Never a Skinny Minnie

My parents raised me with a pretty good self body image. I was a skinny kid. Then I puberty hit and I moved into dorms with an unlimited meal plan at the age of 16. Obviously, I gained some weight. Freshman 15 hit about 2 years early. I don’t think I’ve ever been fat. Or even ‘chubby’. Maybe for a few months sometime at BC when I hated everything and wanted to be in Texas. But other than that, I’m about the same. Normal.

I know that my body type and appetite will prevent me from ever being one of those skinny-minnie girls. I’d love to have thin thighs and a flat stomach. Who wouldn’t? But yeah. I also like to have ice cream when I feel like it and a few beers on the weekends. Flat stomach they do not make. And I’m okay with this. If I stuck to a diet or actually went outside and ran a few miles on a regular basis, I could probably get closer to the universal ideal. But eh, it’s really not that important to me. I only exercise now on a less-than-regular basis because I’m kind of scared of getting heart disease or diabetes in the future, particularly considering the shite I put into my body on a regular basis, i.e. the ramen I had for dinner.

So yeah. I’m me. I’m short, not fat, and not skinny. 99% of the time I like my body because I own it and I control it.

Only there are some occassions when I kind of wish for something else. Like last night, when I was out at a bar with a few girls from work, who all happen to be a few inches taller than me, have longer and straighter hair than me, and probably weigh a few pounds less.

Yes, confession- I’d like to have longer legs, straighter hair and be skinnier. But sometimes I don’t feel like wearing heels, ironing my hair out, or skipping dessert or fries. And my Tex-Mex genes don’t really lend themselves to statuesque slimness a la Kate Moss. At all. Eva Longoria is probably the skinniest Tex-Mex and I’m pretty sure she never eats and works out 4 hours a day. I, on the other hand, have an appetite and have a regular job to attend to, so her plan’s out for me. I’ll never be like those girls I was jealous of last night.

I do know that I can work out a little bit more often and see pretty good results. I can get muscle definition and feel stronger, I can run farther and feel healthier – when I take control. I’ve had bouts of extreme-healthiness in my life so I know that results are possible. When I get these twinges of jealousy of girls with other body types, it’s sort of like the kick in the butt that I need. I can’t make myself taller or wicked thin, but I can be more fit.

So thanks girls, I’ll be working on that a little harder now… for a while. I’ll aim to frequent the gym more often and will be eating a bit healthier and maybe even wearing heels more often. Because I want to. All the same, stronger or not, I will always be cool with how I look and my hamburger intake. It’s all good.

fitness plan

sometimes i crack myself up.

my diet and exercise plan for tonight included a dinner of grilled cheese and turkey sandwich and a glass of red wine followed by some bicycling and making fun of american idol tryouts. closed it out with some free weights and heavy breathing. and about a gallon of water.

haha.

my attempts at being 'healthy' are funny. mostly i go to the gym in hopes that all the things i ingest like beer and grilled cheese don't kill me before the age of 30. i don't know if its working. i think i should get a physical sometime... make sure things are all clear in spite of the shite i put in my body on a daily basis...

or not.

one of my hobbies

i love to look at graffiti (in case u haven't noticed). it's kind of the most consistent and long-lasting hobby/interest i've ever had. blogging is probably a close second or third.

most people i know, particularly close friends and family, are aware of my love of street art. i periodically have tags and stencils as my desktop wallpaper at work. i take pictures of random graffiti i find while walking to lunch with my roommates. i even spent an evening showing my grandma banksy pictures in a book... and she was interested. getting other people interested or even understanding and less offended by graffiti is enjoyable for me. i also think it makes people be more appreciative and aware of their surroundings. noticing street art makes you look up to see the highest roof edges and low to the bottoms of streetlights which in turn just makes you LOOK. which is huge sometimes...

so while home in san antonio last week, my dad took me around to visit a couple of areas he'd spotted in his travels that he thought i'd be interested in. from a bridge underpass to a huge warehouse on the side of some railroad tracks, and a jogging path in the park- they were all great. after posting some pictures, getting feedback and doing a bit of googling i found out that two of them were "clogged caps" locations. huge organized graffiti showcases. i remember reading about the clogged caps 3 movie a few years ago, probably in the san antonio current, and i was annoyed that i missed the showings they had. so while i still havent seen the movie, i'm glad i got to visit two sites in one day. and i'm glad events like clogged caps exist. (and also makes me think more opportunities like this would cause less need for stringent and annoying graf laws like what they're pushing for in SA right now.) i would love to attend one of these next time around. really. it'd be awesome and so smelly.

here's an article i found about the event last year, for your education and my history: http://www.austinundergroundfilm.com/2006/08/12/clogged-caps-5-aerosol-art-fest/

-- on a different note --

show i love: workout. i started watching it with my mom last summer. last saturday on the plane i watched like 3 hours worth. (oh jetblue and bravo marathons!) brian, one of the trainers, is adorable. he's so country-cute and jock-y. even if he is balding- love it. none of the trainers at my gym are as country as him. if they were, i might go more often. :p