Somehow I managed to wear all three pairs of my remaining running shoes this week and leave them at the front door. I try not to walk in shoes in the house so this happens a lot. Obviously, my most worn type of footwear š
Which leads me to my next point: I prefer to rely on lots of exercise so I don’t have to worry so much about how much I eat. Not excessive exercise, but about an hour a day almost every day.
But what if you are injured? What if you are sick? What if your body is just telling you to chill out? That’s what’s been happening to me a lot lately. Like, the cold weather and me just don’t mix. But I really still like to eat. It’s a dilemma. Luckily, I’ve been able to just scale back on the distance & intensity…even so, scaling back on food as been less than successful. Anyone else feel me?
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| A runner with a cold’s bed side table. |
The thing is, I LIKE to exercise. I love to run. I adore the sweat beads of inspiration that pour out of me so much that I wish I could think straight to a note pad so I don’t forget all of the good ideas I have on a long run.
Yesterday morning, I did NOT want to get out of bed to meet up with Back on My Feet at our normal 5:45am spot. Did NOT. But I knew my friends were expecting me and despite a bad mood that felt like it was coming out my ears, I went. And — as always — I was glad that I did. Within minutes of starting our run, the anxiety I felt about work began to dissipate. I began to feel motivated and actually, a little excited to get to work!
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| Just getting to wear these rad running gloves in the cold motivates me to run. I’m not kidding. |
But, then, I ran out of time. You see, I run with some beginners at BOMF and so most of the time, I don’t get to run more than 2 miles. Runners — you know — two miles is not much and I’m always itching to get back home to the treadmill to pound out the rest of my morning workout. But there was a traffic jam on the highway (which normally is free and clear at 6:30am going out of DC). By the time I got home, it was almost 7:15am and I knew I just didn’t have time for more. That frustrates the heck out of me!
So I scrapped it. I told myself I would go to the total body conditioning class at the gym last night instead. As reality would have it, by the time I got close to the end of the workday, that plan sounded like a bad one. As Ashley reminded me earlier, I’m not the only one with an evening “slump.”
It’s just not that simple. I have to allot a full hour to commute home, then change at my apartment and drive 15 minutes to the gym. In the rain. So MUCH for a measly class. And, so…I did not go.
I also was anticipating my 5am wake up call for a run with Maggie at 5:15am this morning. This is how I felt when my alarm went off at 4:45am:
Also, tweet proof:
But then, it was awesome. I never get to run outside in the mornings unless I’m at BOMF so this was a special treat. And Maggie pushes me cause she’s a fastie. Plus, we always have so much to say, I can barely breathe correctly while trying to recount the details of life since we last saw eachother. Ahh, that’s what friends are for š
Not going to lie, having one of my best friends also be a running friend is a double benefit. She’s also one of those people that can talk about running and pace and get excited about races and training with me. It was just meant to be! Love you Mags!!! We ran in the cold darkness for about five miles and by the end, the worries of the day began to lift.
I was tempted to head over to the treadmill and bust out about 3 more but I tried listening to my tired body and instead came inside to work on some back strengthening and weights. More strength, less cardio is a mantra I should repeat! And it gave me a chance to participate in Lindsay’s new weekly fitness idea: FLOW!
Here I show you a couple things on my new stability ball. Very basic. But this is my very first video like this of any kind so consider it a tester — a pilot if you will š
Now, I’ll try not to overdo it on the food today. It sure makes the morning a lot more enjoyable – and easier to get up!
QUESTION: Does anyone else have trouble cutting back on food when you have to cut back on exercise? How do you combat the issue? I’d love to get some tips!