Forget the leaf...I'm turning over the whole damn tree
After many weeks of disappointing workouts and wishing that I could drum up one million more thoughts to occupy a cranium-numbing five-mile run, I had an epiphany on Wednesday:
This shit isn't working.
"Pretending" to watch what I eat while I pretty much toss whatever I want into my mouth and then go for an uninspiring run, after which I literally race to the kitchen to feed my face and grumbling stomach, isn't helping. Nor is the guilt of missing yet another 6 a.m. Saturday run because it's 20 degrees outside and well, 6 a.m. Self-discipline is one thing, but complete ignorance of what my mind and my body really need is something radically different.
So, after yoga on Wednesday, I felt wonderful. My body was achey, but not on fire. My spirits were up, I couldn't not smile at everyone I saw, and I thought, "Why do I never feel like this after a run?"
The reason is simple: I am enjoying yoga to a whole other level that I have yet to see with actual exercise, be it riding my bike, step classes, running on a treadmill or real ground, or the elliptical machine. If I really listen to my body during and after yoga, it's saying, "Give me this and more."
The same is said for (and this is so 1990s) Tae-Bo. It's not nearly as transcendental as yoga, but afterwards I feel engergized and strong.
So, back to the food deal. Simply saying "I eat healthy, right?" and then inhaling half a pizza does not make for successful eating habits.
I marched over to the Weight Watchers office on Thompson Lane on Wed. evening and signed myself up for a 13-week program.
Now I have to work harder than ever before, and I've never been accused of doing such a thing. I tend to take the easy way or abandon things easily, so planning for and making smart eating choices is my new marathon. (Maybe I shouldn't make that comparison...)
Send positive thoughts my way. And if you catch me even looking at fried spring rolls, you know what to do!
This shit isn't working.
"Pretending" to watch what I eat while I pretty much toss whatever I want into my mouth and then go for an uninspiring run, after which I literally race to the kitchen to feed my face and grumbling stomach, isn't helping. Nor is the guilt of missing yet another 6 a.m. Saturday run because it's 20 degrees outside and well, 6 a.m. Self-discipline is one thing, but complete ignorance of what my mind and my body really need is something radically different.
So, after yoga on Wednesday, I felt wonderful. My body was achey, but not on fire. My spirits were up, I couldn't not smile at everyone I saw, and I thought, "Why do I never feel like this after a run?"
The reason is simple: I am enjoying yoga to a whole other level that I have yet to see with actual exercise, be it riding my bike, step classes, running on a treadmill or real ground, or the elliptical machine. If I really listen to my body during and after yoga, it's saying, "Give me this and more."
The same is said for (and this is so 1990s) Tae-Bo. It's not nearly as transcendental as yoga, but afterwards I feel engergized and strong.
So, back to the food deal. Simply saying "I eat healthy, right?" and then inhaling half a pizza does not make for successful eating habits.
I marched over to the Weight Watchers office on Thompson Lane on Wed. evening and signed myself up for a 13-week program.
Now I have to work harder than ever before, and I've never been accused of doing such a thing. I tend to take the easy way or abandon things easily, so planning for and making smart eating choices is my new marathon. (Maybe I shouldn't make that comparison...)
Send positive thoughts my way. And if you catch me even looking at fried spring rolls, you know what to do!
You go, girl! We're so inundated with healthy eating tips and exercise guidelines that no one really addresses the massive head trip one must also undertake to change a lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI'm very proud of you and will be sending crunchy, low-calorie thoughts on a daily basis.
L
Get out there and kick some ass Erin, you can do it!! I wish you all the luck.
ReplyDeleteMolly
Oh Tae Bo! So many memories of the living room at Hudson Street.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand how you feel. My New Years Resolution was go to go the gym more & I am good about it for a few days. Then hunger & exhaustion kick in. So I decide to take a day off. Then its like a week later & I have barely gotten off the couch.
But you can do it! I hope the Weight Watchers goes well. My mom lost 40 pounds that way.