Moving on. Today I tried out a new(ish) gym on post. I've been to Burba a couple of times to do spin and some weights, but had not had the chance to use their treadmills. You see, I always run at the Functional Fitness Center, and according to one of my lovely friends, their treadmills are repulsive. A couple of weeks ago we went to Burba and she showed me their lovely, pretty, clean and technologically advanced treadmills. I became quite excited to try running on one of those. They have a place to plug your ipod in, a screen with four different views of your run, and even a trainer to guide you through your workout. Awesome! Fast forward to today. Since my workout on Tuesday showed me that my calf was good to go on a run, I planned to give those deluxe treadmills a shot. First let me tell you, Burba is awesome simply because they keep their air conditioner up really high. Soo refreshing... except I noticed that when it's cooler in the room, I don't sweat as much and having become a "sweater" only recently, that is something I very much look forward to. So these treadmills face the wall, that has mirrors covering them all around, with the weights located in the center of the room. After running for about ten minutes I realized the downfall to these treadmills and I think you will agree with me. At the F.F.C. I face a red and blue painted brick wall with a tv located just above me that is usually streaming footage of the Casey Anthony Trial (which usually distracts me long enough to make the 5k run a little less painful mentally). While I am running, I am able to stare at that blank wall, and focus my thoughts on what my goals are. Where I want to be, with this body, weeks, months and years from now. I can visualize myself running in my first 5k. I can visualize my husband running in 110 degree heat. All of these things help my mental run, because to be honest, that is the part that is even harder than the actual run itself. I struggled today. I struggled physically, somewhat due to it being my first run in a week and a half, and also because I was able to watch myself as I ran... I was able to see my skin flush, watch my compression bra not compress as much as I would like it to and basically observe the gym etiquette taking place behind me. All of this leads me to the height of my struggle today. The mental struggle. Oh I got so bored! Yes, the cool little "track" that you can watch while you run is neat, but when you are a woman who loses interest ridiculously fast, it's almost torture. It seemed to take FOREVER! Also, I decided that someday I would really enjoy going to the gym with blinders on. I think that if I could just focus on why I am there, and not allow myself to be affected by the others around me, I would have an incredibly different workout than usual. The gym is like a dog show. Everyone is trying to look the toughest, the most bad a*$ or the hottest... or simply the most like they know what they are doing (guilty). Not to mention, when has it ever been a good idea to take a normal looking woman, with average qualities and complete (well, almost) satisfaction in who she is, and then shove her in front of a mirror for 45 minutes? Um, hello! Even the most content woman in the world will begin to question certain attributes of herself when she is forced to look that close for that long. No thank you. All this to say, I almost let the gym get the best of me today, folks... but I've learned that writing about my workout endeavors and being completely honest with you all has really helped me to evaluate where I want to take myself with my thoughts. And today, I just didn't want to go there. So miracle of the day: I stopped those self-deprecating thoughts dead in their tracks. And to celebrate I will enjoy an indulgent night of quesadillas and the Bachelorette. It's the little things in life.
On another note, I am a Malt-o-Meal fan. I always have been. I will say, that as an adult I add significantly less brown sugar than I did as a child, but it is still enjoyed never the less. I decided to finally make the "Magic Muffins" that they advertise on the side, substituting 2 bananas for the 3/4C of milk, and let me tell you... they are pretty magical. Delicious. Not too sweet. Just plain Yum!
So this, my friends is the way to start your day.
Peace, love & magic muffins!
Oh dear sister...ok #1 I love that you are now a "sweater". I remember when you told me once that you simply don't sweat. :-) And #2 I myself have always wondered about the Malt-O-Meal magic muffins. That's so funny. Glad you like them. Now I just want to find out about the polenta recipe on the side of the rice milk carton. :-) -KLJ
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