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Monday, March 10, 2014

Reconcilliation Day

This last week Merilee and I celebrated what has come to be known as Reconcilliation Day.  It was the day that we decided to try dating again last year after a month or so break up.  Merilee is always impressed by how I remember dates and stuff so I was surprised that she remembered this one and even did stuff to celebrate. She had actually transferred it from last year's planner to the one she has now. 

It's definitely something important to celebrate.  I remember that choice to get back together was difficult to make because it was a huge risk for  both of us.  We didn't know if things would be better, and we didn't want to just make things worse than they were by trying again. 

Obviously, we did try again.  Things didn't get better right away, and our marriage is just beginning, but so far things have been really great.  We're still waiting for the despair of marriage that people talk about to settle in, but meanwhile, we feel really blessed.

So I've seen this photo I call "buff Justin Bieber" on Facebook probably 100,000,000,000,000,000 times.  In fact, I see a lot of buff guys on Facebook.  I think I saw an ad about two years ago for one diet or ab exercise thing and I made the mistake of clicking on it.  I've regretted it ever since.  It linked to a video that ran on for a while and didn't really say anything and you couldn't skip to the end.  I think it eventually was supposed to sell me some nutrition advice but after about 5 minutes I gave up and exited out. 

Ever since, Facebook has decided to bombard me with fitness ad after fitness ad, including the one that uses Justin's countenance to get my attention.  It's all the same crap: "Trainers hate this guy," "Should this be illegal?," "Trainers hope you don't know this one little secret..."  Part of me hates these ads because they are obnoxious.  Really? You're going to get my attention with these fake (or at least I hope they're fake) pictures made even more tantalizing by the catchy phrases and thought-provoking questions? 

The other part of me is astounded that they exist because that means that they work somehow.  Facebook ads probably aren't free, and these ads are everywhere, probably paid for by the same people.  If they're anything like the crap I clicked on two years ago, they're just garbage.  But people actually buy it?  What is it exactly? Some berry from the tropical rainforest that if you take at the right time at the right place when the sun is in the right position in the sky, then you will get buff without having to work out?  Sounds worse than MonaVie (no offense if you sell that stuff).

Come one people!  Working out and eating right are practically the only ways to get in shape.  I remember this guy that worked with me at the Chalet.  His name was Bob and he had huge forearms.  One day in the break room I asked him how he got such big forearms, but as he turned his head towards me, I could tell by his expression what was coming and answered for him: "Let me guess, diet and exercise?"  Content with my own answer he calmly went back to eating his soup.

My perspective on "getting in shape" has changed quite a bit since I started doing P90X.  I am probably in the best shape I've ever been in, but I'm not nearly where I would have before said is "in shape." I'm not anything like Justin, but I still think of myself now as being "in shape."  It's not that my standards have fallen, I just think they're more realistic.  I'll see actors in movies now that I didn't think were fit before, but now I do recognize that they actually did work out, and in many cases are still in better shape than me.  One example is The Mummy.  I never thought of the bad guy in that movie as being particularly strong, but after almost two months of P90X I can tell he had to work for the shape that he was in.  Don and I have six more weeks to go with the program.  I don't know if anyone besides me and Merilee will notice a difference, but it doesn't matter.  I'm seeing results and it's awesome.  Everything is Awesome!