Slim Rewards
I'm trying to eat healthier. My roommates and my co-workers are not. I endure a daily bombardment of 'goodies'. There are cakes (yes, plural), cupcakes, Poptarts, M&Ms, fourteen different kinds of cereal, frozen pizzas, cookies, candy hearts, caramel Kisses, and Chipotle Cheese Chex Mix. I have deemed each and every one off-limits, which you'd think would make my life easier, cut and dry even. Not so much. It's a battle. Imagine having a delicious looking marble creme cake sitting on the island in the kitchen for days. Every time you walk past, a significant number of times per day, it calls out to you, begging to be eaten. Imagine three different cakes sitting on the training room table all day at work. Everyone asks you if you want a piece and promises that they are 'light', fruity even, and above all not damaging to a healthy diet. Add to that incessant invitations to lunch, dinner, and drinks and you've got a near impossibly on your hands. How do you resist such pressure? You just do. You make a few new rules to live by and you do it.
Two weeks ago I moved from a physically active job to a desk job. I've been working hard for a living for the past three years and it's made maintaining my weight and my fitness level fairly easy. My job allowed me to 'work out' for eight hours every day, however now I'm nearly sedentary. I know what's going to happen if I'm not careful - weight gain. And lots of it. Now more than ever, I have to be vigilant if I'm going to stay thin, fit, and healthy. In that regard, I've made some decisions. I know sticking to them is going to require the utmost dedication and self-control, but truly I don't see a choice.
1. No more drinking during the week.
2. Margarita madness is over. I'm also shelving the sweet tea vodka. Every calorie counts in this gig, so if I want something alcoholic, it's going to be Bacardi and diet.
3. But not Diet Coke. I'm cutting back to one a day (including mixers). If I want a soda, it needs to be aspartame-free, like Diet Rite (which is make with Splenda. God help me when they decide that's bad for me, too). Forget what year it is a couple times and you'll understand.
4. Hard Core Cardio. No more walking for so-called fitness. That was fine when I was working my ass off at work. Now it's Spin or running or else. They may be torturous but I suspect being unfit will be worse.
5. Lifting. I'm not lugging paint cans and other assorted crap around all day long. This means I have to strength train the old fashioned way. I actually have to lift weights. See above comment about torture and being unfit. It applies here, too.
6. Water. If I'm not drinking Diet Coke like it's water, I may have the time and inclination to drink water like it's water. Ingenious idea, I know.
7. No more fast food. I'm going broke fast anyway so it's a financial necessity in addition to a healthy choice. Plus, if everything goes according to plan, I'll spend my lunch hour lifting and not eating. If I bring my lunch, I can eat at my desk. This may be the only perk to having a desk job.
8. No cake, cupcakes, Poptarts, M&Ms, cereal, frozen pizza, cookies, candy hearts, carmel Kisses, and Chipotle Cheese Chex Mix, pumpkin spice donuts, or 'special' coffee from the convenience store.
Ok, so I feel boredom creeping in already. I've done all this before and life got way humdrum. I worked out all the time, ate decently, and quit drinking. Of course, I was reasonably fit as a consequence. Truly I think I'd just like my physically active job back so I can cut out all the boring stuff. Stocking freight, climbing ladders, and lifting five gallon buckets of paint rarely got boring. Now I'm stuck with my old life from long ago. Incidentally, I feel normal for the first time in eight years. I have an 8-5 desk job and have to go to the gym to stay fit. That's all kinds of normal. Unfortunately, years of abnormal make normal a little blah. Add in the torture of working out and I'm ready to sign up for weird again.
