Things I Learned While On Vacation...

1. It is very important that I continue to stock my kitchen with healthy foods, fresh veggies, and things that make my body feel good. When I'm faced with loads upon loads of crappy, carb and sugar-heavy foods (can I just note that someone in my family must hate me because they ordered pizza around 12 a.m. two nights on this vacation? I LOVE pizza!), I will inevitably eat some. Not gorge. But eat some.

2. To build on #1, if I do eat those types of things, it affects how my body performs. I was on W5D3 of my Couch to 5k interval training (which is a 5 min warm up, 20 minute run, and 7 min cool down) and I pooped out at 11 minutes. 11 minutes?! Really?! I KNOW I can do better than that. I was so disappointed in myself. Then I remembered the pizza from the night before and the Krispy Kreme donut I had with my bowl of oatmeal the day before. If anything positive came out of that sad, sad run, it was a reinforcement to remind myself how much my eating DOES affect my exercise. And as the focus becomes less about weight loss and more about what my body can do, the desire to eat good-for-me things is more and more tangible.

3. On a positive note, and building on the above two, I realize I have changed from last year. Last year Abbie's diet on vacation looked like a free-for-all. And, although the vacation diet was not as strict as my normal diet, it did include things that I normally eat (i.e., cottage cheese for my snacks, oatmeal as my staple morning breakfast, tuna for lunch, etc.).

So, to sum up, my ego was very much hit this past week, but maybe it needed to be. Here I was, all smug about my consistent weight loss, hitting my first mini weight loss goal. Look at all those losers, struggling with food issues! Not me, I got this! Well, no. I don't "got" this. Not yet. Complacency is how I let myself get this way in the first place. Although my life is about to get dramatically more busy as I start night law school in 3 weeks, I still need to keep exercise and healthy eating in the forefront on my mind. Yes, law school is my first priority, but exercise and healthy eating enable me to be the best law school student I can be.

First 5k is in September, and I'm scared. That's a big step in the exercise things-I-want-to-do checklist. But, I cannot begin to describe how great it felt to run this morning. 2-5 minute runs and 1-8 minute run. Those 5 minute runs are so much easier. The 8 minutes are a lot easier too, although by the 7th minute or so, I'm praying the podcast announcer will announce my time is up. This is such a huge NSV (for those who don't understand the lingo-I didn't either for awhile- NSV = Non-scale victory) for me. To be able to run. Like the dainty, flouncy, runners who make running look so effortless. Can I be one of those runner girls? I know the standard uniform is cute shorts and a sports bra/tank top combo, but can I be a runner too with my too-big t-shirt and sweaty face? Pretty please?

How is everyone's healthy eating/exercise habits coming along? And, by the way, if you ever have ANY doubt, you do most certainly "got" this.