getting trained

i love henry. i also hate henry.

he's such a patient and nice man that i feel guilty saying it. but when i have to climb up and down stairs at home and at work, my quadriceps scream in pain from all the lunges, squats, and other tortures henry puts them through. but they'll thank me later. my abs are ok today, but i'm sure henry's just giving them a respite after last week. i think every single part of my body (well, except my hair) hurt last week at one point or other.

our first four sessions of personal training have been simultaneously great and agonizing. henry pushes us hard and in such a short time i can already see results.

and even though work is completely insane, it's easier to stay calm and detached. the only problem is getting up so early every day does not make me want to work when i get home. like tonight. i should be doing stuff, but i just don't feel like it.

fit tested

so today was our fit test at the gym. the guy who did the testing seemed like he was roid-angry. he was definitely one of those fired up my way or the highway kinds of fitness guys. he was also all of 25 maybe. i just hope that he's not like that with everyone or he's scaring off the gym's customers. the husband says the guy was just a fitness zealot.

the good news is that i'm on the right track. i still am very flexible and my cardio health is good.

the bad news is that the amount of fat i have in my body is pretty much the same as the bulldog's weight. not good at all. but i'm doing something about it.

according to the testing, the husband and i both lost weight this week. he is down 10 lbs. i have lost 5 so far. pretty good if you ask me. of course, i have 17 more to go. the funny thing is i lost them twice already but they always seem to find me again. apparently, at least according to the zealot, the fat cells are always with you. you are born with them and they puff up as you store fat. the idea is to deflate them. at least he gave me something to visualize as i run. squishing fat cells.

we decided to sign up for some personal training and on monday at 7 am we're meeting henry. for 14 sessions henry is going to help us to learn what we need to do to be healthier and more fit. hopefully, henry is patient with me. but i guess he will be since it's in his best interest to keep us coming. the husband loves the weights. me not so much, but i'll do it because i know that down the road i will be a lot better off if i'm strong.

the guy who is the fitness centre manager was a lot more realistic than the roid-head. he emphasized making small changes and having one day off to cheat. he is a pro volleyball player in his spare time so you know he knows how to have fun.

anyway, we are both doing pretty well in our new year. beyond detoxifying my body and getting fit, i am detoxifying my life and getting my spirit fit. i am cutting loose a long time friend who is very negative and very manipulative. she is a taker and i am tired of giving. but i have already been slowly easing her out of my life. now it's just time to give her the old heave ho.

15 days into 2006

well, so far this has been a good year. i started this year with a commitment to making my life better and healthier. so far so good.

on dec 31, 2005 i ran a 5k with a friend after training for 10 weeks in a running room class.

prior to that run, the husband and i had a long talk about how out of shape/overweight we were feeling. our wonderful trip to st lucia (delicious food, plenty of drinks) and the holidays with all the goodies and parties did not help things.

so on jan 1, we got on the scales then headed for the gym. so far i'm down 4.5 lbs through a combination of diet (eating cleaner, more fibre and veggies, more water) and exercise (at least 2.6 miles in 35 minutes on the treadmill and weights). the eating better is making a big difference for me.

overall i am feeling a lot better and it's a lot easier to avoid dairy products when you make your own food. it's a lot cheaper too. as is not drinking. i think we'll be happy when we see the savings at the end of the month.

i'm pretty happy with how things are going. while the weight loss boosts my spirits, i am really happy with how my energy level is improving, how i'm managing my work stresses and how well my running is going.

i'm running 4 days a week. tuesday and thursday at 6 am during the week and saturday and sunday whenever i want.

yesterday (saturday) i took the day off because i was time crunched. a rescheduled hair appointment at 8 am and previous plans to shop with a friend all afternoon kept me out of the gym since it closes early on saturday. but i am anxious to go today and i know i will have a good run.

while i write this the bulldog is having a good run. she's playing ball. it's another time i'm grateful for a laptop and wireless network.

monday (again)

is it just me or does it seem like over the weekend people forget how to work, then panic as they get closer to 5 pm? sheesh.

and it seems like thinking is also stopped on friday only to be restarted after lunch on monday.

we are a bit (understatement) understaffed at work and no one seems to understand there is a finite amount of work that can be completed in a short amount of time by a small group of people.

ok. that's enough of a rant. i only have a teeny bit of time tonight since i'm trying to do a bunch of work.

when will the long days stop?

career advice for aspiring copywriters

today's blog entry is in response to an email i received from an account executive (ae) who works with me. this ae is young. ambitious. entitled. impatient. and obviously in need of a quick pay increase. (he has an obsession with sports cars. he also lives in his brother's basement in order to afford one.)

he suggested to me via email that he should become a copywriter because it looks like so much fun and, of course, it pays so much better. because several aes have talked to me about this very thing, i figure other people must be interested too. so here's my response to him and his inquiries about renumeration:

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see, (ae's name), copywriting pays poorly in the beginning like every other job.

when you finally get somewhat good at it, you work so many hours that if you amortized your salary across your hours, you wonder why you didn't practice saying "want fries with that" when you had the chance.

by then you're hooked on a life of creativity, debauchery, sarcasm and the colour black.

good thing for agencies #1: most writers can't do math to save themselves from a life in advertising.

good thing for agencies #2: writers would rather write than do anything else. (besides i make a lousy cashier, thanks to the math deficit.)

ps: don't you know that the most lucrative job in agency life is in production?
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anyway, as i think you've probably surmised, being an advertising writer isn't for the faint hearted. or the cash-obsessed. and you've learned that i can't do math, so obviously my dreams of working in accounting were dashed at an early age.

funny, but my title as the world's worst speller hasn't held me back as a writer. thanks to whoever invented spellcheck -- you have saved me from what could have been a very mundane life.

in a nutshell: if you do what you love, the money will come. and if you just work at a job, that's all it will be. you'll be miserable.

i don't know about you, but i spend far too much time working to do something that isn't any fun, even if it makes me crateloads of cash.