What really matters

If you start "getting fit" and "eating healthy", you may be motivated by a number of things:

1. Living a longer life
2. Avoiding potential health issues
3. Losing weight
4. Gaining energy
5. "Looking better"
6. Getting stronger and more fit
7. Getting a hobby

...and a multitude of other things!  I would say my motivation was mostly to be a healthier person overall.  That being said, I wanted something to measure my progress, and my primary metric was weight.  Weighing myself on a regular basis helped me see how I was doing, what patterns and habits changed the number on the scale, etc.

However, the thing you don't know when you make lifestyle changes is what developments you'll truly value once progress is made.  For example, it's amazing to be able to say, "I've lost 40 lbs."  But I've learned it's even more amazing to say, "Working out is part of my routine now", or "Working out is no longer a chore".  That's probably my biggest accomplishment: making working out part of my life.  The weight loss is great, but eventually it will level off (it kinda already has), and soon enough it'll stop because I'll have met my weight loss goal.  However, the thing that will continue is the exercise.  It's been incredible for my energy, strength, endurance, confidence, mental health, and so many more things I can't even articulate.

That's what I'm proud of!

Spoiler Alert!

Tuesday
Girls -- I love the show "Girls", but I have not been keeping up with it in its current season.  So, last night I took advantage of my minimalist apartment and indulged in some television (on my iPad).  I re-watched (mea culpa) the final two episodes of season two and watched the first ep of season three.  I'll watch the second ep tonight, I hope... maybe more.  Normally I would just download all of the episodes, but I have no personal computer, so... we'll see what I can stream.  I liked the season premiere!  I was a bit sleepy during it, so I may have to re-watch (fight the urge!) before I move on to the next one.

Wednesday
*Edit - I ended up kinda re-watching the first ep of season three during my lunch break yesterday, but just skimmed through it to refresh my - apparently poor - memory.  Then I watched the second ep, but I haven't seen any more.  I need to find a good streaming site.

Opera -- On Monday night, I received a call from the Canadian Opera Company.  They often call their patrons after they know they've seen a show to chat with them, do a little cultivating (I work in the biz, I should know), and - in this case - try to get them to buy tickets to more shows.  Although I didn't want to buy tickets that night (I'm waiting until the $30 under 30 tickets go on sale), I did enjoy talking opera with the woman who called.  Normally I'd give short answers, but I figured it was a great opportunity to test out my growing knowledge of opera.  I spoke with the woman about the specific singers we saw in Cosi (I said I loved Tracy Dahl and when the woman I was speaking with acknowledged that she's Canadian, I said "I know, and she teaches at the University of Manitoba!"), I expressed my opinion on the show (I loved it! ... not the most sophisticated opinion, but it's true), and talked about what I was hoping to see next season (The Barber of Seville, Don Giovanni, and Madama Butterfly).  Anyway, pretty proud!

Laundry -- I had my first "laundry night" in my new building last night.  Great success!  That may sound lame, but going through the process of doing laundry in a new building is always an adventure.  I'm pleased to report that it was an easy and fun adventure instead of one filled with obstacles.  It was fun last night, and all my laundry is now done (yay!!!), but now that the first time is done, it won't be that fun moving forward... just laundry...

Body Pump -- I did my first Waterloo Body Pump class on Monday evening and it was great!  The thing I love about being a member of GoodLife is that it's been so easy for me to move to Waterloo and keep up my gym routine.  And the thing I love about Body Pump is that it's the same everywhere!  I've been doing Pump classes pretty regularly now, but I've never made a point of going on a weekly basis.  I think I'll try to go every Monday moving forward.  I hope I can stick with it!

Alright - that's all for now!  Two days' worth of posting rolled into one.  I love it!

Yoga: Then & Now

Wanna know a secret?  I've been working on my fitness.  Well, it's not actually a secret; I just haven't blogged about it or posted about it on Facebook, Instagram, etc.  It's been going on since July of this year and I wanted to share it now as I have something related to it to write about.

In Fall 2012, my girlfriend K. and I joined a yoga studio.  That was not something I ever imagined for myself, but soon enough the classes became part of my weekly/biweekly routine.  I really enjoyed it!  I enjoyed - and still do - the deep stretches, the peace and quiet of the practice, the attitude that facing your own challenges is the point (and that there's no use in comparing yourself to others, and - of course - child's pose.  I loved bringing something into my life that took me out of my comfort zone and did some good for the health of my mind, body, and soul.

In Summer 2013, K. and I decided we needed more, so we educated ourselves on and are continuing to establish healthy eating habits, and then in late August we joined a gym!!!  Again, not something I imagined for myself, but we've been going 3x a week for the past two months or so and we feel fantastic!

So - what's the point of this post?  Well, last night I returned to our yoga studio for the first time since... the summer at least, I think.  I took a level 1 Ashtanga class with an instructor who I've taken classes with before, and he's really intense.  But, it felt AWESOME!  I felt stronger, I had better stamina, and I challenged myself to hold poses longer and try harder things than I normally would.  It really felt incredible.

I never thought of myself as an active person, and I guess that point-of-view turned into a belief that I couldn't be active.  Boy was I wrong!  I can do anything!