The 10K has come and gone. On Sunday morning we woke up early, got dressed, pinned my number to my chest, got breakfast and waited for the train to take us to Camden. Waiting for the start, my heart was pounding. Here I was, about to run 6.2 miles, the longest distance I've ever attempted. Dave was there with encouraging words to get me to the start line. We met up with Julius since he was the reason I was running this race in the first place.
Julius and I made it towards the start line and met up with some of his other Philly Fitters and my nerves were starting to subside. I was already in the crowd waiting for the start, there was nothing else I could do other than run. Julius had just run the Marine Corps Marathon the weekend prior so he was just chilling and enjoying the run so I set a 4 minute run/1 minute walk pattern. I was not going to be able to run the whole course so to try and keep up a more consistent pace I chose a Galloway interval.
The run was hard, I keep finding hard things to finish :-). Having Julius there during the run was positively awesome for me. I remember something he said around mile 4: "We've already done 2 miles twice, so we can do 2 more." It was great to run with him and I was able to set a PR by 20 seconds on twice the distance with relatively minimal residual pain. I call that a win!
It was awesome to finish that race, to be able to add one more thing to the list that I was able to accomplish. That is the most important thing, find something you want to go for, some goal, and go for it. Accomplishing something is more important for us in the long run. Whatever you choose to make your goal, make a goal and go for it. Finishing something breeds pride in ourselves and motivation to keep going.
I challenge you to find something you want to do (big or little) and make your next goal and do it. Don't be afraid, don't worry about failing, just do it. In the immortal words of Yoda: "Do or do not, there is no try."
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sleep...mother nature's best medicine....
Sleep is one of the most important things our bodies can do for us. Think about it, all non-essential systems are shut down and our bodies are allowed to rest physically and mentally to rejuvenate us for the next day. What is the thing that helps us heal fastest when we've come down with a cold or the flu? Sleep. It's the body's way of being able to put ourselves back together so we're healthy for tomorrow.
As I sit here anxious over the 10K run tomorrow I will be able to mentally over-power my anxiety by writing this entry so I can get to sleep. Sleep is incredibly important for our bodies, I could link here the many studies I've read over the years and all the side effects that not getting enough sleep can cause, but I'm going to talk to you about my personal plight with sleep. I have never had a problem with getting sleep, but I've often had a problem with getting restful sleep. I have three main problems when it comes to sleeping restfully and some easy solutions I've discovered, mainly in the past year, that has dramatically increased my restful sleep quotient.
I'll start with problems so I can finish on a positive note :-)
1. Restless Leg Syndrome. I have not been officially diagnosed with it but given the way my legs act while I sleep sometimes I believe that I have some degree of this whether in the clinical definition or not. My legs often twitch, shake, or feel like dead weights when I lay down to sleep. I am convinced that my problem is muscular/circulatory in nature so I have come up with a few successful ways to deal with this problem. It has also been linked to iron deficiency or anemia which I am diagnosed with. The random movement of my legs during the night causes my sleep to be disrupted and Dave's as well.
2. Can't-turn-the-brain-off syndrome. This is when my brain is going a mile a minute thinking about something/things. They can be good things or bad things or just things in general (AKA what I have to do tomorrow). When I don't shut my brain down properly I often toss and turn trying to tune out the monologue that's playing in my head. This keeps me from getting appropriate shut-eye and often makes me feel lousy when I get up the next day because whatever I was thinking about I now probably have to deal with.
3. Having to use the bathroom. I'm still a little young for a lot of trips to the bathroom during the night, but I have noticed that with drinking water all day, usually a cup of tea at night now that it's colder, I have to pee in the middle of the night. Now, this one is easy, if I try to fight the urge I toss and turn but if I get up and go I can usually snuggle back down and continue sleeping. However, sometimes waking up can disrupt the night.
So how do I fix these problems? It's actually a relatively easy list of solutions...
