If Jillian Can Do It. . .

When you think of Jillian Michaels, I'm betting the image that comes to mind is one of her dressed something like this:



Put a blouse on, wouldja?



You know that top is really just a sports bra, right?

When you hear the name Mia Hamm, doesn't this inspiring image come to mind?

Mia is SO MUCH COOLER than Jillian


While one of these women is an inspiring athlete and the other is a horsefaced bully, both are wearing sports bras.  Without a top.

I point this out to prove precedence.

It's not that I wear sports bras as a top.  Usually.

There is that one time -- days after my second child was born -- I spent10 minutes chatting with a visitor before noticing that I had forgotten to put a blouse on.   Fortunately, my visitor was the mother of 3 and she totally understood.

But as a rule, I wear a tee shirt over my sports bra. 

Honestly, I hope Jillian wears a tee when she works out.  Your abs might be great, Horseface, but that doesn't mean other people in the gym care to come in contact with your back sweat.

But sports bras are SPORTS bras.  Not sports BRAs. 

So when I finished my 10K on January 7th, and was soaking wet with sweat, and didn't want to walk ALL THE WAY to the ladies room to change into a dry shirt, I felt comfortable doing a quick switch in the lobby of the Ortiz Center.

No one else was there.

Except Mary.  And Megan.  And Mary.  And Dee.  And Amy.  But only girls.  Girls don't care.

Ok. .. one young man did happen to walk by, but I almost had the other shirt on and I am sure he didn't see me without a top.  He was looking very intently at the floor.  For some reason.

Today I had to rush to class after my workout.

It was all girls.  Mary.  And Laurie.  And Biby.  And Clarissa.

So I just changed my top real quick.

Oh yeah -- and Victor. 

But I made him turn around. 

It's not like I would change my top in front of any of the guys I usually work out with.  Except Victor -- he's totally safe.  And Omar.  Probably Lee.  Maybe Scott. 

But not Gabe, Robert, Kirby or Bill.  Especially not Bill. 

So yes, for a few seconds Vic saw my sports bra.  The thing is, it's a SPORTS bra.

And it's not like I was wearing it as a top.

Mary Christmas!

You know how much I LOVE fitness challenges!

They REALLY motivate me.  I'm not competitive or anything, I just wanna reach new personal bests.

And also win.

Because Victor knows that I LOVE challenges, and because he knows that I MUST get down to 229 by 2/1/12 and because he knows that I love Christmas cookies almost as much as my children, Victor has set up a new challenge for me.

And Mary.

And Mary.

It's the Tri-Mary Challenge.

See, there are three Marys who work out at V-Fit.

We all happen to be alumna of the University of Wisconsin.  (One of us received her Doctorate from UW.  One of us just drank a lot of beer and kissed as many boys as I . . .I mean she could get her hands on.  I don't know about Mary.)

Mary & I also have the same birthday. 

Wild, huh?

Victor's stated goal is to foster a spirit of competition while improving the overall fitness of three of his most dedicated clients.  We all know he secretly wants us to get into a cat fight.  (What is it about guys and cat fights?  Seriously.)

We aren't going to get into a cat fight.  We are going to have some competition, yes.  Mostly though, we have a sisterly collaboration to reach our individual goals.  We are going to rejoice in each others' triumphs and fortify each other when times get hard.

We are going to run towards the prize with arms linked! 

I just hope the prize isn't a portkey. 

Mary says it's OK if it's a portkey as long as it takes us to the Bahamas.

I'm just really, really glad my name is Mary!

Go Mary!

Go Mary!

Go Mary!
   

The Competition Intensifies

We're already in week 4 for this year's Leadership Fitness Challenge.

Last year's challenge was amazing.  Humbling.  Eye opening.  Enriching.  My favorite part of last year's challenge was the people it brought into my life.  Vic.  Gabe.  Ricky. Scott.  Mary.  So many others.

Mary is the leader for Spohn Hospital.  She, Scott & I are the only three of the original LFC that worked out with Vic all year.  We are the only 3 back in this year's LFC.  Mary's team won the challenge last year. They earned it -- I gotta give her that.

Mary and I have a lot more in common than first names. We both went to University of Wisconsin and we have the same birthday. Weird, right? Mary is funny and beautiful and smart and successful and she works out so hard. Apparently she also was a size 24 not too long ago, although you'd never know it to look at her now. Mary and I are now friends. Real friends. Let's-grab-lunch friends.

Mary and her awesome husband Ron have a beautiful daughter named Rachel who works out with us, and who is also one of my kiddos' favorite babysitters. (They also love a beautiful blond girl named Natasha. I think my boys already love blonds. Should I worry?) Anyway - I love Mary to pieces.

I really, really, really want to beat Mary in this year's challenge.

I have a good start. For one thing, my partner this year is AWESOME. Her name is Julia and she is SO committed. Julia works for a part of the college that I rarely get to see -- our Early Childhood Development department. Julia is just the kind of person you would want working with your kids -- smiling, gentle, kind. Beneath that glowing exterior, however, beats the heat of a tiger. She works out almost every day -- and get this: she RUNS to the studio and then she RUNS home. I can already tell that her arms are defining, her waist has whittled and she is glowing strength and fitness. With a partner like that, don't I have it in the bag?

I'm not counting my chickens.

For one thing, this year we have A LOT of really committed people.  Kirby.  Megan.  Luisa.  Caitlin.  Jason. Robert.  Yoli.  Any of these incredible people have a chance of bringing it home.

But Mary is playing dirty.  Mary has Tony.

Sigh.

Tony will not be easy to beat.

Not easy to beat at all.

Tony is big. Tony is strong. Tony is funny and smart and likable. Dammit.

Tony is like many of us who have hit our forties -- he put on a bit of weight (which is rapidly coming off), his joints are a little creaky, and working out was pretty foreign to him until Mary enlisted him as her partner.

But Mary knew what she was doing. Tony isn't your run of the mill work-out-for-a-few-weeks-lose-some-weight-and-call-it-a-day kind of guy.  Tony is a I-am-going-to-win-even-if-it-kills-me kind of guy.

Tony works out until it hurts and then he works out some more. Tony keeps us laughing throughout the workout -- I think it's a strategy to weaken our focus. Tony has been sticking to the diet plan religiously and already has lost over 10 lbs.  He is getting smaller and stronger by the day.

Tony has become my buddy.  How could I not like him?  He's from Chicago for Chrissake.  He's like a brother to me.  Tony reminds me of where I started a year ago.  In spite of myself, I really, really want Tony to do well.

That's what scares me. 

If I am going to beat Mary, I hafta beat Tony.

It won't be easy.