Be Thankful For Your Body

Women are professionals at being critical.  I think it must be planted somewhere deep within our DNA maybe between the genes that giveus our mothering instinct and chocolate cravings.  Unfortunately that critical gene tends to turn us against ourselves.  That;s right men, even though you may be tired of the nagging about picking up your dirty socks and chewing with your mouth open, we as women are far, far more critical of ourselves than we are of others.  (I know.  Hard to believe, but trust me on this.)

And where are we more critical of oursleves than in the subject of our bodies?  I don't care how fit or buff you may be, if you are a woman, you probably find something to criticize when you look in the mirror. 

My butt is too big.

My butt is too small.

I look like Jaba the Hut.

I look like a bean pole.

And of course....everything in between.

I'm terribly guilty of it, too.  After all, it's there planted in my DNA.  But in the spirit of Thanksgiving and in an attempt to combat unhealthy body image, I challenge you to take some time to make a list of all the wonderful things about your body, a list of gratitude for all that's right with you.  Don't you dare put one thing on there that is remotely negative.  This exercise is about loving your body and appreciating all it does for you.

So here is my own personal list of things about my body for which I am thankful...

1. I am thankful for my five senses.  I am blessed to have eyes that see, ears that hear, a keen sense of smell, skin to feel, and a tongue to taste all of the delicious tastes in the world (especially chocolate cupcakes!).  Not everyone is so blessed.

2.  I am thankful for strong arms.  I can still lift my youngest child and carry her upstairs to bed should she fall asleep on the couch, or heavy boxes, or beat my insanely strong dog at tug-of-war.

3. I am thankful that my internal organs know what to do without me having to think about it.  Can you imagine if you had to consciously think about your heart beating or breathing or digesting.  There wouldn't be much time to think about anything else.

4. I'm thankful for my hips.  They are wider now than before I had children, but they have made a handy little seat for babies and toddlers. 

5. I'm thankful for legs that can run. I know that I have the ability to run should my life (or the life of one of my children) depended on it. 

6. I'm thankful for my feet, feet that can walk, and kick, and balance in tree pose, and all the other marvelous things that feet can do.

7. I'm thankful for my toes for my feet would be almost useless without them.  Plus they are handing for wiggling into cool summer grass, picking up dirty socks from the floor without bending over, and petting the dog while my hands are busy with holding a good book.

8. I'm thankful for my hands that are so incredibly intricate.  Hands are fascinating things.  I can type this blog entry, play the piano, tie a shoe, tickle my children, stir cookie dough, the list could go on forever.

9. I'm thankful that I can bend and squat and twist without pain.

10. I'm thankful that I can breathe deeply.  My mother was recently diagnosed with COPD.  She has trouble breathing at all and needs to carry an inhaler with her everywhere.  I'll take some extra deep breaths for her.

Indian Gym Names

Wouldn't life be so much easier if we all had names like North America's native Indians?  If everyone's name had some sort of meaning about who the person is?  If immediately upon meeting someone you knew something about that person's character, strengths, or interests?  It would probably make remembering people's names a whole heck of a lot easier, too.  No more Toms or Amys or Steves. 

Keith and I have a practice of giving our fellow gym members their own gym names.  This is, of course not meant to be disrespectful to the native people of our country.  It's just easier for us.  There's no possible way we can remember EVERYONE'S names, so each person having their own special name makes it easier for each of us to know immediately who we are talking about.  It's a matter of convenience really.

There's Backwards Elliptical Girl, known as such because she prefers to use the eliptical trainer backwards.  Shaves His Legs Guy and Sir Sweats-a-Lot are pretty self-explanatory.  Strolls on the treadmill is reserved for the woman who barely walks on (you guessed it) the treadmill.  Weighs Herself Everday is so dubbed because, well she weighs herself everyday.  You get the picture.

Today I got to wondering what all of those people chugging away on the cardio machines and hammering out reps on the free weights think of me.  What kind of impression do I make on my fellow tribe members?  What special Indian gym name would they plant on me?

I hope it would be something cool and positive.  Maybe Really Consistent Workout Girl or Killer Triceps Chick.  It's not so much that I want to impress everyone, but more that I want to be an example.  I want to leave a positive impression of myself in a fitness sense in both results and work ethic.  I hope I'm seen as friendly and hardworking and knowledgable.  I hope people look at me and can find some aspect they might (gasp) admire or (double gasp) emulate.  I guess I want to be a role model.

So what do you think your Indian gym name would be?  Would it be something positive that reflects your consistency and determination and commitment?  Or would it be something like Only Comes Every Tuesday?  Or Signs Up Every January Because of a New Year's Resolution?  Or Never Tries Anything Different?

How do you want to be remembered?

Pole Dancing For Fitness

A friend of mine recently posted this video on his Facebook page.  I believe his comment was, "Wow."

After watching the video that was exactly what I thought, too, though probably not for the same reason. 

Let's be perfectly honest, these women are BUFF.  The moves they perform require an incredible (and I mean INCREDIBLE) amount of upper body and core strength, serious flexibility and they do it all while wearing shoes that are anything but sensible.  I truly am in awe.

I'd never really thought much about what physical ability it must take to be a truly good pole dancer.  It's the kind of stuff usually left to the dank recesses of sleazy strip clubs.  That's not generally the place I go looking for athletes.  But these women are definitely athletes.

