As an aside, I can’t remember where I put the first 9 months of this year. Anyone seen them? Good lord, it’s time to start hauling out the autumn decorations already. (Halloween is always a big event at my house, we have a HUGE party. I think I own more Halloween decorations than Christmas ones, and THAT is saying something, my friends!) It won’t be long and we’ll have holiday music on…again.
Really? One more year gone?
Well, it’s September first, and it’s the first day of the challenge for me. My goal is to do 10 miles a week. Okay, so I know some of you are kind of confused as to what the big deal is with the Shieldmaiden Challenge. The goal is simply this – do activity every day, and clock the miles. You can bike, walk, swim, skate, run, whatever, just DO SOMETHING. A group of Tolkien geeks mapped out the journey from Bag End to Rivendell (458 miles, if you’re curious, and matched up each mile with an event on the journey. So, you can way, oh! I’ve walked 135 miles! This is when the hobbits made it to Bree! Dorky, yes, but I’m huge Tolkien fan, and lord knows I need to have some more activity in my life, so this is how I’m mapping out my journey.
I’m also starting Zumba classes tonight. I’m nervous as hell, honestly. I’m totally one of those people that won’t work out in front of other people. I can’t even do the Wii Active in front of my roommate, and I don’t use the gym at work because I’m embarrassed. I’m not super heavy, I’m a size 14, but compared to the other skinny chicks that I work around I’m a lump of lard, and the last thing I want to do is sweat and look gross in front of them. Which is why I’m freaked about Zumba. I know I’m out of shape and I’m going to be huffing and puffing my way through. Hell, I may not even make it all the way through. Yes, I’m going with a friend, but she’s a skinny chick. Even worse, she’s a skinny chick who thinks she’s not. I just don’t want to be the biggest girl in the room that everyone stares at and goes EW!
See, isn’t that the catch-22 of our society? We expect overweight people to just get into shape. But, do you know how hard it is to find workout clothes in big-girl sizes? Do you know how hard it is to find a sportsbra in a size that will contain my girls? We don’t exactly make it easy, as a society, for bigger people to get into shape, but we love to ridicule them for getting that way in the first place. I work for a company that’s supposed to be friendly for anyone to shop in, from beginner to advanced, and yet our extended sizes (read; big-girl and big-boy choices) diminish more and more every season. It’s frustrating.
Nonetheless, I will be there tonight with my waterbottle, towel, and my girls strapped (hopefully!) securely into a too-small sportsbra, with my chubby tummy rolling over the top of my too-small waistband. I will be battling the odds and facing down the demons.
Wish me luck, I’m going to need it.
You will knock them all out with your stellar Zumba moves. Its HUGE in my little tiny town. The class has 250 in it and runs 2x a week that I know of. I need to get in on it too. I might just have to join your 10 mile goal. Now... what to do about child care.
ReplyDeleteDuct tape those girls in place and shake your booty baby!
Ha ha, thanks for your vote of confidence! I'm sure I'll be blogging all about my sore muscles tomorrow. 250 people? WOW! That's a lot. Our group just expanded to a bunch of new locations, so I guess it's kind of a big deal here, but I've just never been motivated to go do it, you know?
ReplyDeleteYou should ABSOLUTELY join me in my 10m a week goal. :-) We can keep eachother motivated. I figure, 10 isn't really all that much, it's a nice, attainable goal. Plus, if I do more, then I feel all accomplished, right?
Oh, and our Zumba has childcare, maybe yourse does, too?