1. Set a bedtime routine. I tend to go to bed around the same time every night, I push it an hour or two on the weekends since I'm getting up later, but I'm not staying up until 2am and sleeping through Saturday or Sunday since that will make Monday morning all that more difficult. Brush your teeth, get changed, read a little, whatever you want it to be, but set some sort of routine and keep it. That way your body starts to get that muscle memory that says "hey, it's time for bed" and it learns to do it without too much extra help.
2. Get extra electronic devices out of your room. There have been studies to show that electronics in the bedroom disrupt sleep patterns. Turn your phone to airplane mode (or off) so it's not buzzing during the night. Even if you don't wake up to the vibrating spam email that came in to your smart phone at 3am, your body heard it and has been disrupted by it. Also, electronic devices like TVs and computers in the bedrooms have been shown to wreck havoc on your system with blinking lights, whirring fans, and whatnot that can contribute to un-restful sleep.
3. Exercise. Not right before bed because that'll drive your heart rate up and make it harder to go to sleep, but regularly as part of your daily routine burns off excess energy caused by foods ingested so your body isn't "twitching" when you lie down. I've noticed on days when I complete regular activity I fall asleep much easier and sleep better over all and wake up better. Also, as part of my exercise routine, I include elevating my legs. I spend most of my day standing so gravity does it's thing and drops blood into my legs and feet where it pools. So I've found that elevating my legs for 10-15 minutes as a stretch helps drain the blood and reducing how restless my legs are when I lay down to go to sleep.
4. Clear the headspace. Spend time writing down or meditating on the problems/thoughts/to do lists that would keep your brain active when you try and get to bed. Making a list, writing down thoughts, or just sitting quietly meditating helps my brain slow down so when I close my eyes I don't have my brain still buzzing with all the things I didn't get done today, all the things I have to get done tomorrow, or whatever is rattling inside my head.
Sleep is an incredibly important thing for our body. Ok, I'll touch on it, but people who don't get enough regular, restful sleep are at risk for many physical problems (obesity, immune system problems, cardiovascular problems, and potential for car accidents) and mental problems (anxiety, depression, mood swings, and trouble concentrating) and we all know how I feel on the relationship between mind and body. So if there's a treatment that can help you physically and mentally you should use it. And one of Mother Nature's best remedies for what ails you is sleep :-).
Sleep Foundation
As I sit here anxious over the 10K run tomorrow I will be able to mentally over-power my anxiety by writing this entry so I can get to sleep. Sleep is incredibly important for our bodies, I could link here the many studies I've read over the years and all the side effects that not getting enough sleep can cause, but I'm going to talk to you about my personal plight with sleep. I have never had a problem with getting sleep, but I've often had a problem with getting restful sleep. I have three main problems when it comes to sleeping restfully and some easy solutions I've discovered, mainly in the past year, that has dramatically increased my restful sleep quotient.
I'll start with problems so I can finish on a positive note :-)
1. Restless Leg Syndrome. I have not been officially diagnosed with it but given the way my legs act while I sleep sometimes I believe that I have some degree of this whether in the clinical definition or not. My legs often twitch, shake, or feel like dead weights when I lay down to sleep. I am convinced that my problem is muscular/circulatory in nature so I have come up with a few successful ways to deal with this problem. It has also been linked to iron deficiency or anemia which I am diagnosed with. The random movement of my legs during the night causes my sleep to be disrupted and Dave's as well.
2. Can't-turn-the-brain-off syndrome. This is when my brain is going a mile a minute thinking about something/things. They can be good things or bad things or just things in general (AKA what I have to do tomorrow). When I don't shut my brain down properly I often toss and turn trying to tune out the monologue that's playing in my head. This keeps me from getting appropriate shut-eye and often makes me feel lousy when I get up the next day because whatever I was thinking about I now probably have to deal with.
3. Having to use the bathroom. I'm still a little young for a lot of trips to the bathroom during the night, but I have noticed that with drinking water all day, usually a cup of tea at night now that it's colder, I have to pee in the middle of the night. Now, this one is easy, if I try to fight the urge I toss and turn but if I get up and go I can usually snuggle back down and continue sleeping. However, sometimes waking up can disrupt the night.
