Monday, February 3, 2014

B&A trials and tribulations

We had a fantastic weekend: delicious food, time with friends, Revenge-watching, and gym time all abounded. Which means that basically I'm too tired and sore for it to be Monday already. Blargh.

Last night was the Super Bowl, which I'm sure you had no idea about. Although I really couldn't care any less about the game itself, I'm always happy to watch it (and eat snacks) with friends. Especially when the friends make up an exciting Bingo game to play while the game is on!


I highly recommend that all of you less than sports-enthusiastic folks start incorporating Bingo into your future sport-watching-events. Even if you don't know what half of the football-related squares mean, you can keep yourself busy trying to spot celebrities in the crowd and looking for talking animals during commercials. I played three Bingo cards (the other two are in the name of my pets, if you can't see) because I'm extra-dedicated like that.

I also recommend Super Bowl food. But you probably already knew that. Dips, pigs in blankets, and brownies for dinner? Don't mind if I do.

Relatedly, the abundance of awesome snack food this weekend meant that we spent a fair share of time at the gym. And riding our bikes! It warmed up really nicely on Saturday (mid-60s) and we decided to hit the road on our bikes for the first time since...probably...August or so. It was great, although my 'bike legs' are definitely a little weaker than they used to be! It was nice to just enjoy a leisurely ride and check up on our little town.

So I've been facing a true conundrum...maybe you can help. Or relate, at least.

Obviously I'm not slaving away at the gym six days a week just because it's fun and I like my workout clothes (although both are true to a certain extent). I like seeing results. But since I'm a little terrified of scales, I like to celebrate the NSVs when I can (if you know what that means, it means that you've hung out on the My Fitness Pal message boards and/or fitness blogs!) (I'll decode for the rest of you: NSVs = Non-Scale Victories). A pair of pants that fits a little better than it did a few weeks ago? Catching a glimpse in the mirror of a slightly defined muscle in my arm? I love those things!! And I also love before-and-after pictures. NOTHING is as motivating as seeing the positive differences in your body in a side-by-side comparison. I love when other people have before and afters, and I definitely want them for myself. The only problem is actually getting them.

I actually managed to take a few pictures the day we joined the new gym, a little over a month ago. I wasn't really being intentional and thinking "oh, this will be my 'before' picture!"...I was just being silly. And I haven't shared those pictures anywhere because they are awful. But oh well. Turns out they'll be my 'before' pictures, so if I ever have a good 'after,' maybe you'll see them after all. But for the last week I've been wanting to take a progress monitoring picture. You know. To see what I accomplished in a month, if anything. But getting a picture of this nature at the gym is hard!!

I want to take it at the gym (and not at home) because the floor-to-ceiling mirror situation is SO much infinitely better than trying to get a picture in my tiny little full-length mirror at home. So in theory, this makes getting a gym picture really easy. The only problem is that THERE ARE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE AT THE GYM. And people have eyes. Judgey eyes. And when you try to take full-length selfies in the mirror...they turn those judgey eyes your way and it hurts, people. It hurts my heart to have them judge me. I feel the need to justify why I'm doing this. To over-explain. I feel like if they knew that the pictures are for before-and-after purposes, and not just because I think I'm a super sexy beast, they wouldn't judge so harshly...but like...there's just not enough time to track down all 50 judgey people and explain the situation to each of them. 

So I've been stuck. I've been stalking all of the mirrors, looking for my opportunity to find one with no other people around it so I can stealth-snap a picture...but I've been pretty unsuccessful. At this rate I'm not going to get a one-month picture until it's been two months...

On Friday I was almost successful. I found a mirror in the locker room and there was no one around and THIS IS MY CHANCE!!!!!, I thought. I whipped out my phone, rushed over to the mirror, and got ready to snap a picture.

And then someone came in. And I got startled and jumped as I took the picture, AND I didn't have the phone on silent and so the camera made the tell-tale CLICK!! sound, which drew the attention of the girl entering the room, and I was sooooo embarrassed. At this rate I'm going to have to leave my gym. Everyone thinks I'm the lamest person on earth. BUT I JUST WANT A STUPID BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURE! 


 So here we have it. After one month of Super Gym Dedication, I look blurry like Bigfoot. Oh well. It's something.

So feel free to give me your professional tips on getting great (I'd even settle for decent) before-and-after pictures and/or managing the judgmental eyes of fellow gym people.

I've got a busy week-- we leave for a little Texas mini-vacay later this week! That means my brain is 75% consumed with my packing list and 25% consumed with thinking about the fastest possible route from the Houston airport to the nearest place that sells kolaches. You wanna know the real reason I've been going to the gym 6 days a week? IMPENDING KOLACHES. Anyone wanna see some before-and-afters of my Texas trip, aka Kolache Tour 2014?

Yeah, didn't think so. Ha. 

27 comments:

  1. Ha! I seriously never take selfies A) because Derek always makes fun of me when I try and B) because just like you I'm so nervous that people will see me!!! Oh, and I LOVE superbowl food. We hosted a few people and my friends weren't allowed to bring food unless it was fatty and unhealthy. :)

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  2. Bingo sounds like an awesome way to watch the game!! I had hopes it would be more exciting but at least I got to stuff my face for a couple of hours!

    I've been caught taking a selfie in the locker room at work and it was SO awkward! So you're not alone if that helps :) Good luck!!!

