A Life Less Overweight

Ok, so you know how in gym class in high school, they make you run the mile cold and expect you to not only: a) finish it but, b) do it under 12 minutes? Yeah, I sucked. I couldn’t even run one lap around the track, I always had to do the whole thing walking. I especially loved doing that in front of my classmates. Oh, but wait, my favorite part of the whole experience? Getting lapped by people twice on my way around once. And it was always by the wicked hot guys and the cool girls. And I felt like such an idiot. I truly believed I just couldn’t run. How embarrassing!

Now, I realize that how it is done is so unfair. The sports kids obviously can bang out a mile easily because they do it all the time in practice. I think a more effective and positive way to do it would be to teach kids HOW to run, and how to build up endurance, then give the test.

So here’s the uplifting part. I am sure there is someone who is reading this and identifies with the high school mile mortification. Well, there is hope. Just a few years ago, I decided to give running another try. When I first started running on the treadmill, I literally couldn’t even run for two minutes. But each time, I did a little more, then a little more, even just in 30 second increments. Before long, I could run .25 mi (one lap) then a half mile, and so on. Now, about three years later, 2 miles is my standard run. For me, that is a huge accomplishment! I am working on my goal of running a 5K this Sept. 15th. (that’s 3.2 miles). I am a little anxious- I am tough on myself and will feel really shitty if I try and fail. But, when I look at the progress I have made, I do see that the high school running experience could have turned me off of running forever. But I wouldn’t let it. I hope this inspires you to try something you thought you couldn’t do.

ARG! Weighed myself today for the monthly challenge I have joined and I’ve gained two pounds I had taken off! I stuck to SB this weekend, although I did eat lots of butter with my lobster-yum! I don’t know if it’s a natural shift in things when you re-introduce healthy carbs or what but I don’t like it one bit. I would guess the butter wasn’t a good thing either. I will have to be more careful. I think the challenge I’ve joined will also keep me in line. It SOOOO doesn’t help that my husband wants junky stuff so often- I really have to make a very conscious effort to not fall into bad habits. So, with that, I add my very disappointing weight ticker below….there wasn’t an “I Hate Myself” ticker, so this will have to do.

So periodically, dear reader, I will make a confession, because I don’t have to look you in the face. Here is my first confession. These last two weeks, I have done a lot of soul searching and self-realization about my food habits and attachments. I realized that a lot of the issues I have come from being a kid whose intake was always watched and controlled. So here comes the confession. My parents worried about my weight, so they wouldn’t let me eat things like cupcakes or cookies, only VERY periodically. So, I would walk up to the corner store and buy a package of Hostess cupcakes, take them downstairs to my basement, lock myself in the bathroom, and gulp them down before anyone came looking for me. Oh, you sick little child.