From Start to Finish

Yesterday, I entered my first official 5K. I didn't run the whole way, but I ran more than I have maybe ever.

For this race, I was totally unprepared. I am ashamed to admit, but I did not properly train or really workout for almost a month. I am not proud of that, but I am being honest.

My diet has also been trash as of late. We have been travelling a bit, and I have been using that as an excuse.

Had I been fueling my body properly and doing what I needed to do, I could have run even farther.

So how did I make it through?

I will be honest, every step I made yesterday morning from getting out of bed at 6 AM to crossing the starting line to finishing was nothing but sheer willpower. My body wasn't ready for that and it was a battle every literal step of the way. 

I passed some churches and buildings and I even thought to myself, what if I could go and hide behind one, wait about and hour and call my husband to come and ger me. When I came across the EMS truck, it tool all I had not to throw myself on it and fake some injury (Please note, if you are truly injured, you should always seek medical attention). 

Yes. These thoughts entered my mind. Yes. I entertained them, but there was something there driving me. You see, I made a commitment to myself to change my life, my health. And even though lately I have managed to fall off the wagon, there was still that goal there and it was more realistic than ever. If I could do as well as I did with the lack of training and improper body fuel, what could I do if I was doing what I needed to do?

The answer: the impossible.

And that my friends is the journey. I am going to see where it takes me. Wanna come?

Motivating Monday: May 14, 2012: Making Habits Stick

Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday to ya!

I have decided to kick off each week with a motivational piece. I'd like to call it Motivating Monday, because if you are anything like me, you need a swift kick in the girdle right about now. Speaking of starting (and more importantly keeping up with) a new habit,today I want to talk about Habits. (Love the segue?) I'd like to focus on what happens once you make the change in habits, maintaining them.

With any lifestyle change, there is always the fear in the back of one's mind (or at least I have felt this way) in which certain questions begin to surface. Questions like 

• How long will this last?
• How long can I keep this up?
• Why should I even do this? It's never gonna last.

Changing your lifestyle to the improvement of your overall health and well-being is a very important step. It is too important to start this battle without the proper tools in this arsenal. And if you have ever tried to change anything in your life, you know that it is a battle.

So you have started working out, and/or you have started making changes to your diet, but you haven't committed fully, as you don't want to start anything that you won't see through. What can you do to make these newly formed changes stick?

Here are a couple of ideas. See how these hit you:

1.  Establish Importance: Why are you making this change? Are you doing this for yourself? Or are you doing this for someone else? If you are not doing this ultimately for yourself, chances are, you won't stick with it for the long haul. Ultimately, you must have your own conscious buy-in for any new changes to become a long-term way of life.
2.  Do It For A Month: Got 30 days? Experts say that 30 days of consistent behavior is all that is needed to see a real change in habits. Does 30 days seem too much to reach for?
   

MWF Seeking Motivation...

Ugh.
That's the best thing I can say about the past few weeks. Ugh.
There has been too much life in my life lately. Throw in some good old fashioned familial drama along with the depressing day-to-day job search, it's enough to make anyone want to crawl under a rock.
And then today happens. I get up right after my husband leaves, seeking to get back at it and conquer the Dam. My hopes are dashed as quickly as I open the curtains and see the downpour. No dam today. Dam it! (I couldn't resist!)

So here I sit, just about to dive into a fresh Kale salad (got a recipe from my friend Meghan and I will post later), only to be back at the Blah.

I've spent a good part of the day looking at Facebook posts of other inspirational people that are out there getting it done. I am quite certain that they have had days or weeks or maybe even years of days like this, and yet they still went out there and they still did it.

Makes me feel a bit pathetic actually. I sit and think of every reason why I shouldn't:

• Not sure where to start. I want to slim down, but I want to develop lean muscle....
• I need to stop flip flopping around on my routine. I need to pick something and stick with it...
• I could go on and on, but I won't...

There are a million reasons why I can't, and they hold up about as good as a spaghetti noodle in a pasta dish- not very well.

It's in these moments that I have to stop myself... and the persistent whining... and say- GET UP OFF OF YOUR BUTT!!! YOU HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND YOU DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY AND FIT!

That's really all that seems to ever work for me. Just being honest and acknowledging for the umpteenth time that if I don't do this for me, no one else will. That's the truth.

So I am back on the wagon. I am gonna get something done today. And I will tell you all about it tomorrow.