So how do I fix these problems? It's actually a relatively easy list of solutions...
1. Set a bedtime routine. I tend to go to bed around the same time every night, I push it an hour or two on the weekends since I'm getting up later, but I'm not staying up until 2am and sleeping through Saturday or Sunday since that will make Monday morning all that more difficult. Brush your teeth, get changed, read a little, whatever you want it to be, but set some sort of routine and keep it. That way your body starts to get that muscle memory that says "hey, it's time for bed" and it learns to do it without too much extra help.
2. Get extra electronic devices out of your room. There have been studies to show that electronics in the bedroom disrupt sleep patterns. Turn your phone to airplane mode (or off) so it's not buzzing during the night. Even if you don't wake up to the vibrating spam email that came in to your smart phone at 3am, your body heard it and has been disrupted by it. Also, electronic devices like TVs and computers in the bedrooms have been shown to wreck havoc on your system with blinking lights, whirring fans, and whatnot that can contribute to un-restful sleep.
3. Exercise. Not right before bed because that'll drive your heart rate up and make it harder to go to sleep, but regularly as part of your daily routine burns off excess energy caused by foods ingested so your body isn't "twitching" when you lie down. I've noticed on days when I complete regular activity I fall asleep much easier and sleep better over all and wake up better. Also, as part of my exercise routine, I include elevating my legs. I spend most of my day standing so gravity does it's thing and drops blood into my legs and feet where it pools. So I've found that elevating my legs for 10-15 minutes as a stretch helps drain the blood and reducing how restless my legs are when I lay down to go to sleep.
4. Clear the headspace. Spend time writing down or meditating on the problems/thoughts/to do lists that would keep your brain active when you try and get to bed. Making a list, writing down thoughts, or just sitting quietly meditating helps my brain slow down so when I close my eyes I don't have my brain still buzzing with all the things I didn't get done today, all the things I have to get done tomorrow, or whatever is rattling inside my head.
Sleep is an incredibly important thing for our body. Ok, I'll touch on it, but people who don't get enough regular, restful sleep are at risk for many physical problems (obesity, immune system problems, cardiovascular problems, and potential for car accidents) and mental problems (anxiety, depression, mood swings, and trouble concentrating) and we all know how I feel on the relationship between mind and body. So if there's a treatment that can help you physically and mentally you should use it. And one of Mother Nature's best remedies for what ails you is sleep :-).
Sleep Foundation
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I am a rock.....
Growing up this used to be one of my favorite "theme" songs. As a kid I was often hurting, sometimes looking back on it now, it was just normal kid drama but sometimes it felt like more and for reasons I still haven't understood, I kept it to myself. I was bullied at school due to my size, not just being a little chunky, but also being a giant. I am 5'10" on a short day and my entire time in grade school I was always towering over everyone else. I even remember looking down at the principal of the school because he was much shorter than me. Being a giant of child was hard and I don't ever remember turning to anyone when I felt upset. Don't get me wrong, my parents are awesome people and would've been there for me had I given them the chance, but I never did give anyone a chance, I was going to do it on my own. I could handle it, I think because I thought in some strange way since I was "adult-sized" already it meant that I could do it.
But what did this personal pain lead me to learn? And actually I'm just starting to get the handle on this lesson...we need others. It only took me almost 30 years to figure this out but we need to share ourselves with others. When we feel emotions of any kind we need to let those out for people to know us. Being emotionally balanced is part of being healthy. You cannot be physically healthy and emotionally not. Eventually your emotions will wear into your physical and your health will decline. There is plenty of research to back up the mental-physical connection between your spirit and your well-being.
