3.24.11 - Thursday
Perhaps the most important point of this experience, is that it is completely MINE. The second I walk into the gym, I'm not mom, wife, housekeeper, chauffeur...I'm just Alison. And I am completely unapologetic when I say that while I'm in class, the only person, place or thing I think about is me. Yeah sure, my house is not as tidy as I'd like it to be and I'm not getting a lot of the other "to-do" list stuff done, but who cares? This project is only 65-days long and I can clean my house in May. And while my husband may not love that my enrollment in booty school means that I go to bed at 9PM every night, and often don't make his dinner because (a) I'm exhausted and (b) I can't eat anything I make for him, he too will survive till May. He can channel his inner-bachelor and eat soup from a can if he's desperate. Or, like he did tonight, get a delivery from one of the many fine restaurants in our neighborhood. (Burrito...I want a burrito...) Or, here's a crazy idea, MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN DINNER! And please, for the love of God, rinse your dishes when you're finished. Crusty egg salad is nearly impossible to scrape off the bowl after it dries!
Don't get me wrong, I mostly love being a housewife, and I would never trade it for my former job as a corporate secretary. But in the three-and-a-half years I've had my stay-at-home mom job, no one has ever walked into my house and complimented the cleanliness of my toilets or how nicely my son's laundry was folded. It feels wonderful to be doing something for me, about me, for a better me. And while I don't see myself exercising at this intensity, six or seven days a week, for the rest of my life, I absolutely see myself continuing to make time for the care and upkeep of my body and mind. And I will not apologize for wanting to do so. The old adage "you have to make time for exercise" is so true. Every person has time to exercise. When I was topping the scales at nearly 200 pounds, I found that time at 6AM, and that was my time-slot for two years until I started booty school. So stop making excuses and move your ass! I'm talking to you!
I went into this project with two objectives: lose more weight and get toned. But it's become so much more than a crazy fitness experiment. I'm actually - I can't believe I'm about to say this - starting to LIKE exercise. Crazy right?! I don't so much like it while it's happening. Like when we're on 65 of 100 inner-thigh pulls and I feel like all the muscles in my legs will snap in half...that, I don't like. But, the second class is over, I'm on this amazing high. There's something so satisfying about completing an intense workout. Now I get it; exercise makes you feel really good about yourself! EPIPHANY! I'm seriously having anxiety about my life after this is over. What will I do next? Train for a marathon? Join that cultish Cross-Fit thing? Become a personal trainer? Start an underground booty school for stay-at-home moms in my apartment? The possibilities are endless!
I'm learning so much about myself and my capabilities. At 36-years-old (almost), I never imagined I was capable of this level of fitness. I wake up excited for class every day. What will we do today? Weights? Cardio? Both? Bring it on Butt Master! The greatest part about this week is that my son's school is having a Spring Break camp, which means he stays later, which means, I get to stay at the gym and workout after class. Did you read that correctly? I'm sincerely jazzed about having been able to workout for two solid hours every day this week! What has come over me?!
8:54PM...time for bed. Night y'all.
