The Goal

As many of you know, Drew works for a health insurance company. One thing the company strives for is for the employees to have good personal health, including fitness. So, every year they have a fitness competition called the Shape-up Challenge. Teams of about 10 people are formed, and whichever team logs the most activity minutes in the 10 weeks gets a prize of some sort. As family members are included, Drew and I are both on a team. Not that we expect to be the winning team, but it's good motivation as it makes us feel bad to let our teammates down.

This is also the first time Drew has really worked out since his back pain started a few months ago. Somehow, he still has abs after 3 months of doing nothing. I've been working out my entire life, and I've never had abs.

Anyways, the competition started July 30th, so we are officially in the thick of things. My goal during the next 10 weeks is to lose 10 pounds. I know this is possible, as I have an identical twin sister who weighs 20 pounds less than I do. So, it's possible.

The main trouble I see in this plan is that in one week we will be going home to the US for two weeks. Talk about faltering resolve when my Mom's freshly backed chocolate chips cookies or Drew's parent's bacon breakfast sandwiches are placed in front of me. So, I've decided to still eat everything (as who knows when I'll have real American food again) but I try to utilize some amount of portion control, and I'll work out like a fiend while I'm there. Hopefully that will at least keep me level instead of losing ground on my goal.

I was sitting in a bar yesterday with Drew watching a rugby game (yes, we like rugby now) when I realized something slightly disheartening. There was a super pretty and very skinny girl sitting in front of me. But she was the so skinny she didn't have an ounce of muscle on her and probably couldn't lift the cast iron skillet weak. Then, another group of girls walks in that look like they are professional athletes. I've never seen women with so much toned muscle. I couldn't figure out what sport they played. Does women's rugby exist? Or maybe they are pro dragon boat racers? I dunno. They have massive upper bodies so they weren't soccer players. They weren't particularly tall, so they weren't basketballers. I dunno. Below is an example of too skinny. No chick is lifting a dumbbell with toothpick arms.

But, apparently Drew doesn't find this very attractive either. Or maybe he's just saying that to make me feel better. 

Anyways, I decided the best thing for me would be between these two types of women. I don't want to be the female hulk, but I don't want to be skinny to the point of uselessness either. But I also don't want to be the shapeless form I am now. Hence the goal of lose 10 pounds, and let's see where that gets me.