The Name is Gut... Beer Gut...

My office mates and I are in the midst of a weight-loss contest. Whoever loses the greatest percentage of weight over the course of about 4 1/2 months wins... everyone throws in $100. Of course this has stoked my urge to get in the gym and put that $41.99 a month to good use (other than just playing basketball twice a week before work...).

I cannot workout if I don't have my iPod. If I look in my bag and it is not in there... I will turn around and walk out, simple as that. I don't want to listen to the crap they pipe in, I don't want to hear some meathead slamming some weights down in the corner after he screams, and I don't want to hear my fat ass feet pounding down on the treadmill.

I have found it pretty amazing what a good song can do to your workout. I typically put my iPod on shuffle and skip over any songs which may hamper the workout... For example, I could be working on a great per-mile time because Metallica's "Blackened" is pushing me along when all of a sudden I hit a wall as Coldplay's "Clocks" comes across the headphones.

Usually it can be remedied with a quick push of the button until I find my next song to keep the workout rolling...

Lately however, I have found that one song seems to work better than others... and I am almost ashamed to admit. I say almost because I admit most everything about me. The song is the theme song from Casino Royale.

Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" is what is causing me to increase the level of incline and speed of the treadmill as I push through the song... and it is kind of creeping me out.

I like to believe it is because I secretly wish I was James Bond (the cars, the girls, the license to kill, the travel, and the alcoholism with no consequences!). However, I think it is because I would like be able to walk out of the beach and look like Daniel Craig (his body not his face... he looks like a retarded soccer hooligan)... and that is the part that creeps me out.

I know that I will never look like that and I am OK with it (so is my fiance thankfully), and if this song helps me slim up while at the same time pocketing about $500-$600, then so be it... I will continue to chase down bad guys in a construction yard (set the incline to 8 and the speed to 7.3), drive my Aston through Monte Carlo (drive my Ford Ranger down the 405), and drink alcohol passionately (drink alcohol passionately).

Do you have a song that pushes you a little harder well working out?

(by the way... down 5 pounds to 219 so far)