Thanks to Liquid Gym in Ottawa for sponsoring this blog post!
Before my trip to what I am dubbing “feminist camp” I had been working out on a treadmill under water! It is part of my Journey to the 10KM. I gave myself goals while away from home to keep the exercise up to continue on with my journey when I return home in October.
I have exercised all but one day this week. I discovered the wonderful machine that is the elliptical trainer. I found I spent quite a bit of time flipping through my music to get songs that motivate me. This can take quite a bit of time given I have over 1100 songs. Friday a sequence of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, REM Everybody Hurts and Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne came on. Nothing motivates me to exercise more than themes of alcoholism, suicide prevention and a man’s obsession with a Montreal prostitute! To prepare, I created a playlist of songs I think will motivate me. There are 42 songs and I hoped to minimize the need to flip or fast forward so I can focus on the workout. Today it worked and I did 30 hard minutes!
Here is my playlist and how they worked for me:
- ACDC -Shook Me All Night Long: A song about sex with three chords to start? Sounds good. I start slow so the easy beat of those Aussie men worked.
- Pitbull & Aguilera – Feel This Moment: Pitbull usually does it for me, but today I found this song didn’t motivate me well. It also may be that the first 8 minutes feel the longest because my brains says “GET OFF, GET OFF, STOP THIS DAMNED THING CALLED EXERCISE”. It was hard to pick the pace up.
- Britney – Work Bitch: This song will never cease to fail. I spent half the time working hard and fast and the other half slowing down a bit and pretending I was running on baywatch. My boobs bounce just the right amount on this machine.
- Iggy Azalea – Black Widow: I picked up the pace hard. I looked angry with every stride thinking of anyone who had ever hurt me. Screw them I said. I made working out dramatic and therapeutic in my mind.
- Iggy Azaela – Beg For It: I just love her and she can do no wrong! Well, except perhaps appropriate an entire culture’s music, but at this point, the words Pussy Power held the key to keep me motivated.
- Hairspray – We Can’t Stop the Beat: Nah, I skipped it. I love it but I wanted sexy and angry today.
- Pitbull – Pause: It is not the beat of this song that kept me going, it was the deep and meaningful lyrics. Go. Stop. Pause. Gets me in the heart each and every time.
- Icona Pop: I Love It: I don’t know what happened by I picked up the pace hard on this song. I was running, gliding towards the goal of a healthy mind and body. I stared at my eyes the entire song, making sweet love to myself, sending positive affirmations of awesomeness to my inner critic.
- Iggy Azalea – Fancy: Immediate skip. Though I am quite fancy, I could not justify another Iggy song while at feminism camp.
- Katy Perry – Firework: 10 seconds later I skipped it. It will take more than simplistic metaphors about a paper bag to get me to 30 minutes.
- Bif Naked – I Love Myself Today: Yes Bif, Yes I do! I picked up the pace again when she growled the chorus. I do love myself today, and I will always continue to believe that song is about inner strength not masturbation!
- Iggy Azalea & Jennifer Lopez – Booty: Okay, one more Iggy to bring me home. See, this one is about accepting and embracing my large ass, which is sort of a feminist theme. Also, J-lo!
I felt like I blinked and it was 30 minutes. That’s the maximum length you are allowed to stay on one machine. I “pumped iron” yesterday so I stretched and left. I do like where I am going and what I am doing. With every positive action such as a good workout I am shedding all self-doubt. I have come far, physically and emotionally. It’s my journey and I do not compare it to anyone else, for we all have our own inner strengths and demons.
Tell me what your playlist is? What motivates you? Also remember should you wish to sponsor this blog and this trans-formative journey, I am but a click away!
Also floss!