Conquering The Beast

  

The holidays can be tough for those of us who like to indulge in more than the odd morsel of tantalizing tastiness.  Cookies are my personal weakness and they seem to be everywhere at this time of year.  Cookies are more dangerous than let's say a nice piece of prime rib or a perfectly cooked filet mignon because cookies are just sitting there on a plate on the counter within arms reach as you walk by.  You won't find a baked potato with butter and sour cream just sitting there but the cookies will be there.  If you listen hard enough you can hear them call your name.  Then your mind starts making sense of things in a weird way.  You rationalize eating those cookies by telling yourself that "It's just one" or "It's just a bite, how bad can it be?" or my go-to rationalization "I'll do a little more at the gym".     



It's time to pay up.  For me, the shortest distance between fat and skinny--oops, politically incorrect, what I meant to say is unhealthy and healthy-- is cardio and a lot of it.  Did I mention that I hate cardio?  I can deal with the bike but I do find it boring.  I like the rowing machine but only my kind of workout will do and my kind of workout is rather time consuming.  The StairMaster is a beast that I've conquered time and time again but it can get boring too.  That leaves running.  I hate running and running is the beast that's always the toughest beast for me to conquer.  Running is something that needs to be conquered mentally and physically.  If I don't get my mental on then the physical is just not happening.  I need my mental, my physical and my breath.  I need the three part harmony to win the battle and winning is the only option.



I don't run outside.  Uneven pavement is not my friend so why take the risk?  It's a treadmill battle.  I choose interval training for the metabolism boost.  At my age my metabolism needs all the help it can get.  With ear buds in place and musical choices that can only mean a surefire win I shake it all out during those first few brisk steps.  A few minutes at a quick walking pace then I hit the sprint button.  The lungs start to expand and I search for the breath... got it.  Now for the zone.  I have to be in the zone or it just won't work.  The zone is where I'll find that three part harmony.  I search for and find that spot on the wall that I can focus on.  That spot that will open up for me like a tunnel that separates me from the chaos around me.  That spot that will help me tune out the rest of the world so that all I see is that spot.  All I hear is the power of the music.  All I feel is my heart pumping and the rhythm of the breath.  Once I feel that harmony the battle is as good as won.


Several minutes in the zone and I hit the button again.  Back to reality, back to that brisk walking pace--breathe, breathe-- and then I hit that sprint button again.  I've already been in the zone so it's easier to find it again the second time.  It's like a comfortable shoe, and off I go.  Heart pumping and pounding, rhythm of the breath and that spot on the wall.  This time I go a little longer and then I hit that button.  Bring it all down to a walk, shake it out--breathe, breathe--and hit that button again. Heart pounding, rhythm of the breath and that spot on the wall.  With each visit to the zone I stay longer and longer.  With each visit to the zone I remind myself that I'm winning the battle, I'm conquering the beast.  I win.

Never give up. It's not an option.

xo
Michelle

+My Baked Stuffed Life
+Michelle Morrissette Cucchiaro