So over the course of the past few years I have vowed to shed the "island" attitude. And looking at this, I think this may be part of my roller coaster problem I've been experiencing. Ever since I've started doing this, I've been up and down, up and down, with weight. And I think part of that is because the sharing is hard! Breaking out of my built-up isolation unit is not easy and sometimes leaves one open to the potential of hurt and pain. I think each time I chip away at that, I subconsciously get scared and it causes a mini-breakdown and I go back to unhealthy habits as a way to combat the fear. However, as GI Joe says, knowing is half the battle. Now that I have identified part of my problem I can be aware of it and use it to my advantage.
Sometimes, being self-aware is so damned difficult....but without knowing yourself you can't achieve what you want so it's always a positive thing to learn something even if it sucks to hear it.....
Friday, October 14, 2011
Perfect for the moment....
I told a student today that "we are never perfect in the 'we're done' sense, but we are perfect for the moment." There are things along this health journey that I do REALLY well sometimes and things that I don't do nearly as well. And on different days, those things can be the exact same. So while I was incredibly profound for my student (I think...), that statement resonated with me today. I can only be what I am at that moment in time and that, by nature, is perfect. I can improve on my actions and my responses to life after the moment has passed, but the decision I make in that moment is perfect.
What does that essentially mean to me? I can't beat myself up over what I did three hours ago, yesterday, last week...etc... This journey of healthy lifestyle is just that, a journey through life. It is a journey that has a finite destination, because how can you go somewhere on a journey if you don't know where you're going? It is not the direct path between two points in time and space but a winding road of ups, downs, and side-to-sides.
Words are powerful tools along this journey; both words you say to yourself and words you say to others. Recognizing that I am the most perfect me I can be at any given time in the present makes it so I don't brood over the failures of the past that will cripple my future successes. I cannot be successful if I've already given myself the handicap of being pre-occupied by all the things I didn't do right. It allows me to be kinder to myself in spite of my mistakes and allows me to forgive myself for my shortcomings.
I'm not saying that this should make me stagnant in the fact that I can keep repeating the same bad things over and over again, but what I should be able to do is look at what I've done and objectively identify what went "wrong" and be able to fix it for next time without feeling bad about what I did last time.
I'm not sure I really have a "conclusion" to this post today, I just have thoughts that have fallen out of my head.
What does that essentially mean to me? I can't beat myself up over what I did three hours ago, yesterday, last week...etc... This journey of healthy lifestyle is just that, a journey through life. It is a journey that has a finite destination, because how can you go somewhere on a journey if you don't know where you're going? It is not the direct path between two points in time and space but a winding road of ups, downs, and side-to-sides.
Words are powerful tools along this journey; both words you say to yourself and words you say to others. Recognizing that I am the most perfect me I can be at any given time in the present makes it so I don't brood over the failures of the past that will cripple my future successes. I cannot be successful if I've already given myself the handicap of being pre-occupied by all the things I didn't do right. It allows me to be kinder to myself in spite of my mistakes and allows me to forgive myself for my shortcomings.
I'm not saying that this should make me stagnant in the fact that I can keep repeating the same bad things over and over again, but what I should be able to do is look at what I've done and objectively identify what went "wrong" and be able to fix it for next time without feeling bad about what I did last time.
I'm not sure I really have a "conclusion" to this post today, I just have thoughts that have fallen out of my head.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Getting in the habit...
Bad habits are an easy thing to form and a hard thing to break, good habits are hard to form and easy to break, so what does that mean for the fit and healthy lifestyle? You have to work at building new habits, but fitness and health should work for/with you, not against you. That means working within your schedule and making compromises with friends, family, yourself, and your obligations.
