About two years before Bryan and I started dating, I went on quite a fitness binge, and lost about 40 pounds. I had been doing really well for several months, but eventually, I sort of plateaued and was having a hard time making myself exercise every day. I remember one day I was sitting on the end of my bed, already wearing exercise clothes and tennis shoes, trying to get up the gumption to go for a run. My roommate saw my struggle, and brought in a photo of the two of us. It had been taken about a year earlier, when I was the fattest I had ever been. She said, "Here's your motivation." I was a little shocked, because really, it's not every day someone shows you a picture and says, "Look how fat you are!" My mom or my sister could probably get away with that, but that's about it.
I always thought that exercising and eating healthy would be easier when I got married. I would have someone to motivate me and encourage me to stay on track. Turns out I was wrong. Bryan and I are masters at helping each other rationalize, but not particularly gifted in the motivation department. First of all, I don't really want Bryan to show me pictures and tell me how chubby I look. Second, if I'm drowning my sorrows in chocolate at the end of a really long, hard day, Bryan knows it would be hazardous to his health to say, "Are you sure you want to eat that?" So, needless to say, Bryan and I both have had a little bit of trouble developing good habits.
Most of you know that Bryan and I are big movie fans. Our tastes are similar enough that there is rarely a time when we can't find a movie we both want to see. However, there is a category of movies I call "movies Bryan wants to see that Chelsey will never see." For example, anytime we're contemplating watching a movie at home, the first words out of Bryan's mouth are, "Shaun of the Dead!" Gag me with a pitchfork.
So, how to exploit our love of movies to help us out of our exercise slump? Bryan had a brilliant idea. Whoever exercises the most during the week gets to decide which movie we watch that weekend. The challenge starts Monday. I can't think of anything more motivating than having the threat of being forced to watch Shaun of the Dead, Alien, or episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 hanging over my head.
Bryan says he's not going to pick movies I don't want to see. He says, "I'm going to pick movies you think you don't want to see, but that I know you'll like if you see them." I'm skeptical. Of course, that's completely irrelevant, because I'm going to win.
I fully recognize how ridiculous it is that two adults have to make such a childish deal to make ourselves exercise. But that's how dire the situation has become. If nothing else, this will be a good chance for us to become reacquainted with our elliptical machine, which has been spending the last several months serving as an expensive coat rack in the basement.
Let the games begin.
2 comments:
Funny. I have made all sorts of bizarre deals with myself to make myself work out. One time I decided I would "pay" myself for every minute I spent on the treadmill and blow the total on electronics when I reached $500. That worked, but then I had the subsequent problem of a) being broke the next month and b) not having any more motivation because I couldn't keep paying myself.
But to me, there's no better motivation than looking at pictures of your fat self. That has helped me lose 30 pounds since last summer.
--Sessions
I love this idea. Neal and I are always trying to make deals (not about weight loss since he weighs like 118 lbs -- scary :) but about eating better, or saving money, or getting in bed on time. We will have to try this since we've kind of lost track of all these goals lately!
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