Just Relax

"The reason that I can be 38 and have two kids and wear a bikini is because I work my ass off. It's not an accident. It's not luck, it's not fairy dust, it's not good genes. It's killing
myself for an hour and half five days a week, but what I get out of it is relative to what I put into it. That's what I try to do in all areas of my life." Gwyneth Paltrow

Kudos to Gwyneth for stating the obvious. I remember this from an interview she had done within the past year or so. I thought it was so refreshing for a celebrity to completely come clean about what it takes for a woman to look good. Let alone one who is in her late thirties and has had children. It's dedication and not magic. Honestly, it's not even being rich and famous because I know we can all name a good amount of television and movie stars who have less than perfect bodies. I thought she was dispelling a lot of mystery.

Of course her bold statement elicited a lot of backfire as people criticized her less than perfect body and mocked her think frame. She was challenging other people that they could in fact do it too which only made them angrier.

I work out 5-6 days a week if you count yoga classes. Is that too much? I guess I probably maintain a schedule a little like Paltrow. Working out is one of those weird things where there is no guideline for how much you should do. Most people mock working out as one of those things they can't imagine fitting in at all. So is any type of regular exercise schedule viewed as overkill or an over indulgence of time? Sometimes it's hard to gauge by the way people react. I am almost a little insulted when people comment that I'm so skinny when I really want to be seen as fit.

I have struggled with pain in my right shoulder for about a year now. It comes and goes so some days I feel ok. This week has particularly bad. I did a low impact workout on Monday night and I had to skip my yoga class tonight. I went for a walk instead, but It felt a little like a set back to me as I settled in for the night with a bath and a glass of wine. I had to remind myself that like everything else it's a journey and not a destination. You cannot let challenges deter you from your goals in any area of your life. It's important to get back on that bicycle and just keep pedaling. However, for tonight it was nice to take it easy and relax. After all, to look good and feel good it's vital to listen to your body.