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vintage-cheerleaders

A vacation to the Land ‘O Lakes, a neck muscle issue, doubt, frustration, sleeplessness, procrastination, and work have kept me from working out as much as I would like to in the last few weeks. Although, sometimes I would just not like to.

This week I have been back on it, however. The woman who teaches the course is very motivational. As in, a cheerleader who is one-thousand percent rooting just for you to be your best self possible (inside and out) in a way that is infectious, loud, and nuclear in energy. In a conversation with her yesterday, my introverted self stared at her, eyes wide, mouth hanging open as she bounced and gesticulated and talked at warp speed, not one negative word coming out of her mouth. I admire people like that; the infinite energy, the positivity, the visibility and conviction of their beliefs making a difference in others lives. She makes you want what she’s got and she’s got some great stuff.

Her words and attitude shone a light on how I have been thinking and speaking a lot of negativity lately; complaining about work, lousy drivers, my body, the fall weather that thinks it’s high summer. They’re little things, but I realized that’s all that I’ve been speaking. Why is it so much easier to nit-pick and complain than it is to stop and consciously acknowledge my life and all the parts of it that are so wonderful?

The work-out that followed my conversation with her was hard. Really, really hard. Or should I say challenging? Nah, it was hard. But I made it through, staggering across the finish line, red-faced and slippery with sweat.

Her final words to us were, “Look at yourself naked in the mirror this weekend and say aloud three positive things about your body”. That is my goal for this weekend. To not only be body positive, but to be conscious of what is coming out of my mouth. To choose three or more things about today and tomorrow that are wonderful and to voice them. To not speak the negative as much anymore. It affects me and therefore the people around me. I’d like my legacy to be one of laughter and light, not melancholy mixed with a daily dose of downers.

So three positive things for today:

  1. I’m working in an air conditioned space while it’s 90 degrees outside. NICE!
  2. I get to wear my favorite summer dress in October because it’s still warm enough to do so. SWEET!
  3. Tomorrow I get to go to the beach with my daughter and grand daughter and then have a BBQ with friends at my house and that makes me happy today. YES!

And as a body positivity statement: All this working out is really defining my shoulders. Too bad it’s not something more crucial like my butt or torso, but I’ll take it. Go shoulders! WOOT!

Life is good. 🙂