Bust Yo Ass

Stylo - Gorillaz

Great for lifting weights or doing stairs.

Just Two Things

There are two things that I am doing wrong right now (and for the past few days) and it annoys me that I haven't changed the situation yet.

1) Spending too much money on clothes and various items!! What happened to my plan of saving money instead of living pay cheque to pay cheque?? This is just getting ridiculous!! Did I really need to buy two dresses from Fairweathers? A romper from Old Navy? An overpriced knapsack from Sportchek? Pfft no! What am I doing wrong here? The answer is: bored shopping. Instead of going to the gym (no clean gym clothes is my excuse), I'm going to the malls midday during boring hours and spending money!! I can't simply browse; I HAVE to buy. The problem is--what else am I supposed to do? I feel as though I have nothing else to do at this point. Read a book? I've read tons. Watch a tv show/movie? Boring, done that too much lately. Weave a friendship bracelet? That's so summer 2009.

2) Lack of exercise. Last week I kicked cardio ass! I worked out 4 days, did tons of weights, pounded back the protein smoothies, and generally acted like a 'roid-bot. This week? Other than the daily walk to and from work, I've done zip extra cardio! No weights...no cardio...nothing. Blegh...in my mind: lack of exercise = fat. It's intrinsically connected.

Spring serenity

I think spring brings out the best in me, which is sad considering it is simply a state of mind, rather than a tangible occurrence/situation.

However, without fail, every February, I start hit the end of my tether. I've started to understand why people escape to Florida and other tropical areas for vacation mid-winter. The older I get, the worse it becomes...the winter blues. I found myself quite hostile this year, especially at work. I was barely making it through shifts, getting frustrated and annoyed with my coworkers and situations that were occurring. Literally, every single shift, I found myself about lose my mind in anger and...I'll admit it...fantasies that involved guns and a kick assing of mega proportions.

But now, with April passing by, the days becoming warmer and longer, the air starting to smell like spring, and the fact that all my windows are left wide open day and night, I feel so happy and relaxed and calm.

I may as well be flying high. That's how hopeful and happy I feel at this point. Even now, I'm just over 11 hours into my shift, and I feel no anxiety or exhaustion or anger...I just feel happy I have a job and that I'm sitting here typing on a functioning computer, and that I will soon be going out with my friend to see a great movie in my car that I love.

It's indescribable, this sense of peace that I am currently experiencing. In fact, the fire alarms could probably go off, a S.W.A.T. could storm down the halls, four Code Blues could be called, and I still would be undefeated in my optimism at this point.

There has been a turning point over this weekend, despite the fact that it was emotionally draining. I feel happy and peaceful and calm in myself.

As I was walking down the hospital hall today, I had this one line running through my mind:
the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want

I shall not want.

How often do we get caught up in the material things of this life, when what we really need is to sit back and think about all the things we DO have (health, family, a house, a car) and be thankful for them. Really and truly thankful, not just a passing thought.

That's all for now.

Bust Yo Ass (No.2)

My next recommendation for a great work out song:

"You Take My Breath Away" - Dido (DJ Tiesto Vocal)

Great music to move to! It's a long song so if you run intervals to your music, be expected to do a longer run.


It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Annoyances

Things have been irritating me, and in order to avoid becoming hostile (I love the word "hostile"; it's so poetic sounding) I have decided to make a brief list of things (there's something about making lists that calms me down!) that have recently come to my attention that plain old piss me off.

• Elective abortions are now called "therapeutic". You know what's therapeutic? Those little gardens that you rake when you're feeling stressed. Also stress balls, prophylactic medicine, sun lights during the winter to keep your from being depressed, physiotherapy, seeing a chiropractor, counselling...you get my point. The fact that the medical world has decided to turn abortion into something that sounds reasonably okay disgusts. I suppose it is related to my deep hate for abortion, but I think it should be called what it is: the ending of a life.
• And on the topic of abortions, people who have "therapeutic abortions" as a type of birth control, and then choose to become pregnant and have a baby shortly after their abortions. What was the point of that?! Why not keep the original baby? Alkajfklafjl;s!!!
• Extremely long radio commercials. I get that stations have to stay in business somehow, but K-lite FM manages to play maybe three songs an hour. Okay, obviously that's an exaggeration, but seriously! The amount of time that they spend playing radio commericals is at least over fifty percent of the time they play songs. And speaking of K-lite FM, why are people allowed to play that godawful station at work? I should not be forced to listen to such garbage for hours on end.
• Filtered/screened blog comments. You're putting your thoughts and ideas out for the world to see, but you don't want people posting their candid and uncensored opinion on what you're saying. You're lame. No one should be screening their comments before posting them...that defeats the whole purpose of honest posterity.
• People who drive under the speed limit because they're smoking/talking on their bluetooth/being idiots. They should routinely be fining those people, not the ones who are going 5-10k over.
• Coworkers who CONSTANTLY call in sick or go home sick. Fire their asses already. They're not an asset to the team, and they're just frustrating and annoying everyone who works with them, so get rid of them. As well, they're clearly incompetent, so for the love of all that is good and green on this earth, FIRE THEM!!
• Related to the whole sick/lazy coworker thing... If my other coworkers don't stop complaining to ME about the issue instead of the proper authourities (who can then successfully deal with the issue when enough complaints have been lodged), I am going to lose my freakin' mind!!! Email the boss and complain about it with recorded incidents, or just STOP talking/complaining about it to each other.
• How about people stop dragging their furniture along their apartment floor (right above me) at 2 am? It's just weird and keeps freaking me out.
• People who wear exercise clothes even though they obviously do not exercise---STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!!! It just looks awkward and terrible, and you CANNOT pull it off.

