Bricks.

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."
 -David Brinkley

Tonight I tried my hand at my first cycling class. Let me tell you--my pelvis was not made for cycling. (Then again... who's IS?!) Sure, the burning sensation in my legs was a challenge, and there were fountains of sweat generously pouring from my scalp, but no--those things were not what killed this class for me. It was the intense pain that I was feelin' in the... lower region of my body. YEOUCH. I was later encouraged by one of the instructors at Ramsey that (after some hellish bruising...) your body adjusts to it. So, I'll persevere. After all, I'll never be an Iron Man if I don't get freakishly good at cycling in my lifetime. But I'm not gonna lie, this class was a downer. The upside is that it made me realize how we are all different--my dad loves cycling, but if you put him in a yoga or aerobics class? He'd rather eat a slug, I bet. We're all different, and we all find our own paths to fitness.

After cycling I made my way downstairs to the Mind and Body portion of Ramsey for my first try at PiYo. For those of you who do not know what this is, basically, it is a blend of Pilates and Yoga, kicked up a notch. I searched some youtube videos to share with ya'll, and this one does a good job of sort of showing how it is a blend of the two, but with an intense strength training twist. However when I kept searching for more I found this one and had to share, since it starts with the instructor (who's name, presumably, I gather, is Ellie) saying, "Say 'Yes, Ellie, I would love to do push ups!'" haha. That amused me. What are the chances?

Afterward I finished out with an hour around East Campus--I took on the 3 parking decks and jogged up the 5 flights of stairs each, then briskly walked down the decks. It was a great workout. The beautiful thing about tonight is that for the first time, I really felt strong. In PiYo, I was doing some moves that before would have had me literally flat on my face... and I felt great doing them. When I jogged up the steps, I felt a fire in my thighs, but it was such a positive feeling.

The quote above about bricks was written on a board in the cycling class, and stared me in the face while I fought through the pain and sweat. The instructor talked to us about why she had the quote up there--it's midterm season, and everyone is stressing out about the things being thrown their way... intense assignments, bad grade results, and just stressers in general. She talked about taking those things and using them to create a foundation that fosters better decisions, judgment, and action (well, not in so many words, but that was what I got from it). And it made me think about some bricks that I've felt lately thrown my way... some discouragement that what I'm doing isn't good enough. Perhaps, you could say, some misguided (yet, meant well) encouragement.

I know I'd love to be in the 190s right now. I'd love to be running 3 miles a day, no problem. I'd love to be shocking the world with my progress. But I know that sustainability, balance, dedication, perseverance, consistency, and staying paced are all much more respectable and worthwhile in the long run. I could lose 40 pounds super fast, then gain most of it back, because my methods were not through a sustainable lifestyle. Or I could slowly strengthen my body, discipline my eating habits, explore my fitness options (via classes, racing, swimming, whatever), and see slow, steady, sustainable progress.

This week, I've worked my body to the brink of tears. I've wanted to quit, shut down, give up and give in. But I didn't. I've gone strong, hard, and kicked ass. I'm taking those bricks--the bricks that shattered through my window that said I wasn't doing good enough--and I'm sweeping up the shards of the glass remaining, and I'm making a foundation upon which I can firmly stand.

And while we're talking about standing firmly... I can do that. I can do that. I can do that! That, my friends, is progress. So you can take those bricks and shove em. I'm doing my thing and I'm learning to love my life with it and for it, one day at a time.