TRAIN TO MAKE IT COUNT

So today is Friday, alas. Another week has passed and I am feeling more or less Fashionably Fit. It wasn't the easiest week to jump back into, what with Monday's Labor Day laziness lingering over to Wednesday, but we made it. As you might know, my routine consists of working out at the gym Monday thru Friday. Well Scratch Monday, Tuesday I found myself at the gym running across and back over the Memorial Drive Bridge 24 times. To and fro equals 1 time. Yeah. It took me a while and I had to break up the daunting goal into sets that I could accomplish at a reasonable pace. I decided to do 3 sets of 8 laps. After 8 laps I gave myself the option to go inside and refill my water bottle and let the a.c.hit my neck for a few seconds, giving me enough rejuvenation to do 8 more laps. When the 8 lap sets became a little ominous, which was almost immediately, I started thinking about the 8 laps as 1 set of 4 where I would skip a step on the way to the top of the bridge, and another set of 4 where I would run each step and optionally walk very fast across the bridge.

Point is, I finished. I was sweating, I felt strong and I learned something new about myself and the process that will make this obstacle a little easier the next time: I must keep my foot in. Lisa, what does that mean??! When I am running, and walking, I have a "Southern" gait in my step that some might call flat-footed, slew-footed, planters feet, etc.. But feet will turn slightly outward if I am not aware of it. I noticed this when I was running and realized that this is indeed the stance of a planter, someone who is doing work in one place for a certain amount of time and needs a firm stance to root down. I don't want to root down when I am running and when I am trying to get somewhere in a short period of time. An angled-out foot position then starts to act as a brake, much like on the wings of an airplane when you begin your "final descent". A turned out foot also makes me contemplate every step, which is exercising my mind too much at a time when I want to get across the bridge in record time. When I started to actively tell myself almost like a mantra "Keep That Foot in, Keep That Foot In", My speed increased and I had a lesser tendency to stop mid-bridge and walk it out.

In our goals of being Fashionably Fit, we have got to make it count. Whatever that IT is... one hour to work out, 3 days to complete a proposals but only 4 hours to devote to it, $100 left in your bank account on the weekend and yet really want to buy something for yourself, etc. etc. Time and Space, and our Tempo Spatial existence is metered by numbers, whether we like it or not. The ancients figured out numerical systems to help us keep count of what is going on in our lives, what counts, and how to remain accountable.
Overall, I have a goal to increase my Power. Power= Work/Time. If you want your Power to count, Make your work count. Make your Time Count.

Lastly, this week I have suffered the pangs that come with being a woman, ladies you know what I mean (fellas I hope by now you do too) and I wanted some sort of satisfaction that was not adhering to my Fashionably Fit lifestyle and goals. But with a slightly larger investment on my part, I enjoyed a beautiful Bourgogne Pinot noir, goat cheese warmed with hot pesto, and freshly baked ciabatta bread. And it was divine. Now, I don't do it up everyday, but when I do, I train to make it count. And although it was more expensive perse than me going to get a fast food fix, my choice was more complimentary to my lifestyle therefore more satisfying, better quality therefore more nutritious and well planned, not in haste by me nor the chef, which makes it a win win situation.

This weekend, Train to Make it Count.

xoxo
Lisa E.