School Days = New Routines

L insisted that I take a picture of him "with my blankie and sucking my thumb."

My big boy!

My little baby started preschool today. Sniff. Sniff. I have to admit that as much as I've been looking forward to this school year and having a few hours of time all to myself for the first time in over 9 years, it is hard for me to see my little ones growing up. As I've watched each child start school, I always ask myself if I've given them all they need to survive in today's world. I know there's always more I could have done, but I, as well as every other mom out there, am doing the best I can and hoping that's enough.

As we start into a new school year with new schedules and new routines, why not take the opportunity to work a new, healthier routine into your and your family's day? Now the trick with this is to just do one thing at a time. Don't try to start 5 new things at once or you will likely end up overwhelmed and discouraged, and all of them will fall by the wayside. Just choose one thing that you feel you can stick with, such as taking a 10-minute walk every day, making it a priority to have dinner together as a family, establishing 10 to 15 minutes of moving time with your kids either in the morning or after school, including a fruit or vegetable at the table with every