exercising, quotes, and celebrating the light side.

well.  i did it.
this week i broke out the mini trampoline.
three days i worked out.
and i learned things about myself.

my attitude towards working out has changed.
i have a weak bladder.
and matt maher is everything i need in a work out buddy!

and before i go any farther,
i'd like to say that there is reading discretion advised for this post.
if you are of the opposite sex,
i strongly advise you to discontinue reading. 
here.  (good by, and please come again another day.)

ok.  now that it's just us girls...
on tuesday i went digging for my one and only sports bra.
let's face it.  a mini trampoline... it was a must.
i finally found it.
next i located my tank top, shorts, my one pair of real sneakers,
and my ipod.
and of course, the trampoline itself.

when i was finally dressed in all my gear,
had hallie situated with school work,
had cheney playing with toys,
and was ready to exercise,
i felt as though i'd already had a mini workout.
or maybe not so mini.
anyway,

i turned the ipod on and got right to business.
first order of business...
marching.
i had the arm swing going and the knees going high.
i was feeling goooood.
soon the music was so motivating,
i found myself doing a nice little jog.
even had  nice form.
feeling gooooood!
and the next thing i knew,
i was so energized by my experience,
i just went to a full out jump.
my spirit was soaring with the worship music,
and i felt so groovy in all my work out gear,
(there is something about wearing workout clothes that makes one feel as if one is limitless.)
and i was so happy with the fact that i was actually exercising.
but as i jumped i had a nagging suspicion that i was peeing my pants.
i was a bit distracted by it, but i really wanted to plow through.
who wants to pause in their work out to change outfits because they had an accident?
not me. 
all of the sudden i wasn't feel nearly so groovy and cool.
i kept jumping and marching and what not,
and then pretty soon my suspicions were confirmed.
i was peeing my pants.

and by now, you are all have different responses -
if you are a male, and you did not heed the advice to stop reading,
you now have no idea whatsoever to do with the information you just read. 
don't blame me.  i warned you.
if you are a young girl,
you probably think it's funny, but sorta gross and weird.  (you just wait honey!!)
if you are a woman who has put your put your poor bladder through multiple pregnancies,
and if you've birthed multiple babies,
then you are laughing, maybe really really laughing,
because you know you would have done the same thing!! 
it's just that most people do not come right out and say
hey, guess what!? i peed in my pants when i exercised.
it really is not very glamorous.  i agree.
BUT...it is real.  isn't it?  and i am ok with you laughing.  because it is funny.

i managed to work out two more times this week without repeating my first experience.
i decided it is worth the inconvenience to stop for a short bathroom break. (smile.)

matt maher makes a fabulous workout companion!
it's so much more enjoyable to have him singing to me,
than to have that annoyingly perky workout girl telling me to do 5 more.

i realized that i have changed.  i like to exercise.  i used to hate it!
but, i used to run from pain.  all sorts of pain.
heart pain and physical pain.
last year i decided no more running. 
i embraced pain for the positive outcome.
my life has blossomed because of that decision.
could it possibly have carried over even in the physical sense?  interesting.
when "exercise people" would say things like "feel the burn!!" like it was positive,
i used to think, "you nut ball!  who wants to feel the burn?!"
but this week while i was pushing my body physically, i was feeling the burn and
was energized by it.
pain is progress!  it means i'm getting somewhere! 

i probably won't exercise every week forever.   it's a season.
i felt the need for self discipline.  for mental stimulation through physical exertion.
for toning my body for myself.  for alone time.  for a challenge. 

why do i feel the need to tone?
read quote below:
"it's rough to go through life with your contents looking
as if they settled during shipping! " ~milton berle

and now because i adore quotes,
i'm going to include a few about diet and exercise.

"you can't lose weight without exercise.
but i've got a philosophy about exercise.
i don't think you should punish your legs
for something your mouth did.
drag your lips around the block once or twice." ~gwen owen

"when i buy cookies i just eat four and throw the rest away.  but first i spray them with raid so i won't dig them  out of the garbage later.  be careful, though, because that raid really doesn't taste that bad." ~janette barber

this used to sooo be me:
"when i feel like exercising i just lie down until the feeling goes away."
~ erma bombeck

"i've been doing leg lifts faithfully for about fifteen years,
and the only thing that has gotten thinner is the carpet where
i have been doing the leg lifts."  ~rita rudner

always something fun to enjoy. 
a little laughter.
something light.  to get us through the heaviness.

i hope you have a wonderful weekend.
i'm going to enjoy a movie with my husband at a very cool little theater.
it has a coffee shop adjoining it.  so you can get your coffee and pastries and
take them with you into the movie.
how great!
and even greater,
is this:
i have a husband who happily watches, with me, movies set back in time.
we are going to see the king's speech.
the main character is played by collin firth.  (mr. darcy!)
i am excited!
for coffee.  for a movie.  for time away with clint.  for mr. carcy.  and all good things.

so.  ta ta for now.
don't forget to look for miracles.

"there are only two ways to live your life.
one is as though nothing is a miracle.
the other is as though everything is a miracle."
~albert einstein

celebrate the miracles.
they are there.
they are there indeed!

~a