What's the biggest reason people make for not being active? "I don't have time." Yeah, been there, done that. I always thought my life was way to busy to squeeze in an hour of activity but then I really looked at how I was spending and (mis-)managing time to make time work against me and not for me. There are only 24 hours in a day, take out 16 for working and sleeping and that leaves you with 8 more, how are you going to spend those 8 hours? Some time saving tips that I've come up with over the course of my journey:
1. Make a menu!! I cannot stress how this is so incredibly useful this is for time management, money management, and health! This is honest-to-God THE most important habit I have developed that is the best. It saves me time because I sit down on Saturday or Sunday and come up with seven meals to serve for dinners (breakfast and lunches are usually pretty consistent). Then I make a grocery list, I look through my pantry/veggies/fruit, see what's coming in the Suburban Organics box and I only go to the grocery store ONCE. Imagine not having to waste time during the week because you don't have what you need to cook X, Y, or Z!!! Imagine not having to waste money (or calories) going out to eat because you don't have a plan for cooking this week!!!! One good dinner plan for the week can save you time, energy, aggravation ("What do you want for dinner?" "I don't know, what do you want?" etc...), calories, and money. Also, you can plan your menu around your family's schedule: I want to go to the gym these days so I'll plan a quick dinner, these days I have more time so I'll be able to cook something more elaborate. This also allows you to try new foods! I'm not a recipe person, per se, but I've got cookbooks out the wazoo so I'll look through them and pick a new food/preparation to try.
2. Have workout clothes easily accessible. I went to target and bought two of their cube fabric bins, one for workout bottoms and one for workout tops. When I get home from work before I sit down on the couch (because that is my demon) I go upstairs and grab one from each and I'm ready to go. Who cares if they match? You're only running/going to the gym/walking/doing an at home DVD.... what do you care what they look like? I've gone numerous times to the gym in black pants with a teal stripe, a purple tank top, and a pink head band...yes I am THAT girl ;-). I don't have to hunt for clothes, and if they don't fit in those bins I don't keep them (yay for getting rid of clutter too!!). This also enables me to easily put together a gym bag because sometimes carpool plans change (I tend to only go to the gym on days I drive so I don't even have the temptation of getting home and plopping on the couch). Keep your sneakers somewhere visible!! Then, when you haven't taken them out for a while, you're sneakers will be there staring at you, longingly desiring to be used.
3. Turn off the "screen." Last night, I went to clean the yoga studio (yay for free classes!!), then hopped down to the library, read for a little while waiting for one of my bestest buddies Gina's zumba class to start. After that she and I decided to go out to dinner and just hang out (which is also a necessity in your life...time with friends), came home, showered, answered a few emails I'd been meaning to do, made a phone call to wish another friend happy birthday, but then I shut the computer off, climbed into bed, read and meditated my happy little ass to sleep, and slept like a baby I might add. I didn't spend hours in front of the TV or on the computer. DVR has been a wonderful invention for this kind of lifestyle. There is no TV show I HAVE to watch when it's on. DVR will get it and when I have extra time I get to sit down and watch it. Dial down the number of hours you're staring at a screen, it'll free up time, it'll ease up the strain headaches, and climbing into bed and doing something NOT technology based will help your sleep patterns. Sleep is insanely important people, you need it and you need enough of it and you need a regular schedule of it...but that's a whole other blog entry.
4. The last, but probably the most overlooked/hardest....Ask for help. Ask for what you need from your friends, families, neighbors, etc... Your health is your priority, not theirs (their health should be their priority...). There have been times I've pushed off cooking duties to Dave because I just can't handle doing it all (or eating would be really late if he waited on me to finish working out ;-) ). I've asked my mom to push back our dinner appointment so I can accommodate my exercise time. They don't know what you need unless you tell them. No one is a mind-reader and the people in your life are there to help you, but they can't help you if they don't know you need help.
This is a lifestyle for you, designed by you. Make it work for you. I know, I hear ya, I get up at 5:30, stand on my feet, working with angsty teenagers all day, I have a house to clean, 5 pets to take care of, family to take care of and when I come home, the last thing I want to do is get off my couch, but the high is so worth pushing yourself for a few weeks. After a couple weeks, these habits are starting to build and it gets so much easier. Give one (or all) of these tips a try for a month and see what a difference it makes in your life. I love my life and wouldn't trade what I have for the world, but it takes work to get there.
