Playing Catch-Up With The Monday Project

So I want you to know that even though I missed posting about one of my Monday Projects, I did actually do it! The week I missed was "Doing Something Different," where we were supposed to venture outside of our comfort zones to do something, well, different. Something we've never tried before. Ever.

I don't know why this was so hard for me but it totally was!

You see, there is a machine.

A machine at the gym that has always intimidated me. I've always thought it was for the hardcore. The buff. The already-fit. The not-me's. And I don't know about you, but I approach a new gym machine sort of like a cat sniffing out a new type of wet food in his dish.

I notice it from afar.

I long to go to it, and eventually I do, but I am unsteady and unsure-like and untrusting.

I eventually head over there and I circle it. Pretend not to care.

Pretend I know exactly what I'm doing and where I'm going while scoping out the directions of the machine without the knowledge of onlookers. Sneaking a peak here and there and eventually putting it together in my head.

Because actually setting up the machine means commitment. By that time, it's do or die. So you have to scope it first before you commit. Because once you've committed, you must start working out on it or you look silly setting it up and leaving. Unless of course you've carried your phone with you and you're pretending you missed a really important call and you totally have to return it. Or you pretend you've forgotten something really important in the locker room and make that "hit your forehead, duh!" move and you rush away as if it must be done right.now. Not that I've done any of this.

And you all do know, of course, that no one in this world in the gym environment is actually paying attention to you, right? No one cares! And I know this. But it feels as if everyone in this world in the gym is watching you like they've announced over the P.A. that Christie is about to try a new piece of gym equipment. But they're totally not! And no one cares. Just so you know.

Anyway, back to the machine.

Bet you're wondering right now which one it is, huh?

I have looked at this machine from afar since college and if you're into math, that's about 12 years. I even took my husband to the gym once to help me and we stood around it and looked and he made some hypothesis about how to work it and really he was no help at all and we walked away. I was so disappointed. Dudes are supposed to know these things. (Sorry, honey, for calling you out on it.)

Here it is: the assisted pull-up machine.



After days of circling this machine and having it cackle at me from across the room (nemesis!!), I finally went over to one of the trainers and asked him how to use it.

Novel idea, huh?

He tells me, you take your weight, you subtract about 30 from it and you put the pin in that weight in the machine. So, if you're 150 pounds, you subtract 30, then you put the pin in the 120 lb weight on the machine. I needed to subtract a little more, but whatever. I finally went over to it and did it (and it kicked my butt in a good way!) But I'm excited now I can finally do this stupid thing without feeling entirely stupid! I still feel like everyone is staring at me and that I need practice looking "cool" on it, but still. I did it and I won.

The end. If not for this project, it would totally still be cackling at me.

Wanna catch up on Monday Projects at the Sisterhood? Check em out here!

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I'm running on a treadmill at the mall on March 27th to fight blood cancers. I'm auctioning off one hour of treadmill time until Sunday where you can advertise on me or choose what I do for the whole hour. The highest bid is now $18.71! Don't you wanna beat it?? More deets HERE. And donate HERE!

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Playing Catch-Up With The Monday Project

https://babytealeaves.blogspot.com/2010/03/playing-catch-up-with-monday-project.html