That's it for now. Quite an extensive list, but I am feeling rather annoyed today.

Tomorrow--hump day. Happy Pre Hump Day all you industrial workers!

How Unhealthy Are We?

Over the past few days, I've been thinking of all the unhealthy things that we consistently put into our bodies, and how that may be intrinsically linked to the soaring cancer and heart disease rates.

For example: people who are diabetic or on low-sugar diets choose to use sweetener instead of opting for white sugar. Ever read the list of ingredients on those little packages? All types of chemicals. (Interested in this topic? Check out this article.) So we try to live healthier by consuming less sugar, but then put chemicals in our bodies. And you think this is just pertaining to artificial sweeteners? I think not! Read the ingredient list on a bottle of pop or even certain types of preserved foods. The dyes and artificially created flavours, corn syrup, the dextrates, and other such chemicals...I don't even know what half those chemicals are.

The startling fact is that many people are A) not aware of what they are eating, B) are aware and do not care what they are eating, or C) are aware but do not have many other options.

Unfortunately, the lack of options can apply to many of us. Want something easy and quick to eat before dashing out for a run or off to work or out with the kid? Grab a bag of chips, or a Nutrigrain Bar, or any other type of food that can sit on the shelf for a few years without going bad.

The more I think about how unhealthy most of the food we eat is, the more I realize that overhauling your diet in exchange for something healthier is a huge endeavor. If you want to eat completely healthy, be prepared to drastically reduce meal and food options.

It's not a very heartening post, and I don't even want to think of the general lack of exercise our society has, so I'm going to close off on the subject here.

Bust Yo Ass (No.1)

It's spring and time to whip back into the cardio frenzy. Due to a strained tendon in my right foot, I haven't been for a run in almost a week, which is frustrating, especially after finding some new treadmill routines that I am dying to try out.

So, here's a song that I love to listen to while working. I'm going to try to post a new workout song at least three times a week, and of course, leave me feedback if you love it or hate it.

"Boom" by P.O.D.

Has a grinding and impelling sound. The beat is perfect for running or lifting weights.

If you haven't been consistently working out, now is the time to start! The weather is perfect and a little toning before summer is always good.

Get out there. Get active.

My Guilty Pleasure -- No.1

This marks the first of a series of guilty pleasures that I have had, or am currently having a love affair with. I'm going to kick off this series with a guilty pleasure that I just indulged in -- The Vampire Diaries.

I haven't jumped on the crazy vampire train. I don't own any t-shirts that say "I Wish I Was In Forks" or "My Boyfriend Sparkles". Although I did admittedly see Twilight and New Moon in theatre, and have both of the soundtracks (what can I say? the tracks are ballin'.), I still don't consider myself a huge vampire fan. One of the reasons is because of how much the mythology has been romanticized. Good vampires? Vampires with the sincere desire to make right life choices? When will a fad of "good Nazis" take over?

Anyway, the point is, the whole inevitable storyline of "brooding vampire boy tries to make good, meets soul mate human girl, eventually will turn her" gets old very quickly, which is why I was so skeptical of The Vampire Diaries, a teen drama/fantasy that can induce eye rolls, but also is gripping.

At some points in this first season, the dialogue loses lustre and actors/actresses sound as though they are reading their lines from cue cards behind the camera; it even gets a bit predictable with the "human damsel in distress" situations, but let me just say, the two reasons why I tune in with after week (with some excitement, I'll admit) are these:

Need I say any more? Hot, young, hot, smart, fast, hot, dangerous!, edgy, HOT, males!

Even the leading lady is (in my opinion) an attractive human being/easy on the eyes/smokin'. Proof:

There you have it. The plot line might get a bit wearisome and predictable at times, but the good looking cast is enough to keep me (and millions of others) coming back for more. I'm ashamed to admit it...The Vampire Diaries has dragged me under.

I currently have a very good-looking doctor leaning against a counter right in front of me at the nursing station. In fact, he's only three feet away, studiously writing notes about a newly admitted patient, casually dressed in greens and an open sweater, stethoscope hanging about his neck.

When you think about it though, people are just people, and skin is just skin, stretching out and covering our bones, muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, organs, fat, and so on. Just by chance, some people happen to have a more pleasant looking bone structure or facial features. We're still all people, regardless of what lot in life has fallen to us.

Sometimes I can think calmly and philosophically like so, accepting the fact that we all look different, and it's our differences that make us so unique and interesting. Who cares if we don't all look like the stereotypical plucked and made up Hollywood star? We are who we are, and the sooner we accept our bodies, the happier we will be.

However, on the other hand, at times--most of the time, to be honest--I struggle with accepting how I look, and believe that because I don't like the way I look, no one else ever can or ever will. It affects how I respond to people how around me, and how some of my relationships are carried out.

People are constantly lecturing me (and others, I am certain) that I must be comfortable in my own skin before anyone can find me attractive...but if I don't find myself attractive, how could I expect anyone else to?

It's a conundrum, but I am completely sure about this: no one can completely and essentially make you feel good about yourself. Relationships might temporarily fill us up and make us feel wanted or beautiful, but what happens if that other persons moves on for someone else? How devastating that is to our self worth and self esteem.

The trick is to find joy and happiness and contentment in who we are, and to accept that who we are is who we will be for the rest of our lives. I believe that sooner we accept that, the quicker we can live our lives to maximum potential, instead of caging ourselves in, or putting ourselves into boxes.

The hot doctor is long gone, perhaps home to his wife (noted platinum wedding ring on left hand), but I'm still here, being Marcia, and being her the best way I know how. I might not completely accept myself, and I might want to change in order to live healthier, but I can't change to please other people, and slowly I am beginning to accept that.

Cheers.