Fat Tuesday: Gym Guilt
I’m working my tail off while in New York and there’s very little time to do anything productive – like work out. The hotel has a gym (don’t they all now?) but when I leave the office after 12+ hours staring at a computer, nothing sounds better than TLC and room service. I didn’t even pack gym shoes this week.
… this makes me feel very guilty.
Granted, I’m kind of a glutton for guilt… especially gym-related guilt.
I try to eat well while I’m here – I’ve found two fantastic salad bars nearby – but everyone who’s traveled for work knows that the eating situation is less than ideal.
I know there are things I could do in my room – push-ups, crunches, dips – but I don’t. I also have resistance bands … but they never seem to work their way into my carry-on.
I think about my upcoming wedding and wish I had the willpower – or something – to do everything in my power to look my best on that day. I know the day isn’t all about how I look … and that, indeed, I don’t look that “bad” … but that rarely relieves the guilt I feel when I watch another episode of Toddlers and Tiaras rather than go running.
I wish I was inspired to workout by the joy some people swear it brings them rather than the guilt that results when I skip …
I have a fantastic website I use when I travel for work (which is almost constant). http://www.yogavibes.com has an assortment of a great variety of yoga workouts or barre and core fusion that are great for a hotel room and range in length of time or ability level. I have a yoga towel that I bring and use instead of a mat or you can find easily packable travel mats that fold nicely into a suitcase. It also has some really mellow restorative type classes you can take to relieve stress after a day of working away from home.
A twelve hour work day doesn’t leave you much time for sight-seeing, but if I was in New York (I’ve never been and want to go SO BAD) I would go for an explorative walk. You’re killing two birds with one stone – seeing the city and walking as a form of exercise. Right?
Yeah, I’d love that (I love walks) but I’m in a … special … area and don’t feel all that safe at night. I suppose I could take the subway elsewhere… Will was here last weekend and we did a lot of walking.
Couple thoughts…
a) I do feel good after I work out, I enjoy it, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have to talk myself into it frequently.
b) one of my favorite things about being in NYC is that I pretty much HAD to walk everywhere (although you get the same benefit being carless in Chicago) … I lost 15 lbs without even thinking about it that semester. (Unfortunately I’ve gained and lost those 15 lbs multiple times now…)
Of course that doesn’t work with really long days and a sketchy area. Can you get out and walk during lunch? Do you have that option?
Don’t stress about looking a certain way for your wedding. If you want to make a goal, that’s great, but do it for yourself and not because you think you have to. You are beautiful the way you are.
It sucks you have to work such long hours, but just try to take care of your body by eating as healthy as possible and taking lots of vitamins (see a naturopath if you have time when you get back to Chi; they can recommend the right ones).
Lots of green veggies, protein, and lowering the amounts of caffeine and sugar in your diet while replacing it with healthy organic nuts and good stuff will still do wonders for your figure, regardless of the running. Promise!