"Run, but you can't hide from the heat"

Four things inspiring me right now...

1. This video:

2. "The Lion the Beast the Beat" by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals 

The Lion The Beast The Beat (VH1 Storytellers) - Music Videos - Live Performances

3. Penny Marshall's My Mother Was Nuts  - this is so funny and grounding despite the endless name dropping, I'm tearing through it.

4. Jillian Michaels - for about 30 seconds of her 30 Day Shred. Jillian talks about how doing the bare minimum, just being slightly active, is just not good enough. You cannot expect change, especially significant change, from merely taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. She calls it a "false message of lethargy." She goes on to say that your body is capable and it is capable of working very hard for you. Whenever I'm running now, I tell myself it's simply not enough to be out there exercising, I need to be giving it every single ounce of energy I have because that's what I can do.

I have mixed emotions about citing that as inspiration because I don't want anyone who is overweight to think that going for a walk or taking the stairs isn't a great, healthy activity. That's all well and good, but when you're on a mission to lose weight or have to make some drastic changes.... it's true, it's just not good enough. I felt the same way when I was teaching water aerobics. I was really, very grateful people came to class and bothered enough with setting aside some time to be there. But just doing some light jogging and jaw-jacking is just not good enough for the goals some of my students claimed to have. You have to sweat. You have to try hard. Pretty much every time, always. Sure you get some breaks, but really, why even talk about those when some of us have such lofty goals? I think that's one of my big problems. I take way too many breaks. I walk instead of running through, I take a rest day when I'm sore.

I could do more. I am doing more.

Today I finished an entire 30 min kettlebell routine. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I tried it on Monday and felt like death for the next two days. And that was with only doing one set. Today I did all 3 sets and I feel like a friggin' rock star.

Of course, talk to me tomorrow and I may be singing a different tune, but I'll have this post to look back on and re-motivate myself! :)