There. I've done it.

I bought the boxing gloves last weekend. Which means I now have to totally commit to my decision to take up boxing. No more excuses. I've decided the time has come to finally get my act together and win the get fit and lose the rest of the weight battle that has been plaguing me for the last five years since giving birth to my first child.

Yes, I am a bit vain. I'm not grossly overweight or anything and I think I have quite a healthy self image. I was the proverbial 90 pound skinny girl in college and for most of my single life and spent that time desperately trying to gain weight. I burned up the calories faster than I could eat up all the "sinigang" and rice and chocolate my 5 ft 1 inch frame could manage.

Ten years and two babies later, said metabolism has slowed down to the point where I wonder if I still have it. What freaking metabolism????!!!!!! It's gone, I tell ya. Completely gone. Which leads me to thinking about what possible activity I can get into without sufficiently losing steam after the first month.

So...walking. I already do a lot of that, and nope, not working fast enough. I'd enjoy biking but I have a terrible phobia of being chased by neighborhood dogs (there are NO such things as dog pounds over in my corner of the world). Besides, mountain and racer bikes are way too high for me and I am also deathly scared of having to brake and falling sideways when I can't reach the ground sufficiently. Gym? I hate going to the gym. I hate going to those posh places where women wear make-up and wear nice clothes just to sweat a little. Besides, working out on a machine is intensely boring. I've still got a year's worth of gym membership I don't use simply because I can't be bothered.

I have all the motivation to start this year. First, I'm not getting any younger and I know it pays to be physically fit of only to keep up with my hyperactive children without my tongue hanging out from chasing after them. Second, I have an important event in January that I need to look good for and third, my co-workers and I have a bet going where the biggest loser (as a percent of total body weight) wins the pot.

And perhaps the most important reason...I'm sick to death of dieting. There is no possible way I can cut out a whole food group from my diet for the rest of my natural life. And chocolate. I loooove chocolate. It keeps me sane. And between my sanity and my weight...well, no contest there.

So I'm taking up boxing. Starting today, in fact. In a place where boxers like Manny Pacquaio train. All the equipment but none of the posh. Heck, it's not even air conditioned.

Perfect.