Hi there. My name is Courtney, and I am incredibly lazy. But, I am also a workaholic. I currently have 2 part time jobs and also babysit quite a bit. Oh, and I am also in school taking classes at a junior college. Ok, so I'm only taking 1 class right now, but it's architecture so give me a break! It basically calls for relearning how to write. And draw. It's loads of fun! But I digress. I guess I am just one of those people who work their bootays off but then when I'm not working I am an absolute stick in the mud. Wait, are there even people out there like that besides myself? Well anyways, I have decided to become a more productive person. Or a more fun person. Or a more adventurous person. I choose all of the above. This change really started to come about last year when I was working not 2 but 3 part time jobs, taking 3 times the classes I am currently taking, and babysitting when I had the chance. It got to a point where I was getting depressed and if it was not absolutely crucial, I would not get out of bed. It was not a fun year for me, and I was not eager to repeat it. So here I am at what is the beginning of my work and school year and I've decided to change some things.
Hauling Cheek
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| The Dish with it's deceptively steep hills |
First of all, I am changing my exercise routine. That is, I am changing it from thinking so hard about exercising that I've almost convinced myself that it's already happened, to actually getting my butt out the door and doing something about it. I plan on calling this segment Hauling Cheek (shout-out to my crazily awesome cousin Zander for that one). I really have no excuse for not exercising. I have so many opportunities to exercise, it's just the fact that I am so lazy! I am really lucky in that I live in an area that is great for running as there is so much sidewalk and many, many trails. And the Dish. Which is about 10-25 minutes away on foot depending on how much cheek you are hauling...or dragging. Now THAT is one heck of a workout. For those of you not familiar, the Dish is a hike that has many hills all of which are out to kill you. Think about it this way. On the first two hills (which are the worst I might add) my body is fairly close to horizontal with the concrete. My point is, there are so many opportunities to exercise, I just have to start taking advantage of them. Done, and done. I guess I should also tell you that I am an ice skating instructor. Now, in my head this means that you should be able to actually do what you are teaching. And because of the freshman 25 that I have packed on (and kept on, might I add) I don't have the stamina to do what I used to be able to. Man, I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and not worry about weight gain or anything. Those were the days. Alas, I graduated high school and stopped skating 4 nights a week. Boy did that sure screw things up for me. Side note: if you are one of those people who thinks that ice skating is a sissy sport and doesn't really count, how wrong you are. Let's just say that I would come home dripping in sweat, exhausted, and the seat of my pants would be soaked from the sheer amount of falling from mid-air that occurred. There would also be at least 2 new bruises that would make a lovely appearance each night I skated. To all of you who say such things, I would like to see you lace up a pair of skates, (which by the way my mother would like all of you to know that lacing up skates is a workout in itself. She should know, as she had to lace up my skates for a good 5 years) and go out there and throw yourself into the air and attempt to defy gravity. We'll see who's the sissy then... So, here is my goal: by this time next year I want to be able to run a 9 minute mile. Now let me explain something. Even in high school I couldn't rev my engines fast enough to conquer even a 10 minute mile. If I'm being soul-baringly honest, I was around an 11 minute mile. And that was on a good day. It is my belief that this is due to my ice skating. Well, this is what I tell myself to make me feel better about the whole situation. Cause let's be honest. It's a little embarrassing being on the track with 2 and a half laps to go while the bleachers are full with your classmates who are yelling with their eyes "Let's go slowsky mcgee. I wanna go inside before the sun sets." I tell myself that with ice skating, there is no constant up and down motion of the feet. You are gliding. Yes, it takes effort, and lots of it to push and get going fast, but it is a completely different motion. Also, with each stroke/push/whatever makes the most sense to you, you are exerting less energy than you would be while running. Ok so you may not agree. But this was my get out of jail free card. Notice my switch to the past tense there. No longer I tell you! I am not making excuses anymore and I am going to do my damndest to get that 9 minute mile. My ultimate goal is to feel good about myself and be able to wear what I want to. I feel like I am very limited in what I am able to wear. You know those fat days that everyone has? Well, I get what I like to call the fat week. And it's every bit as unpleasant as it sounds. In order to turn this heap of crap into a beautiful garden I will be exercising every day in some form. That'll be interesting...
