I enjoy working out. I do. But I am one of those people who often needs that peer pressure of a gym full of strangers to really make me work out seriously. I have not used my gym membership since... about May of 2009. That's $25 a month for something I'm not even using. But I don't give it up because it will be that much more expensive to rejoin later on (that's my rationale anyways, but in the mean time, the unused gym dues have racked up a lot more than any new membership fees).
I was complaining about my spiraling laziness to a friend of mine (let's call her Kit) and she agreed that it would be good to check off some items on that never-ending To-Do List of life. Experts say that it takes three weeks for something to become a habit. We decided one month would be a good round amount of time. We would use each other as motivators, kind of like those other people in the gym. Motivational speakers always tout the value of telling someone else your dreams and goals, so that you have someone to be accountable to. So "Tell a Friend" was born, with the idea that two semi-motivated people can become fully motivated when they tell each other what they want to achieve. We both kind of needed a kick in the butt. But it's nicer when it's a friend doing the kicking. =-)
We each came up with Five Things to accomplish in that month:
Kit
1. Sign up for grad school/take GRE prep
2. Vacuum outer hall
3. Work out 4 times (with frequent migraines, it's all she could guarantee)
4. NOT spend money on purses or outlet malls
5. Fold laundry
Kat
1. Prepare for tutoring at least one hour
2. Work out 2 times a week, 30min minimum
3. Meditate once a week, and one time has to be outside of the house
4. Work on wedding anniversary scrapbook twice a week (a gift)
5. Clean garage twice
We agreed that we must complete all the items, and if either one of us failed, the losing person would have to buy the other one a massage. If we both failed, whoever did more would buy the massage... but we weren't counting on losing. If we both did everything, we would both get together at our favorite mall in lovely Newport, CA and reward ourselves for a job well done.
I launched headfirst into my end of the bargain. I devised a tricky little spreadsheet detailing every execution I made, inviting Kit to keep track too. I soon discovered spreadsheets weren't her cup of tea, so I suggested maybe we could photo/text ourselves accomplishing our tasks, to prove we were doing them. That worked better for her. And we discovered it was fun to literally see each other progressing - especially since we were living in different cities, I in San Diego and she in L.A.
So we shot pictures like this one back and forth. She got a kick out of my biker gear, and I enjoyed her impeccably folded laundry. Here are a couple more greatest hits:
Looking good, Costco Photo Center. My attempt to show that I was diligently uploading photos for an anniversary photo album. My aim was to prevent myself from procrastinating and trying to cram in all the work right before our anniversary. Another Thomas Jefferson quote comes to mind: "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." And then a Mark Twain quote comes to mind: "Never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till the day after tomorrow." I seem to subscribe to the latter... speaking of putting things off:
I once neglected exercising a second time until the last day of the week, which found me in a Motel 6 in Lompoc, CA with no gym or workout gear to be found. I decided that I could probably fill 30 minutes by doing repetitions of 100 - which consisted of about 8 different exercises, one of which involved bicep curls and a bottle of 90-point Malbec. I'm very resourceful that way. (See my bicep bulging? No, maybe you can't... sigh)
The dark, cobweb-laden corners of my garage became much happier places once I finally tackled this area, which I put off until the final week of the project. Note to self: require yourself to start earlier in the month on loathsome projects like this one. Actually, once I actually got down to it, I rather enjoyed the satisfaction of decimating future generations of spiders. I used a pair of heavy duty pliers holding a paper towel to not-so-gently crush any spider egg sacs, softly chanting "death, death, carnage, carnage" with each swipe of the towel to sooth my nervousness at encountering a disgruntled adult. Fortunately, they all succumbed quickly and there was no screaming on my part. Well done.
Ommmmmmmm. The lovely meditation gardens of the Self-Realization Fellowship. This was done on the very last day of the project. Mrs. Procrastinator here. Nevertheless, it was done. Most people come to stroll around, but I did see one or two other people who were actually meditating, or maybe just relaxing with their eyes closed. I managed to find an isolated section of the garden, and while the stone seat was a little uncomfortable for my bony ankles, I managed to sit still for 20 minutes. And yet, as relaxing as meditation is, I think that my mind wandering right into a Lady Gaga song is proof that I still stink at it. Oh well, I guess that's what practice is for...So, a month went by and... well... we both accomplished everything that we could have. See, plans change, and Kit decided that now was not the right time to be starting grad school. So item #1 got crossed off her list altogether. I decided to be forgiving (although I really wanted that massage!) and give her credit for all the vacuuming, folding, exercising, and saving she did. Plus, her migraines abated long enough for her to work out, which was really good for her.
What's next? Well, first we have to celebrate. This week we are going to the lovely Fashion Island mall, and since my next set of goals includes spending less money on, like, everything, I will only be buying something small.
We also took a three-week break before starting our next Five Things. It was nice to be able to slack off a little bit. Uh oh. Does that mean it didn't work? Um, yeah, so I didn't work out for a whole week, and then the next week I only worked out once, and this week, well, let's say that I'm going to do it tomorrow... and well, my willpower's not so good. But I really do miss it!
So given the discouraging way I've fallen off the exercise bandwagon, I'm going to put it back on my next list of Five Things. This time, I'm upping the ante - 3 times a week, and 3 times in the month, I have to use that cotton-pickin' gym membership!
So this first one was just the Trial Run. The real thing begins July 1. The last year of my 20's has begun... you'll get a load of my industry, Mr. Jefferson! =-P
