How Eminem Kicks My Butt
Hello friend,
If you are new here welcome to the Full Flight Newsletter, a bi-monthly post that is designed to be thought provoking and fun.
So I am trying to lose few inches from my mid section (thank you bread, beer, Purdy’s chocolates and potato chips) and in an attempt to do this, I have been running (and also avoiding as best I can; bread, beer, Purdy’s chocolates and potato chips- but sometimes I falter.
The original goal was to run the Scotia Bank half marathon for Team Fragile X in June but thanks to bursitis in my hip brought on by overtraining, I flamed out and did the 5k instead. After some time off, my hip is happy and I have set my sights on a 10k in September.
I was determined to get a run in this morning but my tired, stiff body wasn’t feeling it. Regardless, I laced up my sneakers, grabbed my i-Pod and set the timer on my watch.
There is a big hill two blocks away from my house, and I always tackle it first. It runs East to West and there is an ocean view over my left shoulder as I turn right towards the park.
Most days there are a few white sailboats dotting the sea and eagles catching the thermals overhead. It is a lovely scene but really when I am running all I am thinking is…
THIS HILL SUCKS!!!!!!
it is steep, it is long, I am not quite awake yet as it is only 8AM, and by the time I am half way up it I am dizzy…
… but I am also prepared. On my i-Pod I have the one song that ensures I will endure, the one song that will make me dig deep, until I am red faced and sweaty and my heart is beating waaaay to fast.
My go to song? Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’.
I know I am dating myself here, but even if it is an oldie it is still a goodie.
Back story- When my boys came along, I entered into a time warp that lasted for about seven years during which I pretty much missed all the new music, movies, fashion etc. (but I do remember the Olympics!!!!) and I am just now emerging from a parenting fog. So if you ask me about Jay-Z, Kanye, that electronica stuff, I got nothing.
In fact when loading my running songs onto the i-Pod, one that I chose was Jane’s Addiction ‘Been Caught Stealing’ and when I uploaded it from the i-Tunes store a message was sent to me saying;
‘Up From The Catacombs….’
Ouch! Hard not to feel old when you get a message like that!
Anyhow I digress.
I challenge anyone who listens to ‘Lose Yourself” not to be moved by it. This song was so great that in 2002 Eminem won the Oscar for Best Original Song and 8 Mile- what a movie that was!
‘If you had one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?’
-‘Lose Yourself ‘-Eminem
I played a bit of it for my kids awhile back (muffling out the swears) and it was amazing to watch their little faces, they had never heard anything like it and boy, they were feeling it.
‘You better lose yourself in the music, the moment you own it, you better never let it go, you only get one shot, don’t miss your chance to grow cuz opportunity comes once in a lifetime…
Yep, this is the song that pushes me on that pretty hill.
Decluttering /Cleaning Roadblock
I was working with a client last month who was having some challenges getting things accomplished around her home, general household stuff, cleaning, yard work etc. and I asked her whether she has a feel good, ‘kick butt‘ song she could put on?
I told her how ‘Lose Yourself’ always worked for me if I was feeling unmotivated or procrastinating. The client came up with ‘So What’ (I’m Still A Rock Star) by Pink, so I suggested she crank it whenever she felt her resolve or mood slipping. She tried it at various times, said it did help and she more got done.
Remember that old show Ally McBeal? I recall a bit where Ally had to get pumped up for a trial or was meeting with a difficult client or something like that, so she would play an imaginary song in her head and that would help her get mentally psyched for the task ahead.
Music, movies, books, poetry, art…these are all great balms for troubled souls. They take us out of ourselves, away from our struggles and transport us someplace else. They can be antidotes for grief, loneliness, overwhelm, sadness, anxiety, even anger.
Do you know that the old saying ‘music soothes the savage beast‘ actually is ‘music soothes the savage breast’ – meaning music literally calms our hearts or changes our mood depending on what we are listening to.
Sometimes when I go out, leaving my husband with the boys, I return home to find classical music on to soothe his frayed nerves! (BTW-He has a much more sophisticated ear than me and likes everything from obscure British pop bands, Emmylou Harris, Spanish and African music to opera…
…but back to Eminem;
‘..snap back to reality, oops there goes gravity, oops there goes gravity, choke he’s so mad but he won’t give up that easy, no he won’t have it, he knows his whole back is to the ropes it don’t matter, he’s dope, he knows that….’
So now, most times when I run, I don’t run alone. I have my running support group with me; Eminem, the Kings of Leon (Aha Shake Heartbreak is SO great for running), Katy Perry, Journey, Fat Boy Slim, Coldplay, Guns and Roses, Madonna (Ray of Light!).
and with them,
I am able to tackle that pretty hill a little faster, my heart seems to beat a bit stronger, and voila!
…post run I feel more tranquil, less irritable and my clothes even seem a wee bit looser.
So thank you Mr. Marshall Mathers III, for kicking my butt, because some days I can’t do it alone.
Next time you find yourself in a bit of a slump, or overwhelmed with so many tasks on your ‘to do’ list that you don’t know where to start, or maybe you are lying in bed looking at your workout clothes piled on top of the dresser and are thinking ‘I really do not feel like working out this morning’ ,
STOP! Find your nearest music source, pick a tune that motivates you, turn it up LOUD and it might just light a fire under your butt.
Hope you are having a great summer and thanks for allowing me space in your in-box!
xo
Elizabeth
PS *I am always on the look-out for great running tunes so if you have any, drop me a line.
