I'm a LOSER. (Why I DO workout.)

If you didn't catch my last post about working out, Why I DON'T workout feel free to check it out. This isn't a series or anything, but it might make for good comparison, a good show of progress, and a definite change of heart/mind/attitude.  Hopefully to soon be followed by a change of body.

So tonight I sat down to watch The Biggest Loser Season 15.  I am a fan of the show (among other weight loss shows) because I am amazed at the transformations that take place.  I am always interested in the journey these people take to free themselves of the things that weigh them down--and not just the extra fat on their body.

I'm a loser, baby....

In the past my usual M.O. while watching The Biggest Loser was to plop down on the couch with a bowl of ice cream and stuff my face while watching the people on TV kill themselves in the gym.

This season is different.  Tonight I sit down with a much smaller portion of ice cream--a reward of sorts after having done my own workout and held up one end of a bargain with myself to down a full glass of water before the ice cream ever touches my lips.  Ice cream is it's own revered food group in our house and although there are nights that pass without it, I usually try to allow for it in my daily calories.

Mint chocolate heaven.

I don't follow any sort of "clean" eating or any structured diet.  Clean eating for me is anything that hasn't touched the floor or been fondled by grubby toddler fingers before being ingested.  I simply use an app on my smartphone to ensure that I don't take in 7,000 or more calories a day, and to track my daily workout. Yes, daily.

The toddler bites diet, anyone?

Now I do not think that I am doing anything extraordinary.  In fact, my results are pretty meager for the much-touted workout program I am doing.  So far I have lost about a pound a week.  Which is healthy and safe, but nobody's knocking down my door to have me star in the next infomercial.  That said, major weight loss is likely lacking because I only started watching my food intake after week three of what has been 8½ weeks.  And it's possible I have built up some muscle while losing some fat so that doesn't help in the equation of actual weight lost.

Results that can't be quantified.

What does equate for me is that I feel awesome.  I have more energy and I feel fit.  I'm not what even I would think of as "fit" just yet, but compared to where I was I feel great.  I feel myself changing; my body transforming; my mind re-thinking the way I want to treat this body.  And I realized recently that this is the only thing that I have truly done just for myself (on a consistent basis) in over 12 years.

This blog is something I love.  I love to write.  It is part of who I am--I constantly compose things in my head that I just don't make the time to get "on paper."  But as much as I love it, I feel I neglect it to a degree (a HUGE degree), and it suffers at the hands of a clock that squeezes the life out of every second of my day. It falls down the ladder of priority in the face of kids, dinner, laundry (ALWAYS the laundry!), bedtime routines and (now) working out.  

My new mantra. #everydayisnextMonday

It is actually rare that I even sit down to watch TV (in the face of the two loads of laundry sitting across the room needing to be folded).  But I can't regret it for this.  I am healthier, I feel better, I will look the way I want to.  It is happening.

I AM DOING IT.  I AM A LOSER. 

And sometimes I sweat.....

...a lot.

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Burgled.

The other night our minivan was ransacked.  We were EXTREMELY lucky or blessed or whatever you want to call it, because the thieves somehow overlooked my wallet (which I NEVER EVER EVER leave in my car) and a house key.  Our loss was limited to the large handful of change they grabbed from the ashtray, which is fine because since I've been working out, I really don't need that McDonald's-vanilla-cone fund anymore.

I miss these.

I don't want to over dramatize and say I am traumatized or feel excessively violated.  I mean, I'm more kinda pissed off and perplexed.  Our neighborhood is very blue-collar and not well-to-do by ANY stretch of the imagination.  But I guess anyone might leave some cash in an unlocked car--which IS common around here because we live on the outskirts of a small town where people are trusting and unbelieving that this type of thing would happen to them.  We have lived here for nearly eight years and people laughed at us when we installed deadbolts on our doors when we moved in.

The vandals hit several dozen cars in our neighborhood.  No one in our neighborhood is laughing.  What is even less funny is the fact that the State Police (who are the responders where we live) flat out told us they weren't coming out.  My husband and a neighbor waited for two hours after initially calling them, thinking that someone would be out to take statements or at least write up a report, but when they called again they were told that that wasn't going to happen and that basically it could be chalked up to "we shouldn't have left our cars unlocked."  Our tax dollars at work.  Thanks for that.

More useful and zero tax dollars spent.
flickr.com ©Mark Turnauckas2012

One piece of information we did get from the police was that they had over 100 calls about vehicle break-ins that morning.  I'm not sure if the police were implying that they were all committed by the same people, but if it was a group and they were moving that fast and there were enough of them, its not inconceivable,I guess. There were at least 15 incidents that we know of in our neighborhood alone.  And that was just people The Sarge spoke to that morning.  I later found out about a few more from others.

I found it strange that a lot of people in our neighborhood didn't seem to be troubled by it whatsoever.  One lady had her driver's license, insurance card, registration and a debit card taken and yet she did not want to wait with my husband and the neighbor for the police. I mean, personal information was stolen and she begged off because she had to be at work.

Like I said, I'm not seriously traumatized.  Obviously it was dark and whatnot but you could tell they were moving fast and just looking for cash.  They actually missed a ten dollar bill in our visor because they likely never took the time to look up and around there.  They swept out all the low cubbies in the dashboard (where my wallet and the key were) and dumped the drawer under the passenger seat and the glove box, grabbed the change in the "ashtray" and that's it.  But if I'd had personal information stolen?  You better believe I'd want to talk to the cops.  It's hard to imagine that I'd be so worried about missing work that I'd ignore that kind of violation.

The other thing I question is that is this just "Shit Happens" to them?  Because "Shit Happens" to me is NOT burglary. "Shit Happens" is like, the game was rained out, or I forgot to bring my coupons to the grocery store, or the toddler crapped in her diaper 17 seconds after I changed her.  Burglary is NOT the shit I want happening around here.

flickr.com ©rick2008

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