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  3. Before selfies are always super hard to get because by the time I think about it I've already killed it in the gym and look like I got hit by a bus.

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  4. My mom has a recipe card for kolaches in her old standby hand written book. Yet, I've never had them. So, I ask her what they are. She says, "Oh, they're delicious. I made them all the time before you can remember!" Well thanks for sharing mom. Now I'm just sad and still don't know what they taste like.

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  5. we live about an hour from Houston but my Hubby works in Houston, which airport are you coming in to and is your trip actually in Houston or are you headed somewhere else? Maybe I can find you a close Kolache place :)

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  6. Umm, maybe I just don't understand the love of selfies in mirrors, but can't you get someone else to take the photo? I can't really distinguish muscle tone due to the shaky, vibration thing going on, but your outfit looks cute! Impressed with your bike riding and gym patronage this weekend. I pretended it was cold and rainy so that I could stay inside and binge watch tv shows without guilt.

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  7. Super Bowl food is the best part of the party! Glad you had a fun weekend.

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  8. Why don't you just have Matt take a pic of you at home outside or something?

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  9. Replies
    1. They're a Czech pastry that is usually filled with either fruit or meat (sausage). Apparently parts of TX have (or had?) huge Czech populations/bakeries and they became really common...now they seem to be sold almost everywhere, like doughnut shops and gas stations even!! And then you also see places dedicated to kolaches as well. They are so amazing (and not available anywhere near GA, so they're special in my book)!

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  10. ahh I LOVE LOVE football and LOVE the broncos and last night was the worst game EVER! I should have probably been playing bingo instead!

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  11. I stink a mirror selfies...no advice from me! Sorry about laughing at your story, though. The thought of you jumping and the "clicky" picture taking noise happening simultaneously made me giggle!
    Texas sounds fun. What is a kolaches?

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  12. Bring a dry erase marker with you to the gym. Write on the mirror the date and how many weeks you've been working out. That way it'll be captured in your picture. Wipe it off immediately after, but those who see it and you taking a picture will immediately recognize what it's for and will understand.

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  13. I fully support the moo-hoo photoed above.

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  14. My first thought was to get Matt to take your picture, but the dry erase thing sounds awesome and it gets my vote now.

    Kolaches- I'm so sad there are people who have never had such wonderful breakfast food! I had no idea they were a regional thing. Personally, I'm a Shipley's fan. Mostly of their glazed donuts but they have good ham and cheese (and sausage, but I'm a ham girl myself) kolaches, too! Go there. It's a Texas chain. They're all over the place. Please eat a donut for me because I'm craving one now.

    Disappointing side note- the iphone doesn't know the work kolache. Sad face. Better get to learning, iphone.

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  15. I may have a solution! GorillaCam is an app that you can lean your phone on something and set the timer. Or, last week I found out about CamMe. You set your phone down, (or get a phone tripod!) and then you do a hand motion when you're ready and it takes the picture!! So awesome. All my "actual" before pictures were taken at home with my DSLR and tripod + remote though. I've been busted a few times in the gym too. So awkward. There needs to be a light in front of the locker room that says "Selfie in Progress...No Entering"! HA!

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  16. At the gym - go in the aerobics room if they have one, when no one is in there. Or have they Hubs do it for you.

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  17. The only NSVs I'm celebrating these days are EATING LOTS OF QUESO. So I'm not much help. Also, now I want some pigs-in-a-blanket. Or blanketS, rather.

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  18. I LOVE the idea of NSVs! I have been trying to make healthier and cleaner choices for me and my family.

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  19. Tell Matt to take them for you. Craig hates it when I ask him to take a picture of me, but he does it.

    Our superbowl was with Craig's Mexican family, and his Grandma finally made enchiladas. It has been a long time since she made them. There was so much delicious food!

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  20. You should have just went with it when that woman walked into the locker room. You would have only had one judgey person to explain it to. Of course you always run the risk that she would go home and share that embarrassment on FB, twitter, her blog, etc. :)

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  21. I have no advice on before/after pics. . . that would mean that I would have to actually workout. Yeah. . . need to work on that. :)

    CANNOT WAIT FOR THURS NIGHT!

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  22. Also, what is your fav type/flavor of kolache?

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  23. Did you also jump in the exercauser (in your first pic) during the SB party? If so, you probably burned off any calories you consumed, so they don't actually count.

    And HOORAY for your TX trip, most specifically the part where I get to see you!! I will try to do some research about the best kolache places nearby so you can have some entertainment on Friday morning after we ditch you to go to work :)

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  24. I was going to say, I agree with NOT doing it in the locker room. There have been times I've been about to whip out my phone and take a selfie, when I see there's a lady with national geographic boobs in the background. And um, WELL-that would be bad. SOOOOOO. The aerobics studio when no one is in there, or other little hideaway areas where there are mirrors but no one. I agree, I've done the thing where I'm all "LA LA LA YOU DIDNT JUST SEE ME TRY AND TAKE MY PICTURE". it feels so stupid and weird and yet I see gym selfies all the time and I'm like WHAT? why don't they feel dumb??

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  25. We weren't allowed to take pictures at our gym (something about invading other people's privacy) so I have no advice for you. Although I do like the blurry Bigfoot pic!

    Also, I cannot wait to ride my bike again. But that likely won't be able to happen for another two months -- at least. Boo.

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I love comments almost as much as I love Mexican food. Seriously.