Working Out at Work

November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 ~ fitnessdammit ~ Leave a comment

Last week, I wrote about how finding your people can have a tremendous impact on finding your way to fit and I got a lot of “hey NOWs” from a group of people I left out of the post. My work peeps. Of course I understood why they took offense – I work out with them three days a week and that’s a lot of time to spend with people you didn’t call your people. Reason is, though, I was already working on a post that would be a massive shoutout to the the fun we all have working out at work. So, my work people, this is that post. Enjoy!

The company I work for has (in my time here) always been good about encouraging us to work out. Our last office had a small gym and they brought a yoga instructor in once a week. I’m guessing it’s because healthier employees maybe means lower insurance rates but either way, I thought it was a nice gesture and great resource. However, our office moved downtown at the beginning of the year and that is when our collective fitness kick really took off. It all began when one person in particular – I’ll call him Tim because that’s his name – started a Run* club as we now had access to some cool city running routes and better scenery than our last office gave us.

The Run* Club runs* on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch and welcomes runners and walkers of all speeds, hence the asterisk on “run.” The formula is simple: we take off in one direction and run/walk for 15 minutes then turn around and come back. Some days I run 3+ miles in that half hour, other days I choose to power walk with the walkers. But each time I go, I have a blast and get a nice break in what are usually very busy days. We Run* Club-bers don’t take ourselves too seriously though and truly just enjoy getting some fresh air. We even made t-shirts and entered a 5K together. Our tag line (as we are a clever bunch) is “Your Pace or Mine” and if you see us on the streets of STL, give us a shout or a high five.

But that’s not all. There’s a bootcamp in the middle of all that running. Since the big office move, they’ve kept us moving as there is company-wide fitness initiative by hiring a personal trainer to come in on Wednesdays and kick our butts for an hour. The best part is it’s FREE to any employee who wants to go. Free personal training? That’s a helluva perk if you ask me. So what if we’re a big pile of goo when we return to our desks and our arms might shake as we eat our lunch because we held planks forever and did a million pushups… we’re getting fit, dammit. And work is paying for it. Hooray!

Sure, we already spend a lot of time together as colleagues but you really get to know people when you sweat with them. And I just want to say, from the bottom of my healthy heart, that I work and work out with some awesome people. Cheers, Momo.

Find Your People

November 13, 2017November 13, 2017 ~ fitnessdammit ~ Leave a comment

For the longest time, I was a solo runner. I never wanted the pressure of speeding up or slowing down to match someone else’s pace. To me, it was a loner sport. A much needed escape into the sound of my own breathing set against a soundtrack designed to make me move. Even when I didn’t want to.

But then, as I branched out from running into strength training and high impact/high intensity workouts, I discovered a much more powerful motivator than escape: OTHER PEOPLE. Normal people like myself just trying to get through a workout to get stronger and faster. Whether it’s a smile, a nod or even a look of misery and panic when your group leader throws in an extra minute of wall sits, the commiserating really helps me push through. (There’s a reason they say misery loves company, amiright?) There’s also a lot of power in the high fives that are waiting for you when you finish hill sprints or stairs. Even when I come in dead last, these folks line up to pat me on the back and say, “great job” because, hey, at least I finished.

So, this post is dedicated to my people: the workout buddies and friends I’ve made throughout my fitness journey – and the ones I already had who really helped get me started in the first place.

My gym peeps: led by Trainer, we get up early on Saturday mornings, work out in extreme heat and cold throughout the week, and still manage to have a ton of fun with grueling workouts. I don’t know how he does it, but he is one hell of a motivator. He’ll even make a turban and scarf out of towels so you don’t freeze to death when he talks you into doing a chilly outdoor bootcamp and you’ve only brought leggings and a t-shirt to the gym.

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My New York Crew: my sister and I have been visiting family friends in Brooklyn for nearly 20 years now. And these friends are elite NY Road Runners so when we visit, we run too. Over the years, we’ve covered a lot of ground in Brooklyn and most of Manhattan. We’ve also worked out with November Project NYC – a super fun, free fitness group that shows up three days a week at 6:28am for an hour-long workout. It’s become something I look forward to every time we visit. Crazy, I know. Why on earth would I get up so early on vacation to workout? Because this group embodies what it means to find your people. There is a tribe mentality here that feels amazing to be a part of. Rain or shine. Heat or snow. They show up in full force and all are welcome. So, if fitness is your thing, find them the next time you’re in NYC. (Actually, November Project has chapters all over the US – just not where I live – so google search to see if there’s one near you.)

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As cheesy as it sounds, finding your fitness people is like finding family. You curse each other one minute (“who the f asked for more arms?!”) then find yourself hugging and cheering each other on the next. It’s confusing. It’s even disorienting at times. But it’s always there for support if you want it.

Sugar Shock

May 16, 2017 ~ fitnessdammit ~ Leave a comment

Oh man… to say it’s been a while since my last post would be putting it very lightly. You know what’s not so light these days? Me.

I fell off the wagon this winter and have been too busy cramming cookies, donuts, cake and whatever other sweet things people have been bringing into my office or forcing me to try in restaurants. I guess you could say I was kidnapped by a case of Adult Onset Sweet Tooth. It’s a thing. It has to be.

I haven’t had a sweet tooth since I was a chubby ten-year-old but it came back a few months ago and it came back with a vengeance. I couldn’t fight it. Couldn’t resist it. And even though I knew better than to keep indulging it, I just couldn’t help myself. It became an everyday thing and my body is pudgy proof of my addiction.

I often joke that I work out every day so I can still eat tacos and drink beer but there is no amount of exercise that could counteract the additional daily intake of cupcake, ice cream and pastry calories. If it was sweet, I was shoving it in my mouth and it, in turn, was expanding my waistline and making my arms extra jiggly.

So here we are, five months into the new year and, more importantly, (fuuuuuuuuck) pool season is upon us. Changes must be made ASAP so I’m extracting this damn sweet tooth and turning this ship around. I’ve confessed everything to Trainer and admitted I need help, which is a step in the right direction because he’s a no excuses kind of dude and will whip me back into shape quick. I’ve also stocked up on fruit and healthy snacks to help me satisfy the evil, undermining sweet tooth and am learning to say things like, “no, I’m good, I don’t need that bear claw.”

I feel good about these decisions and hopeful for my fitness future. I slipped. It happens. Forgive me?