Coke: It's the REAL thing, baby.

Currently listening to: "Forever My Friend" - Ray Lamontagne

So the clarion call went out today. Man cannot live on Coca Cola alone.  As many of you know, I have a serious addiction, one that has consumed me for about 15 years.  I am guilty of being a slave to Coca-Cola. I start my day off with one for breakfast, pop a can to accompany my lunch, drink one to round out the work day, pour up a glass to wash down dinner, and I drink my final one to put me to sleep at night.  It has all worked out seemingly well. Despite all of the warnings that my kidneys would fall out, and that I'm setting myself up for pancreatic cancer , I've seemed to come out on top....until recently. 

So now, I've been told I have to give up the bubbly. Not cold turkey, but I've got to make some significant life changes, or I'm going to crash and burn. In true Krystle fashion, I had to do my own research.  This piqued my interest slightly: "What Are the Dangers of Coke?"   I found it interesting that the article notes that "additional side effects include trouble sleeping if you drink Coke shortly before bedtime." Sorry folks, but Coke is my chamomille tea....

What this all boils down to is that I'm going to try my hardest to change my ways.  I'll buy some bottled water, make myself drink out my filtered pitcher. I can't make any promises, folks.  This means you might have to pry a coke can out of my cold, dark, lifeless hands when I go--but at least i'll go happy!

Less Weight, More Reps...

Spotify hit currently playing..."Empty" - Ray LaMontagne

I initially wanted to blog about how I had made this great discovery today, but I realize that it was actually confirmation of what I have known all along but have been determined to disprove (that's my usual MO). Sometimes I have to drop the dumbell on my own foot, so to speak, to get the message...

In my quest to work on my fitness beyond cardio world, I've been trying to integrate some weight training into my weekly routine.  As with all things, I decided to approach it full throttle, knock it out the park, go hard, etc. My initial thought process was that I would lift the heaviest weights I could pick up for as many reps as I could stand.  What I quickly found out, however, was that it was concomitantly unsuccessful and needlessly painful.  Pride and the need to prove my adequacy in the gym (to clearly show that small people can be mighty) hindered my willingness to want to try anything contrary to my original plan. I did, however, decide to step back and take some good advice--which led me to trying smaller weights, which allowed me to do more reps with less pain. Eureka! Success!

One might say, 'duh..the point of this is?'  As I stood in the shower tonight, thinking about today, the connection flooded over me and hit me like the hot water rushing out the spiget.  In ways sundry and not so random, my life lately has been much like the gym, and in my true form, I keep reaching for the biggest weights and getting the least results.  It's about time I step back, reapproach the weight rack, and reselect a new set of weights--a set that I can I can make the most progress with and go longer with.  I'm humble enough to admit that. 

As simple and as juvenalian as this thought process may sound, it makes sense for me.  And I'm actually going to try and follow through.