The best … summer … yet … or … ? Read on:
You know, I was sitting at work today, grumbling to myself over the lousy summer we’re having thus far, thinking of what a new neighbor said two weeks ago “2009, the best summer yet!” and …
For him, it made sense to say that because he’d just bought the house across the street this past winter and was “within his own walls” as they say in France; so for him, being out of the city, outside the main suburbia, in his own house, friends stopping by, grill-parties in the back yard till the wee hours of the morning … sure it’s the best summer yet.
To me though, it doesn’t seem like the best summer at all. For one thing, having started a new job, I have no vacation this summer at all (that’s the way it works here in Canada, not so in Europe so I was totally surprised when I found out). Secondly, the weather is totally unstable and unreliable, even if it looks nice in the morning, by the time a picnic is packed and strapped to the bike, it’s pouring rain. Once said picnic is unstrapped and placed on the kitchen table, the sun’s back out but the mood’s all gone.
We go in the pool, lie in the sun, an hour later it’s pouring down and there’s severe thunderstorms and the power’s out for over an hour, flicking back on and off and on again for the next three hours.
Great summer? Global warming? Best summer yet?
But that’s when it hit me. Of course it is the best summer yet! I am getting leaner and in better shape than I’ve been in 30 years and more. “Summer” is just a two-month period out of a 12-month year for crying out loud! Never mind “the best summer yet” how about “the best me yet!” ? After all, I have to live with myself and the image in the mirror, the results of photos in family gathering, the fit in my clothes for more than just the 2 months of summer!
The same goes for many of you as well. It’s not about looking great for that school reunion (although looking smoking hot in front of the “bitch-gang” from back then is a sweet revenge of the pudgy girl you were, as is turning the hottest guy’s head – well, he was back then, now he’s got a beer belly, right?). It’s not about showing your family how great you look at the next family “do” because all the older generation (your parents and older) will say you’re too skinny and need to get some meat on your bones – true, you want muscle, but they mean fat really.
What it is about, is you! It’s about me. It’s about feeling good in your own skin, in your clothes, in your own existence! Never mind everyone else! Yes, be “selfish” for once. Think of what you want, what you need, how you feel!
Don’t let “peer pressure” make you have a dessert you really didn’t want; or that cocktail when all you asked for was a glass of water with a lemon twist; or a “fancy coffee” overflowing with useless calories instead of the unsweetened coffee with just a touch of creamer you really wanted. Leave rice and potatoes if it’s not your treat/ re-feed day. Don’t let “them” bully you into eating like them!
It’s sad how “they” – the overweight and living a largely unhealthy lifestyle – allow themselves to criticize those who want to live a healthy life, trying to push their non-foods and sedentary non-activities on you. Sad, because if you dare open your mouth about their choices being unhealthy, you’re the one preaching and having a one-track mind!
The easiest way around this, is to claim some sort of health issue with starches, sugars and alcohol; from the benign to the more serious like food allergies or even worse. No one will push you to consume something that’ll make you sick and you could blame them for!
In a way it’s true too. You do have an allergic reaction to the junk foods and sugary sodas, desserts and alcohol with empty calories. That allergic reaction is called excess body fat! Bloat, discomfort, dehydration, digestive issues, heartburn … still want to have a “for once” item? I don’t.
If I feel the need for something special, I’d rather wait till I can control it myself. Such as fresh, sweet strawberries with some whipping cream (not too much); or raspberries, or a mix with blueberries. I can have my own “fancy” coffee by mixing a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and two drops of liquid Stevia in my coffee, even some cinnamon and/or ground cardamom. And I enjoy a glass of ice water with lemon, preferably freshly squeezed juice of one lemon, but a slice or wedge will do.
So yes, 2009 is going to be the best summer yet – from a personal body-image point of view.
The weather? Remember that old song, “raindrops keep falling on my head”? At one point he says he can’t do anything about the weather, that the rain just falls anyway? No point being moody over bad weather 
Just enjoy whatever weather there is, because it won’t go away just because you don’t like it.
Excess bodyfat can go away if you don’t like it though. Here you have a choice, something you can influence and fix.
I did. Since April 2004 when I joined a gym, subsequently buying the place and learning all I could about training and nutrition, I’ve gone from a traditional bodybuilder diet to a more user-friendly nutrition plan. On the bodybuilder diet, I burned a lot of fat and gained substantial muscle mass; almost too much for the look I wanted.
Switching to Jon Benson’s Every Other Day Diet http://tinyurl.com/myEODD I burned even more fat and kept my muscles tight and strong (what is popularly called a “toned” look!). Using his 7 Minute Muscle program http://tinyurl.com/7MinMuscl for just 7 minutes per day 5 days a week (plus 9 minutes of cardio) is all it takes. The combination of the two is fabulous, and you can actually get a great deal by going to this link: http://www.7minutemuscle.com/go/FitnessFor/oto 7MM + EODD + coaching + M-Power in any combination you want for a discount price! Wow. Wow, because M-Power is truly EmPowering! If you already have EODD and 7MM, look at http://tinyurl.com/M-Power-Series for all the motivational, mind-set help and instruction you’ll ever need or want.
Incidentally, both 7MM and EODD are available as hardcover books; as is Fit Over 40 http://tinyurl.com/Fit-O-40 I make sure to bring one or the other along when I go to any place I know there will be a wait – dentist, doctor, hair dresser, official office … you name it, I have one of the books in my tote-bag. One is on my nightstand permanently. The third is on the coffee-table. I can grab either one when there’s a little sun and lie there tanning and getting instruction and inspiration at the same time.
Yes, 2009 will be the best summer yet!
Sarah
posted in 7 Minute Muscle, EODD, Fitness, M-Power, health, jon benson, july 2009, muscle mass | Comments Off