discipline

beehive watch dogs

I was eavesdropping the other day. Do you do that? I love to eavesdrop. I love the word 'eavesdrop'. It was at a cross country meet and this woman was going off. At first, she was talking about her children and was speaking so very definitively. She was using words like 'zero tolerance' and 'non-negotiable'. I scooted closer. My first thought was that her kids must be evil villains, and then my immediate second thought was that I must be a total slacker. The latter was more likely, but whatever she was talking about, it became quite clear that she was not one of those 'middle of the road' types. I never did figure out what was so damn imperative, because she quickly jumped subjects. To exercise.

If you live in Durango Colorado you better get real comfy with talk about exercise. If you aren't training for an ultra, the Single Speed World Cup, or the next X games then you might as well move to Denver. Seriously, there is no better place in the world to feel physically inferior than Durango.

Thus, I was ready to get a real earful from Mrs. Non Negotiable.

She had just finished reading a book that I won't be rushing out to buy. It was titled something like "Younger Next Year" and the general premise was that we can reverse aging. Eureka. But what she kept shouting, over and over, is that every day that we are not exercising we are decaying. And, of course, she had zero tolerance for that.

That's the long way round to my own thoughts on exercise and eating.  I like to think of my exercise routine as 'organic'. That's a positive spin on 'sporadic at best'. But thanks to my eavesdropping, now the word 'decaying' is pinging around in my head and I don't really like it. So while I run and ride and ski and swim and am generally active, it's time to kick it up a notch. Same with my diet.

Hello Cross Fit and Whole30.

I am a week into cross fit and I love it. I am doing it at home and dragging the whole family into it. We have a few cross fit gyms here, but I'm not there yet. I think I would cry or wet my pants . Each day I go here for my daily workout (called a WOD) and record my results. My muscles are sore and happy. Workouts are fast and intense and your cardio comes from the speed that you do the exercises. My belly is not all that it once was, and I have always wanted 'guns' so we'll see what happens.

And if I'm pushing away decay, hell's bells, shouldn't I ditch sugar, grains, dairy, and alcohol. Cold turkey, and with very little thought or hesitation, yes, is the answer. I am not calling it paleo, or a diet and I am not focusing on what I can not have. For a brief thirty days I am shooting for optimal health. It is laid out very clearly right here and I printed the shopping list and started today. I feel a little like I just jumped on the internet health bandwagon, but the truth is, it all makes sense. At 45, I have the world before me, I have the heart and soul of my 17 year old self, and the wild card (and it's one that I can mostly control) is my physical health. Why not work it? Why not push harder?

It feels very good to have zero tolerance for decay. Thanks Lady!

For more cross fit/food inspiration check out this blog. I love her calm, clear voice.

P.S. This morning I poured my coffee and added cream, as usual. I laughed at my extreme ADD, poured it out, and started over. Here we go!