I'm finding that normal requires mental toughness and I'm decisively out of practice. I keep thinking of the old euphemisms... 'You don't know what you can do until you do it'; 'Mind over matter'; 'Just do it'; Think positively'; Sweat is just weakness leaving the body'; 'Milk: It does a body good'; 'Beef: It's what's for dinner'. So where's my motivation going to come from? The abject lack of choice. At least I'm telling myself I have no choice. Of course I do have a choice. I could allow myself to become unfit, out of shape, and unhealthy. I could gain weight. But I don't want to do any of that. Therefore I have no choice. I must just do it, even if it's torture and I hate it more than I like it. The rewards may be slim in comparison to what I have to go through, however to me they beat the alternative. So, I have my 'Rules' and I'm planning to live by them. Here's hoping there's life after Diet Coke and mango margaritas.
Two weeks ago I moved from a physically active job to a desk job. I've been working hard for a living for the past three years and it's made maintaining my weight and my fitness level fairly easy. My job allowed me to 'work out' for eight hours every day, however now I'm nearly sedentary. I know what's going to happen if I'm not careful - weight gain. And lots of it. Now more than ever, I have to be vigilant if I'm going to stay thin, fit, and healthy. In that regard, I've made some decisions. I know sticking to them is going to require the utmost dedication and self-control, but truly I don't see a choice.
1. No more drinking during the week.
2. Margarita madness is over. I'm also shelving the sweet tea vodka. Every calorie counts in this gig, so if I want something alcoholic, it's going to be Bacardi and diet.
3. But not Diet Coke. I'm cutting back to one a day (including mixers). If I want a soda, it needs to be aspartame-free, like Diet Rite (which is make with Splenda. God help me when they decide that's bad for me, too). Forget what year it is a couple times and you'll understand.
4. Hard Core Cardio. No more walking for so-called fitness. That was fine when I was working my ass off at work. Now it's Spin or running or else. They may be torturous but I suspect being unfit will be worse.
5. Lifting. I'm not lugging paint cans and other assorted crap around all day long. This means I have to strength train the old fashioned way. I actually have to lift weights. See above comment about torture and being unfit. It applies here, too.
6. Water. If I'm not drinking Diet Coke like it's water, I may have the time and inclination to drink water like it's water. Ingenious idea, I know.
7. No more fast food. I'm going broke fast anyway so it's a financial necessity in addition to a healthy choice. Plus, if everything goes according to plan, I'll spend my lunch hour lifting and not eating. If I bring my lunch, I can eat at my desk. This may be the only perk to having a desk job.
8. No cake, cupcakes, Poptarts, M&Ms, cereal, frozen pizza, cookies, candy hearts, carmel Kisses, and Chipotle Cheese Chex Mix, pumpkin spice donuts, or 'special' coffee from the convenience store.
Ok, so I feel boredom creeping in already. I've done all this before and life got way humdrum. I worked out all the time, ate decently, and quit drinking. Of course, I was reasonably fit as a consequence. Truly I think I'd just like my physically active job back so I can cut out all the boring stuff. Stocking freight, climbing ladders, and lifting five gallon buckets of paint rarely got boring. Now I'm stuck with my old life from long ago. Incidentally, I feel normal for the first time in eight years. I have an 8-5 desk job and have to go to the gym to stay fit. That's all kinds of normal. Unfortunately, years of abnormal make normal a little blah. Add in the torture of working out and I'm ready to sign up for weird again.
I'm finding that normal requires mental toughness and I'm decisively out of practice. I keep thinking of the old euphemisms... 'You don't know what you can do until you do it'; 'Mind over matter'; 'Just do it'; Think positively'; Sweat is just weakness leaving the body'; 'Milk: It does a body good'; 'Beef: It's what's for dinner'. So where's my motivation going to come from? The abject lack of choice. At least I'm telling myself I have no choice. Of course I do have a choice. I could allow myself to become unfit, out of shape, and unhealthy. I could gain weight. But I don't want to do any of that. Therefore I have no choice. I must just do it, even if it's torture and I hate it more than I like it. The rewards may be slim in comparison to what I have to go through, however to me they beat the alternative. So, I have my 'Rules' and I'm planning to live by them. Here's hoping there's life after Diet Coke and mango margaritas.
Comments
Post a Comment