Working Out and Other Things I'm Doing to Stop Being Gross.

Working Out and Other Things I'm Doing to Stop Being Gross.

So like you probably already saw, one of my new years resolution was to start running. Let me tell you something about running- it sucks and it's hard to get into and people always give you a bunch of BS like:

"After the first 2 weeks, you'll look forward to running."

Horseshit.

"After I work out I feel so energized. I have so much extra energy!"

Probably because you snorted a bunch of coke.

"There's a moment where you think you can't run anymore but then you PUSH through it and you end up running further than ever!"

Again, how much coke did you snort?

And to be fair, I generally think exercising is for people who are easily addicted to things. You have to be, really, to put yourself through it. A lot of people say they're addicted to the adrenaline or the dopamine and I'm just not really like that. 

I don't get addicted easily, and I don't stay in love with things easily either- and I'm just pretty skeptical about anything that changes you.

And maybe I just haven't been doing it long enough to feel any of that, but here's the universal truth about running:

You do feel better- one way or another.

Honestly it took a lot just to get started, and I had to do a lot of self motivating. And seriously, once you move past all the excuses you made for yourself and the bullshit you've collected- it just suddenly clicks in that you can't do it anymore. You have to just suck it up.

Here's how I did it:

I went shopping for workout clothes.

A lot of my gripe about working out was that it was uncomfortable. I don't care what anyone says- working out in a t-shirt and shorts sucks. And let's be frank here, I'm not skinny. I am pretty chubby, especially in the thigh region. Shorts=chafing. Whatever, sorry I burst the bubble. And really, buying the clothes kind of motivates you to use them. Do yourself a favor and buy legit clothes meant for the activity you're doing... especially a sports bra. Seriously.

And don't bother with the high end retailers. Go to outlet stores for Adidas and Nike or places like TJ Max and Marshall's, or try out http://www.fabletics.com/

It's high end stuff, and you can sign up to either spend $50 a month and they send you outfits in your size, or you can just buy the individual items (or full outfits) whenever you feel like at a discount. The quality is fab, and the price isn't bad. I'll probably start trying it this month because I think the clothes are really cute.

For reference (and I hate writing this down because people always have a snide comment): I am 5'9", 185 pounds, and a size L top and XL bottom. Roughly I'm a 12-14 pant size. Yeah, I'm kind of all over the place.

I bought this sweet Adidas jacket at a outlet store for like 30 bucks, and mine is all over bright yellow with white accents. I love it. It's comfortable, it's long enough to actually cover some of my butt (nothing worse for a tall girl than a short jacket) and it has thumb holes! I super like this. I want to go back a get a couple more.

Then I grabbed a sports bra while I was there too. The color I got was black with purple and yellow accents. I think I bought it for $15, and it matched the jacket! Like, hello! Honestly though, it's a great bra. Supportive but not tight, flexible but not enough to stretch it out. All in all, this is really ice. I DO sort of wish it had cups just because I forsee myself running in the summer and it might be nice to NOT give the neighborhood a show. 

And I found some running pants from Old Navy, but I won't show them on here because frankly, I don't think they're that good for running. They're better for yoga I think. I'll probably buy a pair of running capris that are slicker.

I didn't start cold turkey.

Yeah, I don't believe the bullshit of "just get out there and do it". No, sorry. I am a chunky girl. I'm not made for running, I'm not in shape to even START.

So I started doing something I actually know how to do and like- Yoga. And I got smart and went on Pinterest to find yoga moves specifically for runners. 

There's actually great stuff on there and I find the ones where it opens your hips and stretches your shins are particularly helpful.

So I did a lot of stretching for a week or so before I started. I felt like it really helped me get in the zone and there's something about yoga that just generally makes you feel stronger. And to be fair, I have a knee and shoulder injury that I have to be careful of- so stretching for me is pretty important.

I made a sick playlist.

That's one thing I think people underestimate- the power of music. I am not one to discriminate against music. Everyone seems to have hangups like, "I NEVER listen to country" or "I hate Kesha, Lady Gaga etc". To me it's like, I couldn't give 2 shits. I listen to a lot of different things, and yeah- I friggin' love top 20 hits. I do! They are catchy and fun and because I don't listen to the radio where I'd hear it 10 times a day- I don't get sick of it.

Music pushes me a lot. In band we learned to feel a lot of pieces and that's still stuck with me. Tones, beats per minute, that stuff is so damn important. And in terms of working out, use whatever you can to just keep you going. No one will judge you for using Katy Perry, I promise.

