I want to preface this blog by saying: I grew up in Wyoming where we still have glaciers. I know cold. I know bone aching cold. I don't like it. It's one of the reasons I moved to Tucson Az after I graduated from college. It's also why I moved to the Caribbean when I was 30. I don't like cold.
Living in Germany has been a challenge for my poor bones, my arthritic knees, and my sunny disposition. It's dark here, it's cloudy here, and it's rainy and windy here. A lot! Recently though we've gotten snow. Beautiful big piles of snow. My dog, loves the snow. Loves to run, dash, play, and roll in the snow. I don't really mind the snow: so long as I'm curled up on the sofa under a blanket drinking a hot toddy. In truth, I do enjoy outdoor activities that you can do in the snow: skiing, sledding, winter treks, and whatnot. I do not enjoy driving in the snow, trying to park in the snow, scraping the ice off my car, or loading a ton of boot camp equipment in and out of the car in the snow. YUK!
A huge part of me wishes I could be a super cheery aerobics girl and shout about how wonderful it all is and wow, how many calories I burnt shoveling snow. But guess what, I hate shoveling snow.
I sound like a grouch don't I?
Well, I am a grouch sometimes. I don't always feel like getting up early and going to workout, or spin, or be positive. Sometimes, a lot of times, I want to grouch and grump and feel sorry for myself. I want to whine about missing the sunshine and remember good things like having a barbecue in February or laying out by the pool in December. I want to stick out my lip, stomp my feet, and feel sorry for myself.
And sometimes I do.
Then I talk myself out of it. I look at myself in the mirror and say "Self, you have every reason not to. You have every reason to give up, stop trying, and let yourself be comfortable. Most people do just that. You are not most people. You are working on yourself. You are a work in progress. Get up, get out, leave your stinky whiny feeling sorry for yourself thoughts and move forward. Don't let the old unhappy Jen win this. Be strong, have faith in yourself, and lift something heavy."
You know what, usually it works. Today, I did a hard hour in the gym. It was just me, the weights, and a Glee soundtrack. I worked back and biceps. I lifted heavier then I did last week, and I liked the sweat running down the small of my back. Maybe it was Rachel and Finn singing goofy upbeat love songs, maybe it was seeing those 2.5 pound plates on the barbell row.
Whatever it was. It fed the strong confident part of me. I'm closer to my goals now then I was a few hours ago. I'm proud of me.
Take that snow!
(Jackson Hole Wyoming)
Living in Germany has been a challenge for my poor bones, my arthritic knees, and my sunny disposition. It's dark here, it's cloudy here, and it's rainy and windy here. A lot! Recently though we've gotten snow. Beautiful big piles of snow. My dog, loves the snow. Loves to run, dash, play, and roll in the snow. I don't really mind the snow: so long as I'm curled up on the sofa under a blanket drinking a hot toddy. In truth, I do enjoy outdoor activities that you can do in the snow: skiing, sledding, winter treks, and whatnot. I do not enjoy driving in the snow, trying to park in the snow, scraping the ice off my car, or loading a ton of boot camp equipment in and out of the car in the snow. YUK!
A huge part of me wishes I could be a super cheery aerobics girl and shout about how wonderful it all is and wow, how many calories I burnt shoveling snow. But guess what, I hate shoveling snow.
I sound like a grouch don't I?
Well, I am a grouch sometimes. I don't always feel like getting up early and going to workout, or spin, or be positive. Sometimes, a lot of times, I want to grouch and grump and feel sorry for myself. I want to whine about missing the sunshine and remember good things like having a barbecue in February or laying out by the pool in December. I want to stick out my lip, stomp my feet, and feel sorry for myself.
And sometimes I do.
Then I talk myself out of it. I look at myself in the mirror and say "Self, you have every reason not to. You have every reason to give up, stop trying, and let yourself be comfortable. Most people do just that. You are not most people. You are working on yourself. You are a work in progress. Get up, get out, leave your stinky whiny feeling sorry for yourself thoughts and move forward. Don't let the old unhappy Jen win this. Be strong, have faith in yourself, and lift something heavy."
You know what, usually it works. Today, I did a hard hour in the gym. It was just me, the weights, and a Glee soundtrack. I worked back and biceps. I lifted heavier then I did last week, and I liked the sweat running down the small of my back. Maybe it was Rachel and Finn singing goofy upbeat love songs, maybe it was seeing those 2.5 pound plates on the barbell row.
Take that snow!
