The Way I Are

Today began with the daily battle between my ever so comfortable bed and whatever class was being offered at the gym, depending on the day of the week. I can proudly say that Spin class won out today. Abrams gym offers a plethora of spin options, one of which is the M-W-F class from 12-1 with Millie. I have never attended this class, but have heard a lot about it... most of which are reasons why I have yet to attend this class. Who ever heard of going to spin class and then ending up running laps around the track out back?! Ludicrous! Anyways, even though my leg is rather gimpy, I decided to at least try it out and resort to sitting and spinning if necessary. In spin class you do a lot of standing and up and down movement, which is awesome for the abs, back, glutes, legs, arms... ok, so basically everything. A perk for a potato like me is that I have become fairly decent at spin, so I can go and not look like I am near death... always a perk, ladies and gentlemen... find what you can do and keep doing it in order to avoid the banter back and forth in your head.
So I walk into "the Spin Zone" (cue the "ooooooh's") and noticed rather quickly that pretty much all but 2 bikes had been claimed by multiple water bottles and towels. So I quickly found the most moderately workable bike and hunkered down. I had my bike shoes on, towel ready, and arm band with calorie burner set to jet... except for one little problem. Spinning requires more calf use than anticipated. Needless to say, I only lasted about half of the class. Let me tell you, there is a very good reason why instructors have you alternate between standing and sitting so much. If you see me standing an awkward amount tomorrow it is simply because as of about 12:40 this afternoon, my hind quarters are out of commission until further notice.
I consider today's class to be a blessing because of a very interesting lesson I learned. As we began to warm up, the song, "The Way I Are" by Timbaland came on. So there we all were, spinning, warming up, and for most people, chatting. I went by myself and didn't know anyone so I kept to myself, but could not resist my ever present urge to people watch. I noticed not one, but multiple conversations between women regarding the different things they want to change, or the size they just can't quite seem to get down to, or the size dress they are wearing to said formal event (all of which were numbers and sizes I could only dream of becoming). So with my head down, focusing on my spin, it was as if I had this funnel cloud of thoughts and words and ideas spinning 'round and 'round, all coming down to one conclusion. That conclusion is this: There is no such thing as "just the way you are". If someone says to you, "I like you just the way you are", do you really believe them? Or has it become more about you liking just the way you are, and not so much them? Or, when you tell someone "I like you just the way you are", do you really mean that, or are there things you would change, if you could? I think what is most important is to ask yourself two questions: Do I like myself just the way I am? Do I have someone in my life who likes me just the way I am? Because at the end of the day, you can bust your butt trying to get from a size 6 to a size 4, but what difference does that make? Are you a happier individual because the number on the back of your pants, that no one can see, says 6 instead of 8, or 15 instead of 10? I mean, let's be honest here, people. We are incredible beings, who are capable of incredible things. The saddest thing to happen in our daily lives is that we spend more time focusing on such an unimportant aspect of who we are, instead of the sheer marvel that is our bodies. Spin because you can. Run because you can. Walk because you can. Lift a 5 pound weight or a 50 pound weight, it doesn't matter, just do it because you can! So, could I have left that hard core spin class feeling lame because I could only do half of it, and sat down for all of it? Yeah, I definitely could have. But I didn't. That, my friends, is a perfect example of being proud of the choices you make, whether big or small, in your day to day life. Be proud of who you are for all of the amazing things you are capable of, and dive in. Don't let talk of size 2 dresses and after baby pudge make you feel inferior. And most importantly, like yourself for just the way you are.

Peace, love & compression bras