Conversations with Fitness Non-Enthusiasts: This Is the Best Game EVER!

 

best game ever gif
Oh, Chandler (source)

. . . but some people don’t feel that way. For me, my fitness habits are a way for me to become the best I can be. I feel the most confident and powerful when I’m working out, eating right, and seeing results. But, again, some people don’t feel that way and don’t understand why I do the things I do. As fitness enthusiasts, sometimes it’s hard for us to believe that others don’t feel the same way about running/yoga/pump/weightlifting/swimming/cycling as we do. So how do we cope with people who don’t see fitness and health in the same light? Here are a few tips to combat any negativity and be encouraging without being annoying to others.

  1. Don’t apologize for your healthy habits. Stick to your guns. The people that matter will be supportive, and that’s what counts. Don’t stop doing your thing to conform to others’ opinions.
  2. Don’t be annoying. Try to be more conscious of how you’re coming off to others with your enthusiasm. Don’t apologize (see above), but if you’re sensing that others are finding you annoying, find other things to talk about. Surely you like other things. 🙂
  3. Don’t criticize others, even if they criticize you. Agree to disagree. Don’t take the bait when someone provokes you. Stand your ground, but don’t escalate matters.
  4. Be encouraging. When someone says, “Oh, I could never do that,” try to relate to the person: “I totally know what you mean!” “You’re right. It is hard at first, but if you just stick with it . . .” Encourage others to find something they love, which is not necessarily what you might love. Accept that and be encouraging anyway.
  5. Be supportive. When a friend or family member sets a goal, be their biggest cheerleader, no matter what that goal is. We are the most vulnerable when we begin working toward a goal, and that’s when we need the most support. Be the one who provides that support.
  6. Be real. Admit that sometimes exercising is hard, that you like to eat those amazing red velvet Oreos by the sleeve sometimes (hopefully not), that you fail sometimes. But record your triumphs, no matter how small. Being yourself will plant a seed, and someday, because of you, others will follow your example.

All of these tips are similar, but it comes down to this: keep doing what you’re doing and be awesome.

What’s your favorite Oreo flavor?

How do you motivate others?

 

Fit Dish Link-Up

This post is linked up with others for The Fit Dish Link-Up. Thanks to Jill Conyers at JillConyers.com, & Jessica Joy at TheFitSwitch.org for hosting. Be sure to visit their blogs and others in the link-up.

(updated 2/10)

Friday Five: About Me

I’m linking up with Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia from You Signed Up for WHAT?!, and Mar from Mar on the Run. This week’s Friday Five theme is Five Things about Me.

Five Things about Me! | FrenchFryRunner.com

It was kind of hard to come up with things that ya’ll would think are interesting, but I’ve done my best:

  • I’m an amateur floral designer. I took a class in college, which I loved, and I’ve done a wedding will be doing another this spring. The Engineer always buys me unarranged flowers so I can make up my own designs. Some people might think that’s weird, but I think it’s the best.
  • I’m an excellent cook. (Toot my own horn much?) 🙂 Both my parents are great cooks, and they taught me when I was a kid. I’ve loved to cook ever since, was a food prep teaching assistant in college, and have a book being published: The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook (CFI, May 2015). I love making up new recipes and trying new foods too. The Engineer is a better baker, though, but I’ve been known to make killer cupcakes.
  • I have really nice handwriting. Once upon a time in elementary school, my teacher said she couldn’t read my handwriting because it was too sloppy. I took that personally and practiced all the time. Now I have excellent penmanship. Twenty years of practice will do that to you. 😉
  • I’m a linguist. My bachelor’s is in English linguistics, and I love dialectology and sociolinguistics. (I also speak German and a little bit of Spanish and French. And obviously I speak English.)
  • I collect journals. I love writing in journals, but I have a habit of buying blank journals too. I have a box of blank ones I really need to fill up! (I also collect chapstick.)
Join us for Friday Five: Five Things about Me (Just in case you were dying to know) @FrenchFryRunner Share on X

What’s something interesting about you? (I’m sure everything!)

What do you collect?

Baking or Cooking?

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

 

 

 

Hold On to the Holidays

This week has been extremely busy for me, so sorry for the lack of content here on the bloggity. Also sorry if this post seems a little disjointed/doesn’t make sense. I only slept for like 4 hours last night, from 12:30 to 4:30, friends. Good times. 🙂

Now, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wish I could be a little kid with boundless energy and excitement–especially during the Christmas season. I love Christmas and all the holiday hoopla, but this year the holidays have snuck up on me and are threatening to pass me by. It doesn’t help that I’m not in college anymore and don’t get 3 weeks off for Christmas break. Sigh.

I have some tips below (in no particular order) to help us all dive deeper into this wonderful season. Feel free to add some of your own.

  1. Drink lots of hot chocolate. I love this idea, and it’s really helped me get into the holiday spirit. The peppermint kind is especially delicious.
  2. Sign up for a holiday race. I didn’t run a turkey trot or Santa dash this year, but I think it would be super fun to dress up in holiday garb and soak in the race atmosphere.
  3. Serve others. There are a ton of opportunities to serve year round, but there are many more around the holidays. Adopt an angel tree child, volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to various charities, or bake cookies for a neighbor.
  4. See neighborhood lights. This is one of my favorites. The child inside me will always love the wonder of Christmas lights. They’re so magical. (You could also grab a buddy and run around your neighborhood when it’s getting dark or before the sun rises.)
  5. Watch Christmas movies. Christmas Vacation, A Muppet Christmas Carol, White Christmas, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Christmas Story are all classics. I also love Serendipity, While You Were Sleeping, and The Holiday. (Not ashamed to admit I love chick flicks–in moderation of course.)

Well, that’s all I have for now. Stay tuned tomorrow for an awesome giveaway (for real).

Oh, and here’s a holiday kitten:

Awww!

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?