Project:Me

I've known for some time that I have allowed myself to get really out of shape.

Alright... stop right there - don't you dare sit there thinking 'oh, please! you look fine' which is usually the response I get when I say that. Believe me, there is a VAST difference in being thin (which I'm definitely lucky enough to be without a whole lot of work) and being in shape.

I used to walk a 3.5 mile trek every day at the fastest speed I could muster without it turning into a jog... I don't believe in jogging. Mixed in with that, I was pretty consistent about also doing about 45 minutes of yoga in the evenings. I would venture to say that was probably the best shape I have been in post high school track. And then I started dating Roger.

It was WAY more fun to talk on the phone til all hours or go out for dinner and a movie than it was to keep any sort of schedule, and so I let my daily walks turn into a couple of times a week... which turned into once a week... which eventually stopped. At some point even Roger, who was just crazy enough to enjoy running, let working out go by the wayside in exchange for snuggling on the couch. I'm not going to exaggerate big time and say the pounds packed on, although a few did, but my flexibility, my endurance, and just the ability to keep my heart rate down while being over-animated for my students started to slide.

The indicator that has really done it for me though is my legs. I'm not referring to the chicken-like stature of my lower limbs but the "squish" factor. Over the course of 4-5 years my lower half has developed... "squish"... a mixture of "fluff" and a lack of muscle tone.

With not a whole lot to fill my evenings, if and when I actually get to leave the school, I decided about a month ago to join a gym. I purposely picked one that catered to my lack of motivation and ability to keep a schedule outside of the band hall. :) After a couple of weeks of huffing and puffing my way through half-hour elliptical sessions, I actually arranged my complimentary training session, after which I was conned into hiring a personal trainer for the semester.

A semester...

Tonight was my first official workout with the trainer chick, and there are about 2 muscles in my body that are not revolting against me in some form, and those are in my mouth. Although most of my projects become long-term projects (my bathroom wall is still 2 different colors like it was 2 weeks ago), I am embarking on a true long-term project that I am fully committed to, if for no other reason than because I am financially bound to actually attend. While the majority of the tasks I undertake are aesthetic and purely for visual pleasure, I think it is fitting that in this time of life-changing growth and new development I take on Project:Me to be healthier, feel better, sleep better, and "treat" myself in a way that is generally more worthwhile than the occasional 89 cent 5 layer nacho from Taco Bell, which I freely admit was my dinner last night... yum... fake chili... :)

No pictures to follow... unless of course I find a visible muscle.