Knock, Knock

Yesterday afternoon I sat at my computer watching The Biggest Loser, episode 1 of season who-the-heck-knows-anymore. I love this show! I recently had a skinny man tell me that he thought the show was horrible and that the fat people were treated poorly. Um, NO-YOU DO NOT GET A SAY IN THIS-YOU ARE SKINNY (and have never, ever been fat by the way). So, if you are skinny and have never been 100+ pounds overweight, don't bother telling me how TBL is a horrible show, capitalizing on the obesity epidemic in America. I can't hear you! I'm covering my ears, "la la la la la la!"

Anyway, I sat watching the show with my bowl of ice cream and three cookies. At some point I got completely emotional and was seriously crying, no weeping, as I brought yet another spoonful of ice cream to my lips.

No the irony is not lost on me.

Then a knock came at my door. I wasn't expecting anyone and I really didn't feel like getting my butt up off the chair....but the knocking got louder and louder and louder until finally I said, "WHAT???"

And there, in front of me, were all my excuses from the past six months piled high, coming back to bite me in the rear end.

The pile was huge! Let me enumerate:

1. I don't want to pay for the gym. The only gym in town is grody and I hate it. So, if I am going to pay for a gym, it's not going to be that one and the next closest gym is 7 miles away and I do not want to drive all that way in the snow at 6 a.m. on winter mornings! (there may be more than one excuse here...)

2. No one will work out with me. I lost my most consistent work out partner a couple years back when I went back to school and she had to find another partner/partners. She works out at the church now MWF w/ some other chicas......which brings me to my next excuse.....

3. I can't work out at 9 a.m. I have to work-work, and I need to be clocked in then.

4. I don't want to work out at home. I hate getting all dressed in my work-out clothes and getting all sweaty in my family room. Yuck!

5. H. does workouts by himself, harder than I can do, so I can't work out with him!

The other night I told H. I was going to need to buy myself a Wii. I've wanted one for a while, but only for the workout capability. I told him I needed to get back to working out. He invited me to join him and I invoke excuse #5, telling him "I need my own motivation!"

And this is where my excuses get a little tricky......I wanted to buy a Wii....to work out at home....wait a minute, doesn't that violate excuse #4?

Honestly people, it was like my excuse world just came tumbling through my door, big, hairy, and ugly.

So last night I tell H., I'm getting up tomorrow morning and I'm going to work out to my 30-Day Shred video by Jillian, level 1.

He says, "ok."

I look at him defiantly.

He says, "because you need your own motivation?"

I look at him more defiantly and say, "yes!"

He gets a bemused look on his face and wisely turns away and never says another word.

I renewed my BodyBugg subscription (9.95/month), found the cord that powers up the Bugg (because it has been dying slowly in a drawer for months), download the latest version of the software (because it has been a VERY long time since I documented my calorie intake/output and apparently there is a new version), and I set my alarm for 6:30.

I woke up 3 times last night in anticipation, not wanting to miss the alarm. At one point it was so light in my room I was sure I had missed my alarm. Then when I looked at my clock it said 3:30. I was like, "what the???" Then realized the TV had been left on all night.

At 6:30 I got up. I dressed. I put my hair up. I had a few swigs of water. I turned on Jillian and away we went.

Now its 7:46. I've exercised, showered, dressed, made lunches for the kiddos, and am now blogging. I'm a little behind on my clock in for work, but I have a fluid job that way.

Now for a description of what the exercise felt like.

Pure and unadulterated HELL. Yep, my own personal version of the telestial kingdom on earth. My body hurts, I ache all over, I want to return to bed. I am slumped over and hung low.

The video lasts for all of 22 minutes. I'm not kidding.

When I had to "run" downstairs to fetch my clean clothes, I could barely hobble down and then back up? Oh man, that was a nightmare.

It will take approximately 2 weeks to go from feeling like a weakling to feeling like exercise is actually empowering me, at least physically.

But mentally and emotionally, I feel better already.

Did you know that on this season of TBL that they made the contestants weigh in before they went to "the ranch," in front of their friends, family, and home towns? Yes, a scale with a big nasty number on it for all the world to see.

I'm seriously considering it.