Monday, January 12, 2009

We've Got the Beat

Seems like every January (and usually again after I've fallen back into bad habits in like, eh, April *haha*) I resolve to get back into the gym and start eating right. I haven't made a specific New Year's resolution in years, but there's always an unspoken feeling that I need to do SOMETHING. 

Remember the weight I lost before our trip to NYC? (And the extra weight I lost due to the God-given colon cleanse I endured for about a month? I'm kicking myself for complaining about that now, it made it so easy to shed pounds! *HAHA* I'm kidding, people. Calm down.) Well, miraculously I've only gained back about 5lbs of it. Yet apparently it was an important 5lbs because I FEEL and LOOK fatter. So they need to come back off and bring more of their friends with them. :)

This morning I managed to muster up enough gusto to get myself to the gym. (Had a great gab session last night with my friends Courtney & Angie involving many topics, but our discussion about weight loss and working out must have particularly inspired me. Thanks girlies!)  It felt good! Not so much the working out part, but the being there in the gym finally was good. ;) Well I shouldn't say I completely despise working out. It gives me a chance to listen and groove to my awesome workout playlist. I do enjoy hearing the songs and moving to them. I do not, however, enjoy the shade of red my face becomes or wringing out my ponytail when I'm finished. Ewww.

Have I ever told you that I'm a beat-driven person? I get it from my Mom. We try crediting the miniscule amount of Cherokee in our family tree. Y'know, the "hai yai yai yai, hai yai yai yai!" rain dances and stuff. Those ancestors must be the ones we got it from. We hear a beat and we need to move to it. If we don't hear a beat, we have trouble moving at all. Now I'm not saying we're GOOD at moving to the beat (well from stories my Mom tells she used to be, but I can't claim that gene.) I'm just saying that we appreciate a good rhythm and it makes us wanna DANCE! :) 

I know that not everyone in this world is driven by beats. My Dad, for instance, watches the news while he walks on the treadmill. This is something I could never do. I need a rhythm to move me. What am I supposed to do, walk to the news anchor's syntax? No no. And Jeremy is definitely not beat-driven. I knew this for sure when he mentioned putting Billy Joel's "Piano Man" on his running playlist. WHA'???? I would have to sit down on the curb and take a nap! That would never do.

Those of you who have lofty ideas about my taste in music would probably be surprised at some of the songs on my playlist. (Or maybe not, since my tastes were attacked when I called Phil Collin's apparent genius into question...*tsk tsk* Boy did I ever hear about that one!) But really, as long as it's not raunchy or crass, anything with a hard-hitting beat can make the cut. This includes rap, rock, R&B, pop...and yes Angie, even the Jonas Bros and Hannah Montana.  Today, for example, I spent my half hour on the elliptical with:

Damaged - Danity Kane 
I'm not a fan of this group, but this song is one of my all-time favorites for working out. It's sassy, which helps me push through any lung incapacities I might be suffering from. 
I Play Chicken With A Train - Cowboy Troy
Technically country, I guess. First heard this one during a line-dancing-waitstaff moment at Texas Roadhouse. I knew I needed it immediately.
Hey Hey - Superchick
OH YEAH! This song rocks. 
Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna
I discovered this one in an aerobics class last year. Another one that keeps me moving despite myself. This one gives me dancing delusions though, so it's a little dangerous. ;)
SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
Yes, I love this song. I WILL say, just to keep my goody-two-shoes persona in tact, that I have the "Clean" version so there's some bleepage going on. But I find this song inspiring. Doesn't everyone wanna bring their own sexy back? *hehe* 
Girls & Boys - Good Charlotte
Yup, a little more rock. I like the pace of these guys' songs...they're all pretty hyper which is good for a high-energy moment. 
Lady - Lenny Kravitz
One of the best walking beats EVA. I could walk all day to this song. BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM...I'd be in Winfield before I even looked up! ;)

Oh and P.S.
Don't you LOVE my new blog background? It's my favorite one yet! 

2 comments:

Michelle said...

Ok, I checked and I'm the only one who actually questioned your Phil-haterness in writing! Or are there closet Phil-ophiles out there who questioned you in person??

I don't know you're surviving without my musical input throughout the day! ;-)

Sarah :) said...

*haha* Yes others were actually brave enough to confront me VERBALLY! Can you imagine? :)