Well That's just one way that I will be turning into a productive member of society. The other major one is to stop spending so much friggin time in my bed! Though it may be the most heavenly piece of foam that was ever created, I seriously need to start living my life. On a daily basis. Yes, I have my duties (work, school and such) but I also definitely have time to myself. It is how I choose to spend this time that defines me either as a lazy stick in the mud or a fun loving crazy person! Personally I like the latter. I spend a lot of time watching TV shows and movies. While I have certain shows that I love to watch, it is not nor has it ever been or ever will be crucial to watch everything the second I have it on DVD. I don't particularly like watching TV on the...TV. I just hate commercials. With the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I can't stand them! And they always make me hungry. So there I am sitting in the living room watching TV and the second a food commercial comes on with those tantalizing shots of mouthwatering food (might I add we got a high definition TV recently and it makes everything look SO DELICIOUS) it is absolutely necessary for me to raid the fridge, freezer, and pantry for anything that I can shovel into my mouth at astonishing speeds. I figure if I change this habit of constantly staring at screens for inordinate amounts of time, I will feel better about myself. Now I will brainstorm other things I can do:
1. Re-learn piano
My mom bought a full keyboard and I have yet to actually finish playing a song on it. I think it's about time for that to happen...
2. Learn guitar
I bought a guitar a few quarters ago while I was still at junior college (I have since switched junior colleges) as I planned on taking a guitar class. Well, I dropped the class but kept the classy guitar (no pun intended). Haven't really touched it since. Instead of becoming yet another one of my many dust collectors I figure it might be nice to actually learn how to play it.
3. EXERCISE!
I feel like we went over this one pretty thoroughly already.
4. Painting
So about a month ago I promised my mom that I would paint a painting for our house. I kind of suck at artsy fartsy things, but I thought what the heck. I'll do something abstract! Genius! So I bought all the goods necessary for a painting. There is even a giant blank canvas waiting for me in our living room. I haven't done a darn thing about that one. Yet.
5. Take pictures
I have a fabulously awesome pocket DSLR that I bought for myself that is just whining for me to use it more and actually figure out what all those crazy features are that came on it.
For claiming to be sucky at the artsy fartsy type things, 4 out of 5 of these ideas that I just came up with are pretty darn artsy...hmm. Well I'm sure that while I will still love to watch the occasional movie or catch up a bit on my TV shows, I will no longer be hanging around like a lazy stick in the mud! Woo hoo!
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| If you know which roller coaster this is, then you my friend are awesome. |
In starting this blog, I have set out to share my tribulations and triumphs and find other people who can relate to what I am going through. It is bound to be one heck of a rollercoaster ride, but BRING IT ON! Here is what I propose. I figure that if you are reading this blog, you can relate to what I am going through. Together we can ride this roller coaster of tribulations and triumphs, and help each other to become FUNctioning members of society. See what I did there? Fun, functioning? Yea? Alright, alright calm down. I know my puns are hilarious, but seriously. Let's stay focused. Those of you who are reading my blog are helping me out by holding me accountable in a way. I have to do things like exercise and not laze around in bed all day so I can entertain you with my stories of fun-ness! If you need help setting goals or are just having trouble getting started towards your goal, let me help! Post comments! I would love to hear from you, and I would be happy to set up an email account so you can shoot me an email about your own tribulations and triumphs. And here comes an idea from my mom. If you are trying to get into shape and are just having a hard time eating right, send me a picture of the food you are currently eating, and then send me a picture of the healthy food that you are switching over to! Hey, that's not a bad idea...
Well that's all for now folks. I'm going to do my best to update this thing at least once a week. Although it depends on how much my lazy bones are complaining about all of the new and exciting things I'll be doing. Just kidding! Keep on checking back for new updates and of course let me know your thoughts too! I see this not as just an opportunity for me to spill my insanity onto the proverbial paper but for you to let me know how YOU are thinking and what YOU are accomplishing!
