Lifestyles.... of the simple and healthy....

I'll take being simple over being famous and being healthy over being rich. I'm working on both... though I wouldn't mind winning the lottery... :)

I've been riding my new bike to work every day.... I guess it is somewhere between 2-3 miles per day. I LOVE my bike. Who ever knew that riding could be SO MUCH FUN? I've also been running 30 minutes per day on my lunch break. On top of drinking water, eating right, and having my thyroid medications on the right levels.... I've been taking some time to just "be" and I think it is having a great impact on my life. I am having FUN. I've always been the kind of person that has to have a goal at every moment... and I've let that fall to the wayside. I have some long term goals, but nothing to "cling" to or have crazy attachment about. I figure it will all happen as it should... Is it weird that letting go of control has made me feel much more relaxed than hanging onto it ever did? I always thought that to struggle to have control over a situation or event would let me feel safer, more satisfied, or calmer..... all it did was make me a nervous wreck. Someone made a comment the other day about how laid back I seem.... for someone like me, that was the biggest, most beautiful compliment in the world..... :) I feel like I've conquered something great.... I've returned to school.

Cheers to having fun, pushing our bodies, strengthening our minds, and being silly.... always.

Conditional Statements....

Otherwise known as "conditionals"..... we all make them. "If" I lose weight, "then" I will be happy. "If" I make more money, "then" things will be better. The "if" and "then" are qualifiers of what you feel "needs" to happen in order for something to "be" or "take place"... a statement of result.

Now, Oprah calls moments of clarity "ah-ha" moments.... times in life when you "figure something out". I had a moment like this in the shower today... and maybe I'll just call it a "duh moment". It is kind of commonsensical... but apparently I hadn't caught on until this morning. For so long in my life I've been tied up in the "if ....then" continuum. It occurred to me this morning that if you remove the "if ....then"..... you are just grateful for what you have when you have it. Why do people always try to qualify and quantify things, when reveling in the present is so much more rewarding and amazing? Instead of thinking things like .... "If" I lose weight, "then" I will be ..... more attractive, happier, healthier, yadda yadda..... why don't I focus on the present moment and BEING these things.... not planning the "if" and "when" of them? "If" I run a 10 minute miles, "then" I can consider myself a runner. How ridiculous. When I run, I am a runner. When you play sports, you are an athlete. When I DO, I AM.

I'm not saying that I don't want to have general goals for life or a plan, but maybe I've been holding on too tight to what things "should" look like . A friend once told me that the word "should" implies expectations... and expectations are just pre-meditated resentment. So, why am I setting myself up to fail, feel guilty, etc. Why anyone would ever choose to live that way.. and why I did for so long, I'm not sure.

So, I'm done, I'm off my soapbox. I just wanted to add my two cents and express what my process and progress is in this life... what makes sense to me. I'm real and honest and just trying to do the best I can. Working with so many people that have lost this chance and have lost their dreams.... it has really made an impact on me. No one ever can know what tomorrow will bring, not with all the planning in the world.... we are all just on a journey and the "goal" might just be to enjoy the moments..... not the destination....

"Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans....." -John Lennon

Super Jock n Jill Half Marathon

I still can't believe it. After the HORRID time at SeaFair marathon on June 29th, I was pretty bitter about running/walking in general. I thought there wasn't a chance I'd get through the Super Jock n Jill half with any hope of finishing under 3 hours. SeaFair was incredibly hot, sticky, sickly, and horrible. That was by far, my worst race in 3:40. I felt like I crawled the whole thing and could barely walk... forget about running. So, I trained through the last two months, tried to stay positive, and worked on my "fitness". It paid off. I finished the Super Jock n Jill half marathon on September 1st in 2:41. I thought my watch was broken. I thought I missed part of the trail. I thought something had gone wrong...

Why do I have so much trouble giving myself credit for anything? I'm working on it... one step at a time.