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!

Hobbies

A thought occurred to me tonight as I sat in the Four Seasons Centre watching the working rehearsal of Cosi fan tutte: I need a hobby. I'm a busy person, but at this point it's usually work + gym + hanging out + watching TV. If someone asked, "What are you interested in?" I'm not sure what I'd say. I might say "music", but aside from listening to it, how do I take an interest in it? I like "opera", but that interest doesn't go far beyond seeing the occasional performance or listening to my girlfriend K. sing or talk about it. And when I watch TV and movies, it's often just re-watching shows and movies I've already seen before.

So here's one of my resolutions for 2014: actively cultivate interests and hobbies. If I like reading, I ought to read. If I'm so interested in opera, I'm going to listen to it regularly and read about if and form opinions on it. This may sound forced, but maybe I need to put some effort into cultivating interests to begin with. It's easy to marathon "The O.C." on DVD, but it's more difficult to decide to watch a new documentary every week.

Whatever I want to dive into, I'd like to do it wholeheartedly.

Watch out, world!

Gettin' Fit

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I just can't believe that another year has come and gone... 2014!!!  I can't wait to see what the year will bring.  One of my resolutions is to update Sugar & Gravy more often.  This can be such a fun creative outlet, and I want to bring a little more of that back into my life.

You know what I'm not making a resolution this year?  Eating healthy / getting fit / losing weight.  Why is that?  Because I'm already doing it.  Unbeknownst to you (contrary to popular belief, I don't write everything about my life in this blog), I have been adopting a very healthy lifestyle over the past while.  In fact, today marks exactly six months since my girlfriend K. and I decided to eat healthier, join a gym, and generally become more health-conscious.  Since that fateful day in July 2013, I have lost approximately 35 lbs and made working out a genuine part of my routine.  I have gotten stronger, fitter, and gone down about two dress sizes.  Most importantly, I've gotten to the point where working out is almost as natural and necessary as brushing my teeth.  It feels incredible!

I've heard many times that exercise is THE way to keep you mentally healthy (in addition to all of the physical benefits).  And you know what?  I get it.  I have a lot going on right now in my life (all positive, and more on that another time soon), and so I've been wont to get overwhelmed.  Today I'm also feeling outrageously hormonal, and as a result I found myself totally lethargic, bummed out, and emotional this afternoon.  BUT K. and I had put a workout in our schedules this evening, so I fought my instinct to stretch out on the couch and watch "The O.C.", and instead walked through the snow to the gym.  Around 30 minutes later I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  I was sweaty and panting, yet I felt like I could run to the top of a mountain and sing!  It probably sounds cheesy and over the top, but that's genuinely how I feel right now. 

It makes me wonder... why did I wait so long to make this part of my life?  Who cares?!  It is, and that's what's important.