Solve The Problem

Greetings!  I am happy to report that this lazy mom is still running and still keeping the kitchen clean, with the help of the Dear Husband and the children.  It took a few days for them to notice that the kitchen was suspiciously clean every evening.  At one point, someone was curious enough to ask, "Do we have company coming over tonight?"  I replied, trying to not sound offended, "Not that I know of."  And of course you know what the curious spectator said next...."Then why are you cleaning the kitchen?"  Sigh.  I didn't know whether to laugh about this or cry.  Sometimes the truth hurts, but then again, laughter is the best medicine.  So I laughed and explained my goal to go to bed with a clean kitchen every night for 66 days.  After a long silence, a small voice asked, "Do we have to help?"  "No, but it would be nice. I replied"  At which point I turned around, and discovered that the room was empty.  Apparently misery doesn't love company.

However, I have discovered that I'm not actually miserable.  It really only takes a few minutes to clean the kitchen because surprise, surprise, now that I KNOW that I HAVE to clean it every night, I keep it cleaner throughout the day, AND I have been focusing more on "cleaning as I go" while preparing supper, AND I do typically require the young 'uns to help out with the dishes as long as I am not being lazy and putting it off until the next morning, AND I have a husband who helps out.  I am blessed in that way for sure!  Last night, I was sooooo tired from my run (seriously, I am not joking about that) that he told me to go ahead and get in the shower while he cleaned the kitchen for me.  He was watching a "very important basketball game" at the time, so I proceeded to ask him if he was sure that he was going to do the kitchen, because if not, I really needed to get it done before my shower, or I would be very tempted not to get it done at all, and it absolutely must be clean TONIGHT.  He looked at me like he had never seen me before in his life. 

So the kitchen project is moving along quite nicely, if I do say so myself.  As far as the fitness project, I did come across a minor problem.  Have I mentioned the treadmill in my basement?  Have I mentioned how much I detest the treadmill in my basement?  Have I mentioned how much of my last 2 years of laziness I have blamed on the detested treadmill in my basement?   Due to the fact that it is January, and we are on a tight budget, I knew I was going to have to face the treadmill in my basement. 

I'm not sure if I have mentioned that I am actually a registered dietitian, specializing mainly in helping folks lose weight.  I almost exclusively focus on helping them learn to do this through proper diet, but of course, I encourage them to exercise as well.  Eat less, move more, blah, blah, blah.  Yes, most people have heard it before, but I have discovered that everyone who comes through my door (including myself) carries a list of "problems" that they have decided are the reason for their current state of affairs.  Many of these problems are legitimate roadblocks.  Many are excuses.  The bottom line is this:  YOU HAVE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.  You have to solve the problem whether it is a true roadblock or a finely crafted excuse.  You have to solve the problem because to make a change in your life, something has to change. 

So after taking my friend's advice about never going to bed with a clean kitchen, I took my own advice about solving the problem. 

Problem/Roadblock/Excuse (as heard in the run-on sentence form that things in my head tend to take):  I detest the treadmill in my basement and really don't want to try to rework the budget to be able to join a gym right now and even if I did none of the gyms around here provide childcare which means I would have to get up really early in the morning to go and I am just not a morning person at all so then I would just be wasting all of that money anyway.

Solution:  Make the treadmill in my basement less detestable.

Solve the problem, solve the problem, solve the problem.  Sounds simple enough.  My first thoughts were to watch TV or listen to awesome "pump you up" tunes while running on the treadmill.  However, my family was not enthused about the volume the TV required to be heard over the roaring treadmill.  Ear buds and some rockin' music with a great beat is a wonderful solution for some people, but for me, music only really helps when I am already in shape and can run HARD.  In my current state, music like that just reminds me how slow and slug-like I am and it literally makes me want to cry and give up.  Solve the problem, solve the problem, solve the problem.  It was at this point, I remembered that my crazy-running sister used to listen to audio books while doing her long marathon training runs alone.  Audio books!!!  Yes!!!  Books that I can only listen too if and when I am working out!!!

It only took me 3 hours to figure out how to make this happen without spending ANY money!  I felt a powerful urge to just give up somewhere in the 2nd hour when my neglected five- and one-year-old began to demand some attention, but I turned on a movie, handed them a box of crackers, and pushed on.  Yay, technologically challenged, me!  I solved the problem and now I am dying to get going on my second "audio-run", so the rest of the story will have to wait for another post.  I'm going to bump up to 3 miles this week, but its okay, because my book awaits.  Well hello, Mr. Treadmill.  So we meet again.