Falling
It’s been too long since my last entry. I miss this. Now, just a warning, there is going to be a lot of randomness going on so , brace yourself. I need this as therapy. Lately, I’ve been really on a funk. Chicago winters are absolutely painful, harsh winds, hail, and snow so thick , it sticks to concrete and turns to ice in no time. Aside from that, I get really depressed. The winter blues take over and I find myself in a very "unresourceful" state. Luckily, I still use fitness as a method to release the inner stress. Nothing feels as good as fitness, even if it’s just for the post workout pump. The past couple of days, I’ve steered away from my clean eating , which is very disappointing. Nevertheless, I’m going back on it , not too pre occupied with falling off b/c I know I can get back on at the drop of a hat. I have an obligation to everyone who knows me that in 2009, I WILL appear in a fitness magazine. Even if it’s just a tiny,little pic of my before and after progress. I want to represent fitness in Chicago! I will make it happen.
Speaking of falling off, Chicago is going through some adverse times. The governor RodBlog just was accused of trying to sell off Obama’s seat for personal gain(financial , of course). Everyone is experiencing tough times with this economy, but when the public sees how elected officials are handling their hardship, what hope does this leave for the average John and Sally? I just hope that people won’t use this as a lazy excuse to take the path of least resistance and forget about consequences. It’s easy to put your ethics aside when you are surrounded by so much corruptness and the economy pressures are leaving no room for hope.
Things that frustrate me part 2: laziness. I’ve encountered some major problems with my family members lack of mobility and attention to healthy nutrition. Besides being the biggest proponent of clean eating and exercising, my family has decided to not take into consideration my fitness lifestyle. I went home for Christmas, and being from a Mexican background, the party theme was food, liquor and LOTS OF FAT/CARB infested foods. I was surrounded by so many varieties of cookies, cakes, cupcakes, candies , it was like I was in a baking contest with all the chefs in the Chicago area. All the kids of course were stuffing their mouths with these pastries b/c their parents were too busy to feed them all day , so as soon as they saw these colorful killer "appetizers" , they went bananas! I tried to distract them by taking out the Jenga and connect four. Then we did some body competitions,,, knowing me. I battled with my cousins to see who can last longer in the plank position. lol. It was fun. Then my cousin wanted to arm wrestle me, that’s when I knew I had accomplished something positive! Well, that only lasted so long b/c before long , it was "dinner time". Lots of spanish rice, enchiladas, tamales, ugh, need I say more? Don’t get me wrong,I love Mexican food but I don’t appreciate the way the tradition calls to eat it. Like there is no tomorrow.
I’m well on my way to changing things though. I’m going to continue to give my family crap for eating crap. I need and love my family, I want them to lead long healthy lives. I’m also going to continue training and pushing my friends. I have a neighbor who wants to get in shape and another friend who I train with. We motivate each other. He pushes me to lift heavy! I push him to , well, lift! It’s a great relationship. I wish I knew more ppl that were so willing to work out. Unfortunately, most of my "friends" these days just want to hang out at bars and drink away their pain. I can’t get myself to do that, needless to say, I’ve lost touch with a lot of them.
On a happier note, I’m excited for what’s to come in 2009. Even if I have to get there on my own, I will work hard to achieve my goals. I have lots to do, and JenCan won’t let anything/anyone get in her way. With that said, thanks for taking the time to read and I wish all of you perseverant and gorgeous peers the best , stay blessed and healthy!
xoxo
JenCan
January 3, 2009 at 8:04 pm
This was a good read. Completely agree with the chicago winters…every year I feel the same way and get somewhat depressed, but the Chicago summers are so great they almost make up for it!
And as far as motivating your loved ones, well….Ive practically given up..can lead a horse to water but…well sparing the cliche, my mom has spoken numerously about getting a gym membership but failed. Maybe due to the fact that she works full time and cooks so i can understand that she wants to unwind on the couch and watch her shows, but MY relief after a hard day at work is the GYM! and my dad is definitely a lost case. His smoking and drinking is just a model for me to not become..but i love them and wish that they still enjoy relatively healthy lives regardless.
Its rather sad the sedentary lifestyle that commonly exists here. I have two friends, I COUNT TWO friends so far that workout…the rest never set foot in the gym. one of my friends who regularly smokes and drinks socially practically mocked me when I told him that i am doing a bb’ing competition! pppft!
January 5, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Oh I know all about the mocking thing, I’ve had my share of that. It no longer gets to me , thankfully. Training and my love of fitness/health has developed not only my physique, but my MIND. I’ve gone on some dates with guys who will LAUGH when I tell them about my lifestyle! Ugh, foolish ppl. I’m determined to change ppl’s attitude toward fitness , I shall inspire them. I WILL have to think of new methods of getting ppl to eat/workout so they stick to it. BTW, thanks for working out with me, I’m eternally thankful for the PAIN! I can feel my back muscles forming as I type