- Spinach has over 800 mg of potassium per one cup (cooked) serving, and thus can help lower blood pressure and boost metabolism. It's also high in iron.
So, I've decided to make Fridays "fun facts Fridays." I come across a myriad of interesting nutrition, fitness, or wellness facts in my week, either linked to articles or in my own research, and every Friday, I'm going to share a handful or two with all of you. Nutrition has become a fairly big passion of mine, so there will likely be a lot of nutrition facts.
My back is bothering me less today, so hopefully it won't impact my training session tonight. Shawn is good about modifying exercises if I do complain of pain or discomfort, but I dislike feeling like I'm not giving 100%.
I am finding one major challenge in this that I really never thought to find. Well, it's sort of a double edged sword thing. All along this road, I've been on my own. Not to say anyone has actively discouraged me, but the support I've received has been ambivalent at best. I think most of my family thought this would be another one of my gung-ho attempts that would ultimately fail, and so they've more or less ignored it. My friends... I don't have very many friends, and those that I do have tend to be overweight. My best friend, from whom I would expect the most support - what I've received has been akin to dismissal or even hostility. I can't even discuss my successes with her because it apparently "gives her anxiety and makes her feel bad." Like my trying to improve myself is somehow affecting her well-being.
My decision to join the gym, and to hire Shawn, has meant that at least I feel like I always have one person in my corner. One person who is cheering me on every step of the way, who wants to see me succeed, and who doesn't see my success as a threat.
People don't talk about this in all those success stories. They always talk about the support of their family and friends, and how they couldn't do it without them. They don't talk about the family members who refused to give up their own unhealthy eating habits to help you, or the ones who stubbornly believed they knew more than your trainer did about nutrition, or the ones who barely acknowledged every milestone or weren't there for a bad day. They don't talk about the friends who complained that "it's not fair" that you look that good, or that you aren't free to go out because you're at the gym. They don't talk about the inconsideration of inviting you out for fast food or a night of drinking. In those stories, there's always someone with whom you share the successes.
You know what? Sometimes there isn't.
Even more than teaching equipment and crunches and making me run up and down stairs, I think this is the most important role Shawn is playing in this process right now. I also think it's a little sad I had to hire someone to find that support. But at the same time, it gives me a new resolve to succeed. If I can do this, I can do anything.
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