Operation Oatmeal

I usually think of myself as a healthy person. I'm not overweight, I've run six marathons, I love all vegetables, and I've even cut out dairy (for the most part) in order to clear up my skin. BTW, it totally worked. But the fact is, I've really slacked since my last marathon, which was about a month before our wedding. First there was all the last-minute planning for our big day, then there was relaxing after the wedding while finishing up a semester of grad school, then traveling to visit family and be lazy during winter break. Now a new semester has started up and when I look back at my recent meals, there has been way too much pizza and Chinese food, and not enough veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains. Plus I've got jiggle arms and get winded from walking across campus. And, with all that cheesy pizza, my skin is starting to break out again too.

The Hubs proposed to me while I was buying running shoes!

I am not a New Years resolution-er.  But it is time to get back on the fitness wagon. Not only will I feel stronger, more flexible, and sexier in my bikini when we eventually get around to going on our honeymoon, but I've also been meaning to start preparing for that next big step in our married life. The Hubs and I are not having kids any time soon; we'll be waiting at least a year for that. But all the research that I've done (Yes, research. I'm a librarian, remember? I can't help it.) says that one should start preparing themselves for a healthy pregnancy long before actually TTC. Being fit helps all the way through pregnancy, when it comes to labor and delivery, and bouncing back to your pre-baby weight. And from what I've read, a woman can continue her normal workout routine--within reason--while pregnant, but only if she's already been doing it for a while. You can't just say "crap, I better start lifting weights now" when that little pee stick says preggers. Oh yeah, you're also supposed to floss--which let's face it I don't usually do every single day. It's something about tooth plaque related to heart artery plaque. But I've got three days in a row of flossing too woohoo! Come on, every small achievement matters.

So, I'm going back to eating oatmeal and fruit for breakfast instead of bagels, pack healthy lunches to bring to work with me, and try to plan for nutritious balanced meals to make during the week rather than what we've been doing lately: suddenly realizing that it's 9:30 and we haven't eaten dinner yet, so we order takeout. I'm not going to be perfect every day, and I'm not even going to try to be. But I'll feel better making some changes.

It's also time to start running again. My next big race will be the Marine Corps Marathon, which is in October. If I can start training this early, I just might get a PR :) I wonder if I can add a running log widget to this thing...

Cheers,
Sarah