Percentages

Have you ever been near the end of your workout, totally exhausted and ready to quit when "your" song comes on? You know, that song that inspires you to keep going, to push a little harder...

That song for me has changed over the years, but lately it has been a song by Fort Minor, "Remember the Name". It is a great song for running...when it comes on, I find that extra strength to run a little further.

Particularly when the chorus comes on:

"This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

Upon closer look at the percentages that the song offers, isn't it true? 

10% Luck

20% Skill

15% Power of Will

5% Pleasure

50% Pain

100% Remember the Name

But I actually want to change the 100%. I change it to 100% worth it. 

As I am working out or cooking or ignoring the orange glaze rolls sitting in my fridge that my roommate made (true story), I have to remember why I live my life the way I do. Not only am I getting healthier, I am fitting into smaller clothes, I am more confident in myself and being an example to others. 

And all that makes the 50% pain worth it.

A Comparison

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were somebody else? Well, maybe not someone else, but maybe have what someone else has.

I read  a blog the other day about a woman, let's call her Sue, who had just bought a house. Sue really loved her house until she went to a friend's house and started comparing the two houses. All of a sudden, Sue's house was really small and shabby, her furniture didn't match and she realized she did not have a two car garage. When Sue complimented her friend's house, her friend complained and said that the house was too small and they were thinking about moving into a nicer neighborhood and into a bigger house with a backyard and a place to put in a pool. Sue slowly began to realize that she would never be happy if she continually compared herself and her things to others. She could choose to be happy with what she had or she could see the flaws in everything around her.

I am hoping you see my point here. 

This may be one of my biggest problems.

I live in a culture where getting married and having a family is one of the most important things you can do in this life. Since my freshman year of college, I have had friends getting married (I have been a bridesmaid six, seven times...I lost count). Some of my friends are on their second- third, fourth- baby. I am not married. And I don't have children.

Another culture I live in views women who are thin to be the epitome of beauty. I have never been thin. I haven't even really gotten close. 

Yet another culture I live in  views money as the root of happiness. I am a teacher with student loans. No hope for me there.

It seems that the only way to fix my problems is to marry an independently wealthy man who can pay off my loans and hire a personal trainer and chef to get me to my ideal weight. And have babies. Lots of babies (Jane Austen had it right, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife".).

OR.....

I can be happy.

This is not to say that I can't improve myself. I still want to be married, I still want to be thin (and healthy), and I still want enough money to be happy. But when I compare myself to others, I can't improve. I can't  move beyond what I see as perfection and compare it myself, which is the definitely not perfect. And it always seems that I compare myself to others when they are at their best and when I am at my worst.

So let's stop comparing ourselves to each other and work on creating the best "YOU" that you can become. It can only lead to feelings of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. You are now in control!

Gymtimidation

When I step out of my comfort zone, there are always those first few instances where the situation isn’t 100% comfortable. The first time I try a new group fitness class, I feel like I am constantly 5 steps behind and everyone can tell. When I first started working out with free weights, I felt like I was in a “girl free zone” and I was entering man territory. Yet with both of those situations, after a time or two, the “gymtimidation” was gone. It wore off quickly. I was comfortable. I knew what I was doing and I knew nobody was paying any attention to me anyhow if I didn't. The only time I haven’t gotten comfortable quickly and easily is with swimming laps. 

  

First and foremost. I love swimming laps. I love being in the pool and the workout I can get . If could guarantee that I’d be alone in that old olympic-sized, I’d swim laps every day. But drop one other body in the pool and I start convincing myself that the workout is less enjoyable. Drop another body in the same lane as me and I quickly start trying to convince myself that my workout is over.

Your probably thinking I learned how to swim late....but you'd be wrong. I grew up with a pool in my backyard. I was definitely a water baby. Most of my first memories are in the pool. However, I never learned proper stroke technique. With two big brother’s (who ridiculously enough were on the swim team), I was of the “drop her in and see if she can do it” school of thought. I learned young, but I never learn right. For nearly two decades I could hop in the pool whenever I wanted and I never had to think about how I looked, if I was in someone's way, or if people noticed how frequently I had to take a break.

My entire life I have swam under water. Only in the last year have I learned the proper techniques for freestyle, backstroke, etc. And let me just say this, they are a lot harder than swimming like a fish. While I try to convince myself that just like in group fitness classes, nobody cares enough to pay attention to how ridiculous I look…I cant make myself believe it. That’s part of the reason I have to set weekly swim goals – because I know if I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t go…and I’d be missing out on a great workout and an opportunity to improve.

When I'm unsure about something new, I usually just jump straight in (metaphorically and physically). I'd rather just get it over with, than feel the cold water on my toes and have the opportunity to chicken out. But that doesn't mean it's any less intimidating the next time.

How do you deal with low self-esteem when it comes to sports, workouts, or anything else for that matter?

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