“Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” – Elle Woods from Legally Blonde 

So this whole diet and getting into better shape thing has another component. EXERCISE. This is what I am going to discuss today. We are NOT discussing the “F” word today…FOOD. (Even though that situation has been slowly improving, I still nearly lose it when I see a food commercial on TV of any sort. Seriously, even those Atkins and NutriSystem commercials…I’m like “YES SHARON?! I can have your special Atkins Pizza with your new meal plan?! Shut up and take my money and send me the damn little frozen pizza, STAT!) But again, I digress… 😉

As I have said before, this whole process has been an emotional roller coaster. It makes me take a harder, closer look at myself and my priorities. I have wondered if I am justified in this journey or am I shallow and need to worry about real problems like world politics, and not about the size of my arse. (yes, arse…I have been reading/watching a lot of Outlander to avoid thinking of the “F” word and the Scots rubs off on me) A great way to relieve some of this emotional stress (and of course get into shape) is EXERCISE.

I am not a stranger to a gym or a completing a 5K, but I am by no means “physically fit” or “in shape”. I can take a jog around my neighborhood and give myself a pat on the back when I get home. ..but while I can be happy that I have done “something” in the vein of exercise, a trot about the neighborhood will not turn a muffin top into sculpted abs.  So, today I deployed one of my greatest motivational weapons…my husband.

This morning, we went with our toddler daughter to our local park with a paved fitness trail. Along the trail there are some mini “obstacles” and exercises to complete. I have mentioned before that my husband and I are high school sweethearts and on days like today, he still reminds me of a high school boy. He wanted to “compete” with me and show off his alpha-male dominance on everything. He (despite a bad back and wearing khaki shorts) was determined to run faster and complete EVERY obstacle. Well, even though I am definitely not much competition, this tactic worked. I worked hard to keep up, pushed myself, and he wouldn’t let me give up. I huffed and puffed down the trail, feeling lots of jiggling body parts that I vowed will NOT be jiggling by the time I am done with this adventure.

About half a mile into the trail, there is a scaling wall as one of the obstacles. I tried and tried and just couldn’t lunge the blubber on my 5 foot 3 old race t-shirt and yoga pant-clad frame over a 4 foot wood wall. My husband parked the stroller, scaled the wall himself (khaki shorts and all) , tried (unsuccessfully) to give me pointers, then finally,(despite the passers-by) got behind me and pushed my blubbery butt up high enough so I could swing a leg over the wall. Even our 18m old daughter was giggling from the sight. However, the moral of the story is that he wouldn’t let me give up and in turn I refused give up.

With a renewed sense of energy (and possibly a need to keep running to get to the restrooms…remember the whole water input/output thing is still happening!), we finished the entire circuit…just as the skies opened and it started to rain. I giggled as we hurried back to the car because I felt good. I was happy. Exercise does make you happy…and so do supportive spouses. 🙂