My Epiphany

Now I know for sure: Life is unfair!

It’s not a really bad thing, just something that needs to be acknowledged. So it is definite now: There is no dapper knight on a white horse dashing for the rescue, and there are no circumstances working in one’s favour.

Here is the deal: I eventually went back to the gym for power walking session today, towards the end the mind started to float and all of a sudden it was horrifyingly crystal clear: One has to take charge oneself, every single minute.

The walking went fine, no problems with that; just that I had hoped that little breaks would be possible, that at least there were little bits and pieces with which nature is helping us humans out once in a while – like summers giving good spirits and less appetite for heavy stuff, or that little things like taking the rubbish out would be done by other members of the household.

Nope! Not working that way.

Today in the gym I saw a lady – actually I saw two ladies – but this one I know since I went back to the gym 4 years ago. She had personal training and once in a while I had a chat with her and the trainer. She did fine, lost a lot of weight, toned up, got a new haircut…however, I always had a hunch that she was doing it mainly to please her husband rather than for herself, and now that her husband has left her anyway and the trainer is not around anymore either, she has put back on every single pound .

The other lady I saw was ME. It was the first time that I was training all by myself in ages. Oh how I missed this ME-time. And what I saw was NOT amusing. Still strong, still reasonably fit, but with quite a few pounds piled on. I knew that anyway from the shrinking choices my wardrobe is offering. However, to be almost alone in front of a huge mirror, doing stretching… THAT is an eye opener.

I realised how easily one falls back into old habits – and that’s when I knew for sure: Life is unfair!

There are no two ways about it: To stay healthy we need to move our bodies and that we need to feed them reasonably. The only people who do that without a problem are the ones with a ‘Sport-Lifestyle’. For those weird specimen of mankind sport is something they just do - doesn’t even have to be something extreme - just something they do like breathing or going to the loo. For them food is just not that important, except for keeping the body up and running.

But there are only very few of them around, and it’s definitely not me. My inner self is a slouch. How and why on earth did I become like that?

I have a theory:

I imagine all these fertilised eggs sitting in wombs and all of a sudden a voice from the off asks:

‘Care for a leg?’

Yes!
Yes, please, leg would be nice to have.
And can a have a matching second one as well please?

‘Granted! Care for an arm as well?’

And so it goes on until all the babies have their bodies together. I should have learned from that process, because when they gave away legs I shouted early and loud and at that time they apparently gave away the big ones. When it was the turn for heads I apparently was not really paying attention again and ended up with a tiny one with thin hair, what altogether gives a bit of an unbalanced look.

One is just not prepared for that sort of distribution process, one has to learn quickly and apparently I was slow. When it came to ‘character’ I was overly eager again, didn’t listen to the end of the question, and shouted

‘YES! I want one!’…

it is important to have a character, isn’t it? Well, and ended up with a lazy one. My true self loves to sit with feet up in front of the telly, eating chocolates.

And it took 40 years to learn that this brown creamy stuff is addictive and another 5 years to learn that if I don’t avoid it for good, I’m doomed.

This summer season started so harmless. Summer one fancies salads, right? Everything light and airy, right? Like ice-creams… Gnahh!

And as I said: Nature refuses to help!

In summer it is warm – Yay! Hence the craving for light stuff. But the body doesn’t need any energy to keep warm as it is warm anyway. So in summer we actually only should eat half of what we usually would eat. And this summer was just warm enough to reduce the need for calories, but cold enough to keep the cravings for chocolate cakes alive.

Coming out of the last winter season with a bad record of several flu attacks and decline in training performance my high hopes for this summer didn’t find their fulfilment. Now the next winter is around the corner - only have come out of the first flu of the season just now – and it is really time to pull this wheel around!

So what? Life is unfair! I am going to pull this off for myself now! What is needed is selfish-time again.

I will keep to my Sunday morning walking sessions – they are mine and I need this ME-time. If the kitchen and front room is a mess – sorry, but that falls into my husbands territory. I do the ironing, bread baking, parts of the cooking and take care of the pets and house plants. We both work fulltime – I’m not going to touch his duties – otherwise I’m doomed to do it forever. So if you would come to visit I do not apologise for potential mess in this area – hubby does!

Ladies, times are getting busy again! Christmas approaching, too many appointments, too many duties, too much tempting food, and too little time to do what we really want to do.

Be aware of lives unfairness! This is the time to take a little break with a cuppa again! Check your diaries, check your duties, delegate and pull it through, the worst is delegation and then doing it yourself because they don’t do it right or not fast enough.

It is a battle, and the biggest part of it is with oneself. But it is one worthwhile fighting!

It’s the second winter season for Incredible Ladies and I know that somewhere in the depth of this site I have preaching this before. However, to see my image and his lady in the gym reminded me and hence I am reminding you.

Want to learn an instrument, or how to take photos? Always wanted to do this silk painting class, wanted to have time to sort the pictures of the last holidays, get the house cleaned top to bottom, the bed room refurbished, a pampering session booked, caught up with some friends, doing some sport? Whether it’s a one off or a regular thing - if you are honest to yourself, then you already know what you really want, and what you need doing to get it!

So DO it, for crying out loud!

Nobody is goin’ to do it for ya!