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| Ellen and I after running the Disney Princess 10k in February |
I think it's pretty safe to say that ever since I made the decision to run my very first half marathon back in 2012, I've been in the best shape of my life…at 34 years old. Funny how the threat of running 13.1 continuous miles in a tutu will do that to a person. But I think that's what it took…running a few foot races a year is my motivation to maintain a healthier lifestyle. It just took me a really long time to find it…and to stick with it.
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| I love ice cream…even more so when I have a good buddy to share it with. |
I work really hard these days. Not really because I have any sort of specific goal in mind, but mostly because I've spent a fair amount of time and money on my wardrobe and I'd like to continue to fit into it. And I really like to eat. Really, really like to eat. I tell myself that I work out so I can eat whatever I want and not feel guilty about it. Well, for the most part I don't feel guilty about it. It's interesting the transition I've made in regards to my diet since I've been working out. Prior to adhering to any sort of exercise regimen, I ate whatever I wanted and I didn't even think about it. Calories didn't concern me, food content didn't bother me; I basically just went around eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, in whatever I quantities I wanted, letting my genetics do the bulk of the work as far as keeping the weight off was concerned. But once I had calories in my head, I started to think more about what I was eating. Not just about calories in food, but in calories burned during exercise. I started to think about how many chocolate chip cookies I could have before I completely negated the 650 calories I had just burned in spin class. I think about what I'm eating, and rather than just eating everything, I give myself a choice…this OR that, not both…it's so incredibly mental, and it works most of the time, but there are days when I still plow through a bag of jalapeño kettle chips like nobody's business.
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| Chipotle, one of my main indulgences. I eat it weekly…sometimes more often |
People used to ask me how I stayed so skinny (although I've never thought of myself as skinny), halfway through a bag of Doritos, cheese powder staining my fingers, my mouth, all down the front of my shirt (to watch me go through a bag of Doritos is not a pretty sight…and if you truly enjoy all your digits, don't you dare try to take them away). And I would answer that I had no idea, which I know was frustrating to hear, as it seemed like staying skinny was pretty effortless for me, and for a while, it was. But the real answer, the one I couldn't come up with while stuffing my face full of fake cheese stuffs, was genetics. And my genetics have played a huge part in my size and shape…people don't give their genetics enough credit. They think there's some sort of "secret" to losing weight and getting fit, but the truth is, genetics have the trump card…they're going to determine how quickly a person gains and loses weight, how quickly and evenly they put on muscle, how long it takes to see results. I think if there is any "secret" to getting in shape, it has to come down to understanding your genetics, and finding a way to work with them to get to where you want to be. Easier said than done for most people, I know that. There are aspects of my body that I have no control over, and no amount of hard work or laziness is going to change that. I consider myself lucky that I got some of the "small genes" from my family members. My grandma Long was itty bitty…she was lucky if she was 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds. My grandpa Long is a small man as well. I'm 5'4 and I'm taller than him by a few inches, and while he's probably shrank a little bit with age, I don't think he's lost a significant amount of height. When I stand next to him these days, I feel like I'm towering over him…like I'm some sort of giant who could pick him up and carry him around…hahaha! It's a weird feeling, being taller than someone who seemed so tall to me when I was a child. I'm still taken aback by how little he is when I see him. My mom spent the majority of her life as a small person as well…she was the smallest person in her family by a long shot. I think in every stage of life thus far, I've been bigger than she ever was. She was about 100 pounds on her wedding day when she was 21…the last time I saw 100 pounds on the scale was probably when I was a freshman in high school. I tried her wedding dress on when I was 21 years old, and I couldn't even zip the thing. Granted, I am a few inches taller than she is, but I don't know how much that really matters.