So here's a playlist I made, and yeah it's eclectic and crazy and I love it.

1. Let it Go- India Menzel

2. American Girl- Bonnie McKee

3. Call Your Girlfriend- Robyn

4. Come and Get It- Selena Gomez

5. Dancing On My Own- Robyn

6. Get Myself Together- Robyn

7. Heavy Cross- Gossip

8. I Love it- Icona Pop

9. No Church in the Wild- Jay Z, Kanye, Frank Ocean

10. Peacock- Katy Perry

11. Roar- Katy Perry

12. Radioactive- Imagine Dragons

13. Starships- Nicki Minaj

14. Dark Horse- Katy Perry

15. 19 and Crazy- Bomshel

16. Pompeii- Bastille

17. Kerosene- Miranda Lambert

It's a mix really. Some songs will make you feel powerful and some are more "In your face! I'm amazing!" and there's a couple that simply just make you feel like a boss ass bitch.

I downloaded an app that a) sort of keeps me accountable and b) is fun to use.

It's called Nike+ and it's actually pretty neat. It's meant strictly for running. It has like a built in coach and you can set it up for if you eventually want to run a 5K or something in 8 weeks. It has higher goals but I honestly haven't set it to anything, I'm just using it as a running tool. You click on "run" and it tracks your time, how far you've ran, your pace, etc. And at the end of the run it shows you where you ran on a map and honestly just seeing how far you went- it's pretty empowering. PLUS, you can sync it up to the music on your phone (and you can select specigic playlists, which is cool) and when you hit the "run" button, it automatically starts your playlist and still has the option to skip songs. I LIKE THAT. It's a cool app and sometimes I just want to run so I can use it and feel like a boss.

I tell someone I trust that I'm running.

I super, super, super HATE when people post on facebook or instagram pictures of their skinny selves looking adorable in workout gear with tag lines like "beast mode" or stupidly inspirational quotes like, "it's all about motivation" or something equally as dumb. I get why they do it, because people like the pictures and say nice and supportive comments- but honestly it feels like they're shaming themselves into working out. "If everyone sees the picture of me doing it, then I HAVE to do it." You shouldn't "have" to do anything. You should do it because you need to. You don't even have to like it, but you should know it's for you.

However, I agree with telling someone what you're doing to hold you accountable. People who loose weight do well when they do it together. It's not because it's a competition- it's because you genuinely want to support your friend.

But keep in mind, people who gain weight or do other bad things usually do it because they're doing it together with their friends. So it's important to sort of tell people who are supportive and maybe even doing the same for themselves.

And don't, for the love of God, get involved with a "pusher". Pushers are people who always text you like, "did you work out today?" or they always try to drag you to a gym. Eventually, you grow to resent the activity, and frankly the person too. You shouldn't have friends who shame you into doing stuff- you should have friends who support you.

I would rather have a conversation like this:

"I ran today, proud?"

"UMMM YES! You're awesome. Do you feel all strong and beefy?"

"Well, I walked 5 minutes, ran 1 1/2 and then walked 5 minutes again...so, I really didn't run..."

"Bitch, you were outside doing an activity for 12 minutes- you are owning life in the face right now."

"Yeah! I am! You're awesome."

"No bitch, you're awesome".

Than this:

"Hey, did you go to the gym yet?"

"Well, no. I'm just going to run outside for awhile after I finish eating."

"I'm going right now, you better come with me."

"Yeah I'm not doing that. I'm just going to go outside..."

"You're never going to loose weight like that, it's about lifting and (insert other words I don't know about)"

"I'm not trying to loose weight, I just want to feel good."

"You'll feel good after a good sweat in the gym."

"Stop texting me."

Seriously, I have lost respect for friends who were too pushy with me. It's why I really stopped going to the gym in the first place. (Although, I did enjoy when Skylar and I went together and when Kaylene and I went because they make me not feel bad about myself or my body or what I can physically do. But our schedules never lined up enough to make it a thing.)

I'm using a schedule that works for me.

I found this on pinterest and I'm giving it a shot. I'm not really going at this with the idea that I'll ever do a marathon because frankly, I don't want to. However, I do like that this regime starts from the ground up. Literally it starts with the idea in mind that you probably aren't active...at all.



 I think resting every other day might be a good idea for me and I like that it skips weekends in the first half because honestly- I do a lot on the weekends and eventually by the time I start adding in that 4th run day in the week, I'll be ready for it and I can get away with adding it earlier in the day.

So I hope your new years resolutions are starting strong. Mine are? Sorta?

-SamanthaK