Thankfully for those of us not prone to the strip club scene, it seems that pole dancing is making it's way out of the hazy red light districts and into mainstream gyms and health clubs.  Pole dancing for fitness?  That's right.  Pole dancing as a fitness craze is gaining in popularity, and not just for nubile barely-legal women either, but for soccer moms and middle aged women, too.  They are heading to their local gyms (although not quite so scantily clad as the women in the above video) to get a good workout and maybe even feel a little sexy and sultry.

There are pole dancing fitness videos and instructors across the country.  Remeber KT Coates, the woman who made the bodybuilding championship finals just weeks after giving birth? Yup.  She's a pole dancing fitness instructor.  Pole dancing is one way she got rid of her pregnancy weight gain.

But wait!  Isn't this just a way to maintain the women as objects perspective that we women have fought so hard to conquer?  Women are not just sex objects to be ogled. 

There is one thing about pole dancing that you just can't deny.  Physically it is an awesome workout, building both strength and flexibility.  It's hard to deny that a pole could potentially get you in some pretty serious shape.  And just because you use a pole to help attain your fitness goals doesn't mean you have to flaunt your feminine wiles in high heels and a g-string. 

So what do you think?  Great workout opportunity or just another way sex creeps into every aspect of our culture?

Mondays

*Reposted from Alice's personal blog.*

Sometimes I actually like Mondays.  I mean, generally they suck.  No more weekend.  Back to the grindstone.  Friday seems so far away.  But Mondays hold a great opportunity, too.  Monday is the line in the sand that you draw between the failures of last week (or the insane amount of feasting and relaxing you did over the weekend) and the good intentions of this one.  In other words, Mondays are a great place to start over.

I entered this Monday with a plan for the week and a fridge full of healthy food.  I have planned out my workouts for the entire week and most of my menu.  "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  I don't want to find myself on Thursday looking back at my good intentions and wondering what the Hades went wrong.

All the good intentions in the world won't make a difference without some action to back them up, and action comes a lot easier when it's planned and scheduled.  It's harder to come up with an excuse for missing your leg workout when it's written right there on your calender for Friday at 4:00.  It's not going to sneak up on you, plus you won't find yourself shrugging off your workout because you waited too long and the gym's about to close.

My big focus this week is on nutrition.  Exercising is NOT a problem for me.  I love the gym.  It's my "Me" time.  I use it to relax and focus on myself, to purge my mind of the daily frustrations, and to just plain re-energize.  It's not very often you'll find me shirking a workout.  However, what I eat is a totally different subject all together.

There has been a humongous gap between how I know I should eat, and what I actually consume.  But this Monday I draw a line in the sand.  This Monday marks the end of my soda addiction and soft spot for fried chicken.  That is now the past.  This Monday marks the beginning of fueling my body with the nutrients it needs to maintain health and vitality.

What lines are you drawing this Monday?

(And when you leave a comment, you earn an entry in this month's Wo40 giveaway!  How cool is that?)

Making Exercise Fun

We all know we are supposed to exercise.  That fact has become a no-brainer.  All the major research, medical advice, even our girlfriends and the crabby neighbor lady know that exercise is key in maintaining a healthy weight, fighting off numerous diseases, and just plain feeling good about yourself. 

So why are the majority of Americans overweight?  Why would we rather sit on the couch eating potato chips and watching The Biggest Loser than actually getting up off our patootie and moving our bodies?  

I’ll tell you why.  Most people don’t think exercise is fun, and who wants to do something that isn’t fun?

But if walking from the back of the parking lot or taking the stairs was actually FUN, more people would do it, right?  Right! 

This is just a reminder that making exercise fun is far more likely to get you up and moving.  

Here a few ideas for spicing up your work outs.  Make them fun and I promise you’ll be less likely to miss the opportunity to burn some calories. 

1. Bring a friend.  Sometimes the encouragement and motivation you get from adding a friend to your workout is just the thing you need.  Plus the conversation fills a need for socialization.  Just make sure it’s someone you enjoy spending time with.  Don’t invite the crabby neighbor lady.
2. Try a group class.  I love my yoga and karate classes.  It’s a great way to meet new people and make some new friends.  You can gauge the social tone an instructor creates by watching if anyone talks to him or her before or after the class and if the other participants talk to each other.
3. Play.  Play a game of tennis, or soccer, or softball, or capture the flag.  A little friendly competition and deviation from the normal routine can be tons of fun.  Don’t be afraid to unleash your inner child.  Swing on a swingset, play hopscotch, jump rope.  All of these fun activities get your body moving and take you back to childhood memories. 
4. Go outside.  Sure it’s great to have a warm cozy gym on those chilly winter mornings, but who wants to see the same people and peeling paint, or breathe the same re-circulated air all the time?  When the weather is nice, take your workout to the great outdoors.  A brisk walk or jog in the park will help you soak up fresh air and sunshine while you burn calories.  Try hiking or even a good rousing game of backyard tag with your kids.
5. Put on some music.  Some fun energizing music may be just the thing to get your blood pumping and your body moving.  Promise to run on the treadmill to a new CD by your favorite artist. If you’re used to listening to the same old music try something new.  If you are used to always listening to rock during your morning run, next time try some funk or blues.  See how the different mood and tempo affect your work out.
6. Buy some new work out attire.  Hey, I’m a woman.  You had to see this coming.  Just like a new pair of dress shoes can perk up your mood, a new pair of yoga pants or workout top may put a little more spring in your step.  Vibrant colors can sometimes be a pick-me-up, or black that helps make you look thinner.  Make sure to choose clothing that doesn’t interfere with your body movements.  Stay away from shorts that ride up or shoes that pinch your toes.  You want to feel comfortable, so keep away from clothing that makes you feel self-conscious, too.