Week 1 Done!

The first week of classes (and of my running routine) is over!!! And I'm proud to say that I successfully tackled the gym 5 days of last week. Surprisingly, the 5 days at the gym routine went pretty well - I felt a lot better knowing that each day I was active. I started out going to the gym in the morning, but found that for me personally I'm more productive when I head to the gym right after classes. Every day except Thursday I have class until 3:30 and I headed to the gym around 4 pm. This schedule works perfectly for me because then I get a break from school and can be productive again after my work out!
What I did in the gym:
The short version is, I did a little bit of everything. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I stuck with my 1.5 mile run (as per Hal Higdon's 5k program) and then followed that up with some floor work (crunches, stretching, pushups, planks, and things of the like) and occasionally some elliptical or stairmaster. Thursday and Friday I did 30-40 minutes on the elliptical and then followed this up with much the same as my runs. Sometimes this routine included some weights or some squats and things of that nature - as long as I kept moving. If i felt up to more cardio, I threw it in. If i felt up for ab work, I did that. Right now, I don't have a specific goal for what I want to improve - my only real goal is to be active and keep moving for one hour a day. I think that for me, this is a great goal because it doesn't put too much stress on the end goal. Instead, it focuses on a more holistic approach and overall improvement. And I think that for me personally this is a healthier and more productive way to look at my work outs.
Foods!
In terms of my eating, I haven't been perfect. Yes, I did have the Chili's. But, I've also made quite a few small changes that I think together are significant. For example, instead of munching on a bunch of starches, I've leaned towards nuts and fruits to keep me happy throughout the day. I've been drinking a lot more water (yay!). I've been trying to pay more attention to eating when i'm hungry, not when i'm bored or stressed. And when shopping, I've been paying more attention to what i'm buying so that I'll eat generally better things for me. I know that my eating will never be perfect (who isn't tempted by that sweet tooth every now and then?). But, I can make small changes and choices that will help me to be a healthier person. For future reference: Spinach and cheese omelet = delicious; frozen grapes = delicious (I wonder what those would be like in a blender... slushy???)
However, I think that the most important thing that I've realized this week is that I will never be a skinny mini girl. And you know what? That is okay. The fact of the matter is, I'm at a healthy weight for my height, and I am a fairly (and hopefully in the future, very) active person. In my life my goal is not to be skinny. My goal is not to have a dream body. Because I've realized that for me, those goals are destructive. They make me look at myself in a negative light when it just isn't necessary or healthy. My goal is to be at a weight that is healthy for my height and to be active. My goal is to wake up everyday and do good things for my body so that all of my tomorrows will be better than today. I want to look back and be proud of the choices that I made. I want to be a runner for life. I want to be running when I'm 60 and happy with how I feel. Because to me, I'd rather feel great than look good.

I know this was a long one. So, to finish off I'll leave you with this quote:

I love this quote because I feel like something that I struggle with constantly is my overwhelming ability to underestimate myself. And I truly believe that being a runner has made me a better person by helping me to fight that demon. What better way to prove to yourself in such a tangible way that you're capable of so much more than you thought than with miles?
See you all later!
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi

Hal Higdon's Training Program: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50933/Novice-Training-for-your-first-5K

"If you're depressed, you are living in the past. If you're stressed, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you're living in the present."

I often find that in my life, I've been defeated (or stressed, which is just as bad) by none other than my own fears. I have a tendency to look at the end goal as opposed to the smaller tasks at hand that individually compose the end goal. And obviously, that often ends in disaster - namely me having a panic attack. This is simply not productive. I do this in my exercise plans, in my education plans, in my job plans (which, at this point i'll be honest are not even close to concrete, and it terrifies me). And I'm going to make it my goal this year to put that mentality behind me and start looking at the decisions that I can make now. Today. This moment. And deal with those as opposed to looking at choices that I can't possibly make right now because they're too large, or too far off. Because the fact of the matter is, when the time comes, there will almost certainly be options available to me that I can't see right now. So for this year, I'm going to work on paying attention to the things that I can deal with now. Am I enjoying my classes? And consequently is this a major that I am enjoying? Are there opportunities in this field that I can take advantage of and test out now? Am I going to pass that test that I have next week? Questions like this are answerable now, and can be addressed in a productive way.
This image above addresses this for me personally because it encourages me to look at what I can do to shape my life in a productive and positive way. It states that there is nothing impossible in this life if I'm willing to work toward it. But it also reminds me in my own personal way to step back and realize that I can only take care of today, and that doing so is the best way for me to shape tomorrow.
While where I'm going in this life is an important question to answer, I have to realize that it is not one that I can answer today. I can simply ensure that I am doing things that I love and to the best of my ability. I have to realize that I can't make a change in my life or in anyone else's unless i'm willing to look at the details that make up a goal as opposed to the end game. Because the individual goals are attainable. The individual goals are the journey. And these little details are what I'll remember years from now and allow me to get where i'm going.

So, I tell myself: Ask yourself not what needs to happen 6 months or a year down the road, but are you giving today everything you've got and truly enjoying the life that you have today and the life that you're building for tomorrow?

See you all later!
Keep Smiling <3 Brandi