort that it takes to maintain relationships is more worth it now than it has been in the past how-ever-many-years-I've-known-you. I hope you know much your reciprocation has affected me and how much it makes me want to be a good, or even better friend to you. In case you didn't know, I wanted to tell you all...
I love you for our dinners. Whether you're cooking, I'm cooking, or some unknown cook in a restaurant kitchen is doing it, I love how we've bonded over food and, frequently, wine or cocktails. Thank you for sharing recipes with me. Food is like an heirloom to me, I can't tell you how many times I eat different foods and think of you all. I hope I always do. And thanks for taking me to new restaurants and fun spots. T and I are creatures of habit, so it's rare that I get to try something like Greek Tapas or (gasp) a wine bar! I am glad I get to explore these places with you.
I love you for sharing cheesy TV shows with me, laughing when I am mean or slightly judgemental, and dare-i-say adding your own judgemental commentary to mine. I admit that my criticism is an unattractive character flaw of mine, but it makes me feel accepted when I am allowed to make fun of rediculous people on TV and even more accepted when you're ok with it and add your own 2 cents. Thanks for encouraging my bad behavior, I mean that sincerely, because ranting about TV stars is my way of avoiding ranting about the real-life people I deal with, even though I know I do my fair share of that too. And while we are talking about TV, thanks for getting soaked into the pathetic drama of Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, and The Bachelor with me. I realize that it's absurd to feel any attachment to the fictional characters on these TV shows (even the half-fictional ones on the Bachelor), so thanks for meeting me in fantasy land and getting involved with me.
I love you for sort-of breaking the law with me to talk about crap that happens at work. I guess it's not really illegal, especially if you happen to be living it too, but I am sure it's frowned upon. Few people in my life really get what I do and what happens at my job on a daily basis. I count my lucky stars that I have at least 1 person that gets it and has even better stories than me most days. For the record, I love my girls who don't really know what goes into the day-to-day but listen to my stories with horror, laughter, and sympathy too. Just your "listening ears" mean so much to me. I am also happy to listen to your frustration with your different types of jobs too. It fascinates me that most people in the work force work in a world of adults and not toddlers. I really do like hearing about that world.
I love you for confiding in me. It means a lot to me that you trust me to share your thoughts, secrets, and insights. I don't take it for granted and I never want to lose the trust you have in me. I've heard some hum-dingers in my 25 1/2 years, but nothing I've heard has done anything to change my love and respect for you. I hope you all know that in confiding with me, you will not be met with judgement. I might give some unsolicited advice (another unflattering character flaw and side-effect of big-sisterly-ness, I am told), but I hope you know it is coming from a loving place. I am sorry if it is annoying. I am becoming more and more aware of it, and I am really making an active effort to nix the habit, but holy moly is it against my nature to keep my mouth shut.
I really love you for letting me continue to talk about my wedding 9 months later. Even when we are actually talking about your future weddings. That must take a lot of patience- but thats another part of why I adore you, my friends, you're patient. Know that I will listen to stories about your wedding for years and years after it has passed. Wedding-talk, in most cases, is just evidence of how completely happy someone is to have made the leap of faith with someone else. If you're that happy about being married or getting married, tell me! Hell, tell whoever will listen. That kind of happiness is a blessing, keep it alive.
 |
| most (but not all) of you are in at least 1 of these pictures... |
 |
| which means you were at the wedding I can't stop talking about ;) |
There are so many other reasons that I love you ladies. Truthfully, most of them are far too personal to post in cyber space and risk the world (or maybe like 15 people) reading. Really though, the purpose of this letter, friends of mine, is just to let you know that I appreciate you, even in these little ways. Some I have known for a gazillion years, some since college, some since the real-world. I've lived with some of you, near some of you, and some of you are an entire country away from me. Some of you are family, but all of you might as well be. We all seem to be in different places in our lives: single, dating, engaged, married, mothers...some of us love our jobs, hate our jobs, or are apathetic, we seem to always be moving and changing, but I am glad that we are close and extremely grateful to have the chance to stay that way.
Thank you for being wonderfully, undeniably special people. I am so blessed to have you all, and while I really like the idea of "livin' on love," having such meaningful women in my life has made me realize that there's more to it than that.
Love,
Amanda
P.S. While writing this post, "Where I Land" by JJ Heller came on my Pandora. And since I sometimes think it's funny to speak in "twitter" even though I don't have the first clue how to tweet... #appropriate. (#ilovethehashtag).
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