I'm a Whiner Not a Quitter...Unless of Course I'm Moaning and Groaning

Okay, I admit it.  I’m not the quietest person on the planet.  In fact, I can be pretty darn loud.  I don’t try to be noisy, it just happens.  Some of it has to do with being in the theatre.  I mean, let’s face it…a good part of what I do for a living deals with teaching people to express themselves.  It’s sort of the whole point of being dramatic, you SHARE the drama.

And much of my being loud has to do with the fact I can’t hear.  For all sorts of reasons…childhood illness, a really nasty viral infection in my late 20’s, too many shots of tequila with Eddie Van Halen, whatever, I have nerve damage in both ears.  Without my hearing aide I can hear about 40% of what goes on in the world around me.  With my hearing aide in I’m probably good for about 75%.  And most of the time I’m completely unaware as to how loud I might be talking, laughing, whining, sighing, moaning and groaning.   

We recently started a new session at NLXF.  I signed up for another 10 weeks.  (I know…I can’t believe it either and this ongoing disbelief will probably become the subject of a post later on this spring.)   

Now, the 6:30 a.m. regulars not only know that I grunt and groan and moan and holler during workouts, they’ve gotten used to it.  Sometimes they join in.  I know for a fact that Lisa Roussell growls as she is working out.  I’ve heard her.  The first time it happened was during a gauntlet.  I was in front of her and suddenly I heard this growling.  My first thought was that I was being chased by wolves.  Turned around and it was just Lisa!  And Lynn Day grunts…I’ve heard her, too.  True, she doesn’t grunt as loud or as often as I do, but she does grunt.   

As for other class regulars, well,  sometimes they laugh at me, or at the very least, smile in amusement, as I audibly emote frustration, incredulity, shock or just plain effort as I move through the sequence of body numbing tasks Ryan has assembled that day. And I’m equally sure many just try to ignore me.

But it has been brought to my attention that the “newbies” were freaking out just a little bit this week by all of the grunts, snorts, sighs and wails coming from the “old lady” in the front row.   One of the newbies was convinced I was dying.

First of all, let me assure all of you, newcomers and veterans alike, I am NOT dying.  While it is true that any given workout on any given day may be generating a near death experience, trust me, if the workout is in fact going to kill me my last words will NOT BE uff,  arghf, or AHHHH!  They will be more along the lines of “A curse on you and all your offspring Ryan Downs I’ll see you in hell thank you very much!”

No, I don’t moan and groan and wail and gnash my teeth because I’m giving up or giving in.  I do it so that I can get through it.  Think of it as verbally pushing my body through that 22^nd pulsing squat or 45^th lunge or 87^th backhand or 15^th right roundhouse or 25^th gut buster.  I may be a whiner but I am not a quitter.

So, for those of you new to NLXF or who find this kind of personal information fascinating, here are:

The Top Ten Reasons Why I Moan, Groan, Wail, Gnash, Sigh, Whimper, Grunt, Holler or Gasp During NLXF Workouts. 

10.   It’s rude to swear that much in an hour.
  9.       Ryan has replaced all of the 5 lb weights I’ve carefully selected with 10 lb ones.
  8.       We’ve been holding a plank for more than 2 minutes.
  7.       I’m visualizing my ex- (husband, boyfriend, etc) while hitting the bag.
 6.       It’s 7:15 a.m. and we STILL haven’t had a water break.
 5.       I feel like I’m going to puke.
 4.       Ryan has blown that stupid whistle for about the 56^th time.
 3.       My (fill in the blank with just about any body part) HURTS!
  2.       Burpees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the Number One Reason...
         1.    Creed J