Monday, August 9, 2010

Balancing Act

It's no secret that my biggest problem has always been balance. Like Billy Joel, I don't know why I go to extremes, but I do. I have this energy that lends itself to incredible feats of strength and an insatiable thirst for life. The next day, I can't get out of bed and I'm questioning the meaning of it all. I know. Very dramatic. Some call it my dark side. I don't mind it. In fact, I used to be in love with it. I wore black, smoked cigarettes, and said whatever was on my mind at any given moment. I followed my every whim, right down the rabbit hole, and always came out safe on the other side. But c'mon, I'm an adult now.

I have rent, bills, dogs, dreams that need to be turned into goals, and a huge ticking Hollywood clock that gets louder every time I allow my skin to be burned by the sun. This imbalance I possess is becoming a burden. Something I fear will continue to drag me down unless I learn how to control it, or use it for good. The most recent example is my current obsession; running. I'm still only jogging while I complete P90X, so the physical part isn't the problem. It's my access to the internet. Instead of writing, I find my mouse wandering up to the Google box, just for a minute, to search for the perfect running watch with heart monitor and GPS, or the perfect shoes for my high arches and supination, or deciding which race will be my second marathon when I haven't even run my first!

I guess we all have our issues. That's what it's all about, learning our life lessons. So I'm a work in progress. That's cool. I am getting really good at balancing my actual workouts. Well, pretty good. Last week, I decided to rest on Wednesday instead of pushing myself to workout, with the self-promise that I'd workout on Sunday (my normal rest day). Good step. I was listening to my body so I didn't get hurt. On Thursday, I felt great after Shoulders & Arms, so I really pushed myself during Ab Ripper. Bad step. It was my first time doing Ab Ripper in a year and now, four days later, I'm still sore. So I rested both Saturday and Sunday until I felt well enough to complete a good workout. Today, during Core, I paid close attention to my abs and hip flexors, making sure I had the right balance of pushing through and backing off.

Today, I started Week Two of P90X on a good step. And if I take another bad step, I'll just learn from it and move on. In the spirit of baby stepping across my tightrope, I'm also taking a day off from my running obsession, which means no Complete Guide to Running for Women, no Runner's World magazine, and no Google searches for sports bras made with sweat wicking material. Just lots of water, some laundry, some time with the dogs, and, good or bad, lots of writing. Starting with this blog...
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About Briana

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Born and raised in Detroit, MI, Briana began writing at an early age. She studied Creative Writing and Journalism throughout grammar school, writing an advice column and serving as a Copy Editor for her school newspaper. Briana attended Western Michigan University's Musical Theatre Performance program before heading to New York City to pursue a career in theatre and music. Writing music with the Chad Parson Band inspired her to focus her energy on other forms of writing she had left behind; poetry, short stories, and eventually short film. She was privileged to study Poetry Writing with poet and novelist Laurie Wagner Buyer and was honored to receive an internship with E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist for Elle Magazine. In 2006, Briana co-founded Bigger Baby Productions, a small internet-based company focused mainly on short comedic film. On January 1st of 2008, she made the cross-country move from NYC to LA to pursue a career in film and television. Briana currently resides in Santa Monica with her dog, Howie, and recently finished her first marathon!