What's the biggest reason people make for not being active? "I don't have time." Yeah, been there, done that. I always thought my life was way to busy to squeeze in an hour of activity but then I really looked at how I was spending and (mis-)managing time to make time work against me and not for me. There are only 24 hours in a day, take out 16 for working and sleeping and that leaves you with 8 more, how are you going to spend those 8 hours? Some time saving tips that I've come up with over the course of my journey:
1. Make a menu!! I cannot stress how this is so incredibly useful this is for time management, money management, and health! This is honest-to-God THE most important habit I have developed that is the best. It saves me time because I sit down on Saturday or Sunday and come up with seven meals to serve for dinners (breakfast and lunches are usually pretty consistent). Then I make a grocery list, I look through my pantry/veggies/fruit, see what's coming in the Suburban Organics box and I only go to the grocery store ONCE. Imagine not having to waste time during the week because you don't have what you need to cook X, Y, or Z!!! Imagine not having to waste money (or calories) going out to eat because you don't have a plan for cooking this week!!!! One good dinner plan for the week can save you time, energy, aggravation ("What do you want for dinner?" "I don't know, what do you want?" etc...), calories, and money. Also, you can plan your menu around your family's schedule: I want to go to the gym these days so I'll plan a quick dinner, these days I have more time so I'll be able to cook something more elaborate. This also allows you to try new foods! I'm not a recipe person, per se, but I've got cookbooks out the wazoo so I'll look through them and pick a new food/preparation to try.
2. Have workout clothes easily accessible. I went to target and bought two of their cube fabric bins, one for workout bottoms and one for workout tops. When I get home from work before I sit down on the couch (because that is my demon) I go upstairs and grab one from each and I'm ready to go. Who cares if they match? You're only running/going to the gym/walking/doing an at home DVD.... what do you care what they look like? I've gone numerous times to the gym in black pants with a teal stripe, a purple tank top, and a pink head band...yes I am THAT girl ;-). I don't have to hunt for clothes, and if they don't fit in those bins I don't keep them (yay for getting rid of clutter too!!). This also enables me to easily put together a gym bag because sometimes carpool plans change (I tend to only go to the gym on days I drive so I don't even have the temptation of getting home and plopping on the couch). Keep your sneakers somewhere visible!! Then, when you haven't taken them out for a while, you're sneakers will be there staring at you, longingly desiring to be used.
3. Turn off the "screen." Last night, I went to clean the yoga studio (yay for free classes!!), then hopped down to the library, read for a little while waiting for one of my bestest buddies Gina's zumba class to start. After that she and I decided to go out to dinner and just hang out (which is also a necessity in your life...time with friends), came home, showered, answered a few emails I'd been meaning to do, made a phone call to wish another friend happy birthday, but then I shut the computer off, climbed into bed, read and meditated my happy little ass to sleep, and slept like a baby I might add. I didn't spend hours in front of the TV or on the computer. DVR has been a wonderful invention for this kind of lifestyle. There is no TV show I HAVE to watch when it's on. DVR will get it and when I have extra time I get to sit down and watch it. Dial down the number of hours you're staring at a screen, it'll free up time, it'll ease up the strain headaches, and climbing into bed and doing something NOT technology based will help your sleep patterns. Sleep is insanely important people, you need it and you need enough of it and you need a regular schedule of it...but that's a whole other blog entry.
4. The last, but probably the most overlooked/hardest....Ask for help. Ask for what you need from your friends, families, neighbors, etc... Your health is your priority, not theirs (their health should be their priority...). There have been times I've pushed off cooking duties to Dave because I just can't handle doing it all (or eating would be really late if he waited on me to finish working out ;-) ). I've asked my mom to push back our dinner appointment so I can accommodate my exercise time. They don't know what you need unless you tell them. No one is a mind-reader and the people in your life are there to help you, but they can't help you if they don't know you need help.
This is a lifestyle for you, designed by you. Make it work for you. I know, I hear ya, I get up at 5:30, stand on my feet, working with angsty teenagers all day, I have a house to clean, 5 pets to take care of, family to take care of and when I come home, the last thing I want to do is get off my couch, but the high is so worth pushing yourself for a few weeks. After a couple weeks, these habits are starting to build and it gets so much easier. Give one (or all) of these tips a try for a month and see what a difference it makes in your life. I love my life and wouldn't trade what I have for the world, but it takes work to get there.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Ahh fall has come...
