Back on the Road

This morning I woke up determined to run. I have not run in more than a month. I did this on purpose though. I tend to eat worse when I run a lot. I decided to clean up my eating habits, hit the gym, burn some body fat, and then start to run again. I did not diet. I just ate clean... complex carbs, lean meats, vegetables, and dessert (in a proper portion) if I wanted it. To be completely honest, I did not lose any weight, but my body fat % changed some AND Claybo said I look leaner.... which, is a HUGE deal to me.... not because I am insecure about how my husband sees me, but because it takes A LOT for him to notice anything and I have been working really hard... So I feel like I accomplished my goal..... not to lose weight, but to clean up what I was eating. I also do not want to burn through lean muscle mass as I start to run again. Your body is more efficient at burning calories when you have muscle.... so WHY would I want to burn through muscle? If my body has to potential to burn more calories while I sit and do NOTHING..... that is EXACTLY what I want it to do. I am too busy to run 2 hours a day and hit the gym for 2 hours a day.... that is unrealistic.

Anyways, I ordered a Garmin Forerunner 405 (I worked a few extra side jobs to earn some extra cash.... they were HARD side jobs, so this is sooooo worth it) and I am so pleased..... side note, if you want one of these, go to www.heartratemonitorusa.com. BEST. PRICES. ANYWHERE.

I ran a VERY HARD 3 miles this morning. Ernest went with me to keep me company.... we are both out of shape. I kept a good pace though and just kept telling myself that this is the worst it will be. I am pretty impressed with the 405 so far. As soon as my watch got in range with my computer, it uploaded my run. I saw all of my walk breaks, the times I had to slow down to cross a street, and I saw my killer sprint at the end....when I say "killer," I do not mean that it was good, I mean that it almost killed me.

I know I have spoken about goals before, but I want to address this again. I am reading a book for a class I teach at work and I love it. (Progress not Perfection by Kate Larsen) Not only is it health/fitness/wellness based, but she is a Christian and applies the same goal-making-principles to every day relationships (God included). One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when they set goals is instead of READY, AIM, FIRE people decide to READY, FIRE, AIM.... for example, Susie-Q wants to have legs like Carrie Underwood. She immediately stops eating carbs, hits the gym 5 times a week, and works out really hard for 2 hours each time. Susie-Q is going to burn out. Instead, she should ask herself WHY she wants legs like that. Is it a REASONABLE goal for her? What is your action plan??? What is ONE STEP she can work on for a week? I have an employee that I was working with a few months ago. She came to me because she was just diagnosed with pre-diabetes and she wanted to lose weight. I asked her why. It gets pretty personal when you do that. Is it to make yourself look like someone else? Is it to glorify your own self? Is it because you want to FEEL better.... ok, we are getting somewhere. Is it because you want to be able to run around with your kids or grandkids? All my employee did the first week was cut down to ONE sweet tea a day (instead of 4). She lost 4 pounds the first week, was so encouraged, and was able to pick a new step. YOU NEED TO FORM GOOD HABITS.

Stop over analyzing yourself!!!!!!

I am sorry this was kind of a soap box trail, but I really get sad for people who get discouraged because they think they CANNOT accomplish their goals. You have the will power.... you just need to set SMALL goals for yourself. I have been applying this to how I read my Bible. If I just say, "I want to know my Bible like she does," instead of "I want to know my Bible better to Know God better,".... my motives are not correct. PLUS, if I never pick up my Bible, study it, or ask God to help me apply it to my life.....how do I expect to learn? HELLO.... There is no such thing as osmosis studying.... speaking of which, epidemiology is calling my name. Happy Saturday everyone!!!


xoxo