Monica

Remember "Monica" from my gym? She became a major motivator for me with just her presence taking my workouts up a notch. And her body has continued to improve. Wow, she could easily compete. However, now that I know the reason why, I must revise my April statement. I will NOT be doing what Monica does to get what she has.

Apparently, Monica, and a few other women at my gym, take steroids. I found out because they were recently offered to me, as well. I had a long discussion with a bodybuilder I trust. He said normally he is pro-hormones, but never for women because steroids are not women hormones. After he told me that, I started to pay attention and noticed that many of them do have a slight masculine facial appearance. While they have amazingly gorgeous bodies, I am not willing to masculinize my look at all. The first time I was exposed to hearing about women taking steroids was from a stripper I knew a decade ago. She didn't look masculine, but maybe she took very little or was new to them. I don't know. I just know that I am not willing to take this risk. Even for a perfect body.

What I do miss is the ECA stacks. Aspirin and alcohol (separately, not together) are both much more dangerous than ephedrine. The argument that ephedrine is used to make meth so it needs to be made illegal is just ridiculous. Baking soda is an essential ingredient to make crack, but you can still buy it everywhere. Ephedrine got a bad rap.


How disappointing ECA is gone! Equally disappointing is that those women got their results through steroids since I am not willing to go that route. I still go to the gym. I still stare at their bodies. But I no longer believe I will accomplish the same results.  :(

Don't be jealous of what somebody's got unless you're willing to do what they did to get it.

Many years ago, I heard Joyce Meyer say "Don't be jealous of what somebody's got unless you're willing to do what they did to get it." Her quote has stuck with me ever since.

This morning I was at the gym. There is one woman who is so inspiring--I'll call her Monica. Everytime I see her, I work out harder. I've never witnessed her lifting weights (always during a cardio class), but her body is clear proof that she does. Morning obligations prevent me from getting to the gym earlier, so I arrive 10 minutes before this high-energy dance class ends. Monica always looks like she's having a great time. Compared to everyone else, she doesn't look tired and her moves look like real dance instead of exercise. She is so light on her feet it is an absolute pleasure to watch.

20 minutes into my weight workout, a spin class was starting. Monica, who just finished an intensive 1 hour dance class, immediately heads to the spin room! I follow and choose the bike behind her and to the left. From my vantage point, I focus on her incredible thighs while not being obvious.

The equipment was old, there were no fans (!!), and the class seemed to last forever. Several times I wanted to stop. Then I looked around. Not only did Monica have great legs (the best body in the gym, IMHO), several of the other women did too. This is what I want. I've never been satisfied with my legs. Everytime I thought about leaving class early, "Don't be jealous of what somebody's got unless you're willing to do what they did to get it" played in my head.

After I completed the class, I was super proud of myself. It took about 40 minutes to consciously think about that, in order to achieve my goal, I will have to do this repeatedly. Ugh. But, I'm willing to do what Monica does to get it.   *smile*

This is what I consider a perfect set of legs:

Picture found at: http://www.dirtyandthirty.com/

This Year's Lent Sacrifices

After much consideration, I will be giving up: cursing, hitting the snooze button, cold sugary coffee drinks, and tres leches. Here's why:

• I don't curse much, but any cursing is more than I want. 
• The snooze button is important. My life doesn't have many hard deadlines; at the same time, I am most productive in the mornings and hitting snooze is counterproductive. 
• The sugary coffee drinks are a new part of my routine. This a very bad habit for calories and sugar intake--so I need to put an end to them.
• Tres leches is another indulgence which I must give up in order to break my sugar addiction by the end of Lent.

Masturbation was suggested for me this year, too. In past years, I have included it.
However, since I rarely masturbate these days, it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice now.
For my goals, Lent sacrifices need to be challenging and provide a long-term benefit.

In addition to sacrifices, I pledge to exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes each and every day. This is more than I currently do on the average day. While I wish I could commit to more, it's not worth taking time away from school. I'm not fat so good grades trump my exercise time budget.  ;)

I will also have penalties for non-compliance. $1 per curse word, $1 per each time I hit snooze, $10 per sugary coffee, $20 for tres leches, and $5 for missing an exercise day.

Lent is technically 46 days with 6 cheat days. I do a straight 40 days because I want the long-term benefit. This year it'll be Feb 18 to April 2. For me, Lent is about change and self-improvement.