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| Roasted chicken, ricotta gnocchi, and garlic green beans at McMillan's in Flagstaff |
I've come to the realization that now that I'm in my 30's, and now that my metabolism is changing (damn you genetics…you're turning against me!), working out on a regular basis just isn't enough any more. I can't work my butt off at the gym and still expect to be able to eat whatever I want and not see the effects of poor food choices. I know that if I truly want to lose that layer of fluff covering up those abs that I know are there, I'm going to have to give up a few things. And I just don't know if I'm ready to do it…I don't know if it's worth it, because I truly get so much enjoyment out of eating. Life is short, I should be able to eat what I want, right?? It's not like I eat like a pig all day every day, but if I truly wanted to make the commitment to give up some of these foods that are keeping me fluffy, I'd be giving up a significant portion of my diet. I'd probably have to give up most wheat, dairy, sugar, starches, and alcohol. But I love bread, cheese, wine, beer, ice cream, burgers, chocolate chip cookies, chips, burritos, french fries, and chocolate (oooh, and those taquitos in the hospital cafeteria…those are my kryptonite)…these are all things that I enjoy on a very regular basis. I'd have to switch to a diet of veggies and…veggies? Lean protein, I guess…but what good is chicken without the skin? Last night I had a half-chicken prepared with the skin all crispy and golden…and I ate every last little bit of it and sopped up the grease with some french fries. Yes, I went there. And I loved it. And I'm sure I'll do it again. At the end of the day, maybe it's enough to just fit in my clothes and not feel guilty about eating an ice cream cone. I get about as much delight out of a good meal as I do out of a great-fitting pair of jeans, so that's got to count for something.
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| I enjoy a good yoga class every now and then…breaks up the monotony of running |
Undoubtedly, I'm stronger than I've ever been. I go to weight lifting classes once or twice a week, and since I started last fall, I've almost doubled the amount of weight I put on my bar for each exercise. Now, one could argue that perhaps I wasn't putting enough weight on the bar to begin with, which could very well be the case, but the fact that I'm lifting at all is something that I'm kinda proud of. Of course, I lift weights with a bunch of powerhouses whose bars are completely laden with weights, and typically I'm matching weight for weight with the only senior citizen in the class, who, by the way, is a total badass. She goes to the hour-long kickboxing class at 9am, and then stays for the 10am weight lifting class. And she totally schools me. She's so powerful, and I find her to be so incredibly inspirational. I hope I'm doing exactly what she's doing when I'm her age. Heck, I don't even do that now. I might lift as much as she does, but I definitely don't do it after punching it out for an hour at a kick boxing class. I tip my hat to her, because she's absolutely amazing, and I think there are a lot of people in the class who are inspired by her.
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| Running the Sea Wheeze half-marathon in Vancouver last August |
I don't have any before-and-after pictures to show physical evidence of how far I've come since making a commitment to being more healthy. I guess I didn't really think about it, as I started this whole fitness thing on a whim. Honestly, I don't notice much visual change, which is sometimes frustrating, given that I've been pretty active multiple days a week, for going on 2 years now. My clothes still fit mostly the same (although I do notice a little extra room in the bra…whoo hoo!), and the number on the scale hasn't changed at all…I pretty much feel the same. I guess the biggest change I've noticed is in my endurance. There are days that I get frustrated because I can't finish a 4-mile run without stopping to walk for a bit. But I have to remind myself that when I first started running, I was lucky if I could make it a quarter mile without stopping. And this was back in Minnesota where elevation and bone-dry air wasn't a factor. To be able to run 4 miles with a little bit of walking at this elevation is a huge accomplishment for me, and I need to constantly remind myself that I've actually come pretty far from where I started. It's hard though, as I'm struggling it out on the trail, one foot in the front of the other, thinking it's never going to end, and a person blows by me at twice my speed, not even breaking a sweat. But…they have different genetics, and maybe they've been running since they were in high school, and maybe chocolate chip cookies don't make up a square of their individual food pyramid. Maybe they're Kenyan…hahaha! Kenyans always get a pass…they're on a whole 'nother level from the rest of us poor saps.
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| Junkyard Dawg at Big Foot BBQ in Flagstaff…so amazing! |
There's times that I wish I would have started paying more attention to my health and fitness at a younger age. I think of where I'd be if I had gotten a gym membership and started running races when I was 25. I look at some of the younger gals at the gym, and I'm proud of them for starting so much earlier than I ever did. It's been a struggle to initiate and maintain a fitness regimen after being stuck in my ways for so long. But honestly, if someone like me, who suffers from chronic laziness and who is always looking for the easy way out can adhere to being healthy, I think just about anyone can. :)
Cheers!
