Exercise Is Not My Thing

When people say that I should find something I enjoy and do it when referring to exercise,  I simply smile and nod.

I enjoy sleep. And unfortunately that doesn't count as exercise.

Not many of the things I enjoy doing would count as exercise.

So if I waited until I found something that I liked there is a chance that I never find anything that would count as exercise.

That is one of the reasons I chose to run. It's quick. Mindless. Focused. And burns calories.

For me, I had to just choose something.

Because in order to be healthy, I need to be active. And being active means doing more than sleeping.

Sunday, I ran my 1st 5k of the year. The Graffiti 5k. My bestie Annie and I found a pretty good deal on groupon and grabbed it while we could. My Dad decided to join us as well.

I have to say how proud I am of my Dad. He made time to train for this race and like me has never been a runner nor enjoyed running. He lost 20 pounds during the training! He pushed himself the whole race even when he was super parched. He finished strong. I know I said it a thousand times, but Dad I am so very proud of you and I cannot wait to hear which race you sign up for next.

My bestie Annie also impressed me. She is about 18 weeks pregnant and still ran. That first trimester is so exhausting and yet she stuck with her decision to run and kept up the whole time. Proud of you too, Annie!

This race was super fun and charged with energy. There was not a moment that I was bored or dying and wishing for the end. Other than needing more water stations during the race, I have no complaints. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I enjoyed myself. It was such a fun time. If you are thinking of trying out running for yourself, I highly recommend a color run as your first race.

With all of that being said, instead of waiting to find something you enjoy, I say "Get up and do something!" You may not enjoy it. You may hate every moment of it. But your body needs it. Your body wants it. Get up off of the couch. Don't waste another second. You won't regret it. Get up and do something!

New Year's Resolutions and What Not

Well, new years has come and gone.

But I still have a ton of resolutions for this year. When I look at my list, it is much more than my usual 3 items, but I am not overwhelmed by it.

This year I am also taking on a word. My friend Annie does this every year and this year the word "balance" kept coming to me when I thought of my resolutions.  I need balance in so many areas of my life. Those areas are where I have my resolutions as well.

First, is health. I want to eat well and feed my family nutritious foods, but also enjoy food that may not be nutritious. I want balance in not going to one extreme or the other. My personal goal is to lose 15-25 pounds by my anniversary in June. Adam and I have been married for 10 years this year and I want to look my best when we celebrate. I also want to work-out between 4-6 times a week all year. Now that I have 1 5K behind me, I want to continue to run. My first 5K of the year will also be my first 5K with my parents. After a lot of conversation and convincing, they have agreed to do this run with me and I am extremely excited to have them join me. My resolution is to run 2+ 5K's this year. Ultimately, I want to finish the year feeling good in my skin.

Next, is my spiritual walk. My thoughts tend to be "glass half-empty", pessimistic, and negative towards others around me. I want my thoughts to be more focused on God and that of Philippians 4:8. This one leads to my next goal of praying for Adam and the girls on a regular basis. I also want to find more joy in my children and to laugh and have more fun with my family. These things are important to my spiritual walk because God has blessed me with this little family and since He is the giver of joy, I know I need to look to Him for this.

Lastly, is daily living. This last year I struggled to stay in budget. I hope to stay within budget on groceries for 9 out of 12 months this year. Something else that seemed to get away from me was my house. I want to keep up with it better, making time for quick clean-up every night and quick deep clean once a week so it stays clean overall.

What are some of your resolutions and goals for 2015? Do you have a word for the year? 2015 is going to be a good year. Looking forward to sharing it with all of you!

Do you run?

Up until about 2 months ago, my answer to this question would have been, "Of course I run. Every time someone rings my doorbell and I am still in my pajamas, I run to hide or put normal clothes on."

I have always hated running and the idea of running. I am sure at some point in my life someone must have laughed or teased me about it because one of the main reasons I hated it is because I felt like I looked ridiculous doing it. I am also pretty slow. And for someone as competitive as me, I hated it when we would have races in elementary school P.E. class.

There you have it. My history. I am not a runner. And have always hated running.

Enter in my brother.

When I went to visit he and Rachel in October, I was challenged to do more about the lifestyle of laziness that I had chosen for myself. Some would argue that I was still in the first year post baby and that I have plenty of time to worry about that later, but it really had nothing to do with the sweet little girl I was chasing around and everything to do with my own struggle with sin.

I just want to sit around and eat sweets and never get off of the couch.

Sounds pretty lame when you just type it out for the world to see, and honestly I have never verbally said those words, but that is the underlying thought.

So, back to the story. Michael and I were discussing laziness and then jokingly I said, "Maybe we should run a 5k together." Michael was supposed to laugh and say something snarky, but instead said something to the effect of, "yeah, that is a great idea."

Somehow my friend Annie got wind of this semi-decision, and sent me a link to a 5k that was about donuts. This girl knows the way to my motivate me. Donuts. I registered before I changed my mind.

Today, I ran that 5k.

I ran today to prove to myself that I can get off the couch and don't have to be the lazy girl that I don't want to be. And I highly recommend the cto5k app. 8 weeks ago, I couldn't run for 60 seconds without feeling like I could die. Today I ran 3 miles in 35 minutes and 30 seconds only slowing down for donuts of course. If I can do it, you can do it!

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