Yesterday I went on a 35 minute run through the neighborhood. It was a beautiful afternoon to run, it was cooler then it has been and the dogs enjoyed the time to get out. Since the bridge 10K is only 50 days away (eek!), I run up and down as many hills as I could find and today my legs feel awesome. I changed my running stride based on some research that I did (coupled with the barefoot running movement) so my legs have definitely benefited from the new stride. I am still wearing my nice comfy Saucony shoes, but the change in stride has done wonders for my leg fatigue.
Being back into the routine of work has been nice, back to hitting the gym and getting in my weight training again. I've got a new app on my phone that has help me set up two weight lifting routines, one for arms and back and one for legs and abs. I'm so used to just wandering around the gym going "hmmm....which exercise do I want to do next?" Now I have a little more structure with the lifting so I'm looking forward to making real progress on the toning.
I went out shopping with my mom today and I used to hate shopping for clothes years ago because nothing fit, nothing looked good except for tents. Now I have a shape, clothes fit, and I can look presentable.
Health and wellness is awesome :-)
Being back into the routine of work has been nice, back to hitting the gym and getting in my weight training again. I've got a new app on my phone that has help me set up two weight lifting routines, one for arms and back and one for legs and abs. I'm so used to just wandering around the gym going "hmmm....which exercise do I want to do next?" Now I have a little more structure with the lifting so I'm looking forward to making real progress on the toning.
I went out shopping with my mom today and I used to hate shopping for clothes years ago because nothing fit, nothing looked good except for tents. Now I have a shape, clothes fit, and I can look presentable.
Health and wellness is awesome :-)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Alright...it's over....
....Summer I mean. I know that a lot of people are upset that summer's over (not officially but close enough!) but in all honesty, I'm not. I love the change of pace that summer offers, things to do, people to see. But summer is not my favorite time of year, although it is the host to my favorite holiday (my birthday!!), it is hot, sticky, and my life is all outta whack. I worked a lot this summer, more than I care to admit to at a PT job that I'm hoping I never have to repeat again. The place I worked wasn't bad, the people weren't bad, just the nature of the retail beast. I don't like not having a set schedule, I don't like not being able to plan my week. There were times when I was working until 10p and then up again to start at 9a. Sometimes I didn't want to eat dinner until 10:30p, sometimes I had already had a full day by 7pm and was ready to call it quits for the day. So with the end of summer comes cool nights and back to normalcy. Sure I have to get up at 5:30a, but at least I have to get up at the same time everyday. It makes getting my exercise in easier, it makes getting my meals taken care of easier, it just makes life easier when I have a weekly routine to follow.
For the summer, I have a net loss of 2 pounds, not stellar in my books, 2 pounds for 2 months sucks. Yes, I look on the bright side, it's still down, but I barely worked out this summer, I didn't eat right, and I was just an all around terrible healthy person and I feel it. I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things with a fresh start of the new year. As the leaves start to turn and fall, running will be easier and gym time will be much more consistent.
Love for the new year, for a job that I adore, for a lifestyle that I want, and for the chance to have it all! Besides, if I'm going on a cruise next summer (or to Chincoteague) I need to be bathing suit ready, bring on fall my friends!
For the summer, I have a net loss of 2 pounds, not stellar in my books, 2 pounds for 2 months sucks. Yes, I look on the bright side, it's still down, but I barely worked out this summer, I didn't eat right, and I was just an all around terrible healthy person and I feel it. I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things with a fresh start of the new year. As the leaves start to turn and fall, running will be easier and gym time will be much more consistent.
Love for the new year, for a job that I adore, for a lifestyle that I want, and for the chance to have it all! Besides, if I'm going on a cruise next summer (or to Chincoteague) I need to be bathing suit ready, bring on fall my friends!
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