I'm a Couch to 5k quitter but in just three weeks the program did what I wanted it to do. It eased me back into running so I could find the joy in it again and not look at it as a chore. The program helped me find a little joy in running but there was something else that motivated me to start moving again...
A few weeks ago someone close to me had a heart attack and needed a triple bypass. This was surprising for everyone because he's always been in great health. He's run marathons, triathlons, and Iron Man events. He doesn't drink or smoke and eats pretty well. The doctors told him that because of his overall healthy lifestyle he was in a good position for the surgery and would likely have a better recovery.
This got me thinking about my health and the what-if's. I have high cholesterol thanks to genetics. Knowing heart attacks are in fact real and can hit anyone I had an A-Ha! moment. That's when and why I started the Couch to 5k: to get my health in check. Now when I run I don't think "Oh my God, this sucks. I want to be done before I even started." Instead, it's more of a "This is an investment in my future. I'm running for the health of it. Many people can't run and wish they could so I should enjoy this instead of bitching."
Around the same time I picked up running again (for the umpteenth time) I heard my favorite morning radio show discussing the top 12 foods that are banned in other countries but commonplace in the U.S. Again, an A-Ha! moment. I did a little research on the ingredients they talked about and found out a majority of what I'm putting in my body AND my kids' developing bodies are actually chemicals also used to make tar and prevent carpets from catching fire.
Yeah. I was instantly scared stupid.
Keith started rummaging through our cupboards spelling out ingredients we couldn't pronounce so I could Google what we were really eating. Then and there we decided we were no longer going to consume these chemicals. The energy drink I had sitting on my counter went down the drain when I read that citrus flavored drinks contain brominated vegetable oil which is banned in over 100 countries and has been linked to nearly every form of thyroid disease known to man, including cancer (credit to fark.com: Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345564/Shocking-list-US-foods-BANNED-countries-containing-dangerous-chemicals.html#ixzz2ZpbiUEmn )
I was drinking a chemical that causes cancer purely out of habit. Not anymore.
So how does that tie into my running? Since I gave up the processed foods and stopped drinking everything but water my energy level has increased ten-fold. I actually wake up in the morning feeling energized and ready to go. I have the energy after work to play with the kids whereas before I was drinking a Rip-It at 4pm to muddle through our nightly routine. The best part? The back and forth on the scale has finally started going in the right direction.
I'm beyond amazed at how quickly my body reacted to these changes. I put good in, I get good out. I have energy to get up and move and it turns out our scale isn't broken afterall. This morning I retired a pair of capris because they were just too big <---- that is the best feeling EVER.
So really this blog should be called "Emily vs Running and Weight-loss". It's a struggle I've had my entire life but I've been so accustomed to being overweight I've been scared to know what would happen if I hit my goal. Almost like I was so used to hating my body that I wouldn't know what to worry about if I shed the weight. Something happened a few weeks ago and a light went off in my head. Everything clicked at once: health, diet, exercise and (sigh) age.
It's time to be proactive instead of reactive.
