Remember the old commercials, “When EF Hutton Talks, People Listen”? Well….my version of this would probably have to be, “When Marathon Brian Talks, I Listen.” Sheesh Diane, what the heck does that have to do with Valentine’s Day? Well, it’s a couple of degrees of separation, but I’ll tell ya!
Last week, when Running Yoda (aka Marathon Brian) was dishing out his pearls of wisdom, I was standing there with a net, just catching them like butterflies. Along came this random thought, which turned out to be BIG. He said, “If I could do over one thing in my training for the NYC Marathon, I’d have done some upper body arm work. You wouldn’t think of it, but your arms get really tired holding them in active running position. It takes strength.” Ca-CHING! A golden nugget, in the net!
So here comes an embarrassing admission. I have a gym membership — that I very rarely use. UGH, I KNOW. It’s awful! I should use it for the weight machines, and the pool, and the classes. Somewhere on my bucket list is “Take a Yoga class”, and “Take a Spin class.” I will try to fit it in. I will. I will figure it out.
Anyway — going to the gym to use the weights is really hard for me. It’s just not a habit I am ready to build right now. I need something that I can do every night, in my own home, while I am watching a ridiculous, mind-numbing TV show like RHWONJ or something. And then. it dawned on me. AH-HA!!
AH-HA moment ALERT!!!!!
My lovely husband Peter, is super-duper supportive of all of my healthy efforts. My weight loss journey, my running journey. He’s just The Best husband! Well. here comes the second degree of separation, and how all of this connects together. Last Valentine’s Day, I laid down the law (cuz I’m tough ya know. tough) —– No Edible Presents! Period! Um, Peter, darling…..I did NOT say No Presents. Um, sweetheart, let’s be clear, so there are no mis-understandings….I WANT A PRESENT! I want to feel special. Er, no…it’s more like, I want you to make me feel special on Valentine’s Day. Just No Edible Presents. PLEASE!! No chocolate candy hearts. No chocolate covered strawberries. No red and white colored cupcakes, No chocolate covered apples. Basically nothing covered, colored, scented, or even vaguely related to an edible (or edibly scented/flavored/decorated) presents. HEY — it’s a big world out there……Please get me something else!
Sooo. There we were. February 14, 2012. I bet you are wondering….what does my lovely husband get me? W.e.l.l……this dear man, my husband of 8 years, remembered how impressed I was with a fellow Weight Watcher friend who said she used hand weights at home at night to keep her from snacking after dinner. Whenever she felt like snacking — she’d pick up the hand weights, and would do a few reps — and it would take her mind off of eating and keep her hands busy. She told this story at one of the big Weight Watcher Event’s about 100+ to Lose. Which MY wonderful husband attended with me! Yea, yea…I KNOW. How many husband’s would do that? Um, I don’t have an official, scientific count, or anything……but NOT MANY. That’s my census on the subject!
Yep, my dear husband goes to Dicks Sporting Goods, you know….aka, the center of the male universe…. and buys me a pair of 5 pound hand weights, and a 10 pound kettle bell. And get this…..the weights were RED! Happy Valentine’s Day Lover!!
I’ve used the weights periodically since February. Ok, probably less than I can count on my two hands. Hey, CHILL-AX! That’s not the point of this story! Hush! No, the point is — here they are (5 pound weights)…right here in my house. And here I am. right here in my living room, with the TV on and mind-numbing programing. Check, check, check! Oh, my math skills are just break-dancing in my head. 1+1= p.r.i.c.e.l.e.s.s!!
Yes, so every night since Labor day weekend — I run through a circuit of 3 repeats of 25 repetitions of 4 different arm exercises. I start with bicep curls. I move on to tricep lifts. Then I do chest flys, and finish up with shoulder presses. In between each set, I sip my German Chocolate Cake Coffee for a caffeine boost and a bit of sweet indulgence. By the time I am done, my arms can feel the burn. And mentally, I’m just checking a daily box of “more good stuff I can do every day to get me across the finish line”. The more of those boxes I can check each day, the better I sleep at night. TRUTH!
So yes…..it’s Valentine’s Day at my house every night. Little red weights, reminding me every day how lucky I am to have a man like Peter, who is so supportive of this dream I dream for myself. That’s Love, I tell ya. Can’t find THAT in any box of chocolates. Trust me, I’ve eaten enough of them to know!
Ciao for now…….Diane