The Reluctant Athlete: An Aside to My Aside

Posting a day late because I opted to go to dinner with my mom last night instead of staring a computer while I moved my fingers to make these black squiggly symbols appear. (When people tell me I spend too much time thinking about random things, I get confused as to why they don't. How amazing are we as people? How incredible that years and years of the evolution of our species has not only produced a brain capable of thinking of and discussing abstract thoughts, but that we can look at a scribble and recognise it as that thought. It is amazing that thousands of years ago, something in our evolution made that possible. How can people not find that amazing and worthy of pondering?!? Anyway, I digress... like normal.)

They are squiggles on a page but they MEAN SOMETHING TO US!
How is that not amazing?

I had a topic I wanted to discuss this week - why is there always that one person who seems to delight in you not losing weight? And why do I have to work with her where I see her on a regular basis? And why can't I punch that smirk off her face after she looks me up and down once then snidely asks "how's the weight-loss going?" And is it rude for me to counter with a once-over glance and then reply "apparently better than yours, you fat gloating bitch"? I'm guessing 'yes' on that last question which is why I haven't done it - but it's Friday night and I have to go in to work tomorrow morning because I didn't want to stay late tonight. I mean, hello! It's Friday!! What sort of sadomasochist works overtime on a Friday? At least by going in on Saturday there will be a) no one there and b) a fresh cup of coffee. No one there and a big cup of coffee is best way to get work done.

Or maybe I'll just make a drum-kit out of office supplies.

Weight-loss is still on track but I have been slacking on the physical movement side of it. My only saving grace is that I have been walking a lot between our two buildings. It's not like I'm walking between the Shire and Mordor, but making the trek back and forth a couple times a day means that my usually sedentary work-life hasn't completely derailed me. My goal for the coming week is to actually schedule some evening physical activity.

Fall is definitely here so there is a good chance that some of that activity may be jogging. I straight up confess that I hate jogging/running/moving-slightly-faster-than-walking in the summer but I enjoy it once fall returns.

Run Batman!

How Long Would the Movies Have Been If Frodo and Sam Were Out Of Shape?

I don't have a car. I live a 20 minute walk from downtown and my work and easy access to major bus routes mere metres from my front door. The lack of a car has never been a huge issue. However, it means that getting from the bus stop to my gym means a 10 minute walk up a fairly steep hill.

It looks just like Mt. Doom in the background there complete with lava.
Honest!

The first time Katie and I arrived at the bottom of the hill, I almost turned around right then and there. I highly doubted that kickboxing would be worth climbing that hill every time we came. While I quickly learned that kickboxing was worth it, it didn't stop either of us from saying a word that rhymes with puck every time we reached the foot of it. When we were really lucky, a fellow gym-goer would pass in her car and offer us a lift before we reached the hill. I'm not going to lie, I love those nights!

Between the illness and car rides, I had managed to avoid the hill for a good two months.  I had almost forgotten just how much I hated it. Then on Tuesday night, I had to face the hill. I was meeting Katie at class which meant I could catch the early bus after work. It also meant there was zero chance a fellow gym-goer would be driving by at that time.

Actually, you kind of do, Boromir.

I cringed when I saw the hill. It is the Newman to my Seinfeld, the cylon to my Adama, the cilantro to my any-food-people-mistakenly-think-tastes-better-with-cilantro, and I hate it with a passion.  I cursed Katie and I started my long trudge up the damn thing.

And it was easy.

I was still huffing when I reached the top but I didn't have to stop to catch my breath.  In fact, I was moving at almost the same speed I had on the flat parts of the road. I was proud of myself and I texted Katie to tell her I had made the hill my witch... or something like that.

It can be hard to remember to celebrate the little victories on the road to fitness when you have a long way to go. You lost 5lbs? Great. Now go lose that other extra 85 you're packing around with you. It takes moments like this to remind me that I am making progress.

That was the night I realised my rib cage below my chest is smaller than when I started. That was the night that I upped my weights. That was the night I noticed my upper arms don't jiggle as much when I shake them. That was the night I did a combined total of 15 minutes worth of burpees (before switching to skipping for the last five rounds because burpees just suck). That was the night my trainer stopped giving me an alternative to chin ups and just made me do them.

That was the night I conquered my Mt. Doom.

I am becoming a healthier, fitter me and this hill is proof of it.

No Question today. I just want to bask in my own awesomeness for a little while longer.