Tuesday, January 8, 2008

My Exercise Motivation

Hey everyone! I had such a victory last night...I got home and really wanted a glass of wine but knew that if I had one glass it would likely spiral into drinking the entire bottle. So instead I had a Diet Sprite and sipped on that while I was cooking. Quite honestly, I didn't really miss the wine so much. I was actually thirsty and Diet Sprite does a much better job of quenching my thirst than a glass of wine does. Yea me!

I went for a 6 mile run/walk yesterday and lunch and loved it! It was so great being outside and not freezing. I plan on doing it again today. Usually I try to mix up my cardio a bit more but when the weather's this nice, you have to take advantage of it!

So there's something, actually someone, I've been wanting to mention for a while and she's a such a motivation to me to exercise. She's someone I work with and actually has the same job title as me but is at least 15 years older. I don't want to mention her name just on the odd case that someone I work with stumbles upon this blog so I'll call her Awesome Co-worker. Now Awesome Co-worker used to be a professional ballerina! She toured with several big ballet companies overseas and all over America. She has a fantastic story about meeting her husband in Italy. After she got married she went back to school and got her degrees. But, here's the sad part...she was diagnosed with MS a few months ago and uses a cane most of the time to get around. MS basically slowly shuts down your nervous system; there's no cure for it, only treatments to prolong the envitable wheelchair confinement. I was talking to Awesome Co-worker a few weeks ago and she was saying how much she misses being able to exercise and just being able to move freely and walk around without fear of falling. This got me to thinking...I have no medical reason why I don't exercise more. Most of the time when I don't workout, I'm just being lazy. Why do I not take advantage of my reasonably healthy body and exercise? It was really an eye-opening conversation to me. Ever since then, on the days when I don't want to exercise, I think about Awesome Co-worker and the conversation we had. I stop feeling sorry for myself and go get some exercise. I know it's a bit depressing but I don't want to someday be unable to exercise and regret not doing as much now as I can. And, on that note, later gators!

6 comments:

Jen said...

Ok, first off, awesome job on the sprite vs. wine thing!!! I find that I, too, need something MORE than water when I am cooking...sometimes I drink sparkling water with a splash of cranberry or something so that I feel like I am drinking a cocktail!

That is a really sad story about your awesome co-worker!! But I think it is amazing that you are using it to motivate you!! You are absolutely right!!! If you wasted your time now and eventually you COULDN'T exercise you would DEFINITELY regret it!!!

Sara said...

It is amazing what we can take for granted huh? Great job using your surrounding support for motivation!

Martalu said...

Wow, what a sad and great story. I love that you took so much from it, and I do think about how wonderful our bodies are when they are in motion. I don't take it for granted, but I also don't appreciate it enough. Thanks for the reminder.

Great job on the exercise front, and super great job on the wine!

Grumpy Chair said...

I agree, sad yet great story.

That was a great workout yesterday!

Thanks for sharing about "Awesome Co-worker", I think I will probably think about her the next time I don't want to get on the treadmill.

Heather said...

This is what I tell myself on days that I don't feel like taking the stairs or groan at the thought of going to the gym b/c my muscles are sore. I think I'm so lucky to have the use of my body, so I'd better treat it right.

byebyechunkymonkey said...

6 miles… go girlie. Motivation co- worker sounds to be a great motivation in your life and Lord knows we all need as much of that as we can get. Sometimes when I’m cutting wine out of my week I will take a bubble bath and pour diet 7-up and a splash of grape juice into a wine glass and pretend for a little while! It does the trick.