Monday, April 28, 2008

Some observations

Remember the slogan, "nothing tastes as good as thin feels"? That only is useful if you know how thin feels, isn't it? It's been so long since I've been thin I don't think I remember what it feels like! But I am starting to remember what it feels like to be fit, ever so slightly, since I've been taking my workouts more seriously. In fact, I'm starting to feel like a triathlete again since I've actually done all three disciplines semi-regularly lately.

In the last week I have been doubling up on workouts a lot. For example:

Friday: swimming a.m, running p.m.
Saturday: Spinning in the a.m. plus a tiny bit of weights/core; teaching my daughter to ride a bike (which involves running up and down a hill a bunch of times, plus running at tempo speed for a few minutes every time she took a playground break.
Sunday: heavy gardening.
Today: swam 25 minutes in the a.m., ran 50 minutes in the afternoon.

I like how this makes me feel. I've lost a few pounds, and the increased feeling of well-being (I'm taking my vites again too) helps me make better food choices. (Though I'm still a slave to my impulses most of the time!)

I like how I feel when I swim. I'm so glad I started again!

Saturday is the 5-mile Sharon Classic race, and while I don't have any illusions that I'm as fast and fit as I was this time last year, I am not worried about at least finishing!

Another random observation: 95% of this effort - this focus on eating and exercise and competition - is beneficial to my life. But to the extent that it's a diversion from attacking (or addressing) some underlying issues I've been avoiding, well...I need to fit that in too.

I have all these interesting insights when I'm running, that I plan to write here. I forget most of them by the time evening comes and I finally have a chance to write them. So this will have to suffice! (Besides, still too many distractions: my older daughter is avoiding bedtime by quizzing my husband about basketball (he's watching the playoffs), geography, science, and enough other topics of interest that he'll forget to tell her to go to bed. (She's a clever girl!)

4 comments:

Madame K said...

"nothing tastes as good as thin feels"

One of my favorite sayings.....however like you, I've forgotten the feeling too!


I'm looking forward to more of your running insights!

LBTEPA said...

It can be a bit of a trap - using something socially desirable like exercise to avoid dealing with things - but you can tap into those insights and your feelings of confidence to stop avoiding the issues!

TriGirl Thea said...

Excellent! Glad you are making some progress sweetpea! :)

They tell me its all about making 'healthy choices' 80-90% of the time. I'm still striving for that kind of perfection myself.

Good luck in your race on Saturday, and I feel sure that you will work through your 'issues' in good time.

Calyx Meredith said...

I tend to have most of my insights while swimming - but maybe that's because I'm klutzy and tend to trip over things if I get too introspective when I run! Good luck and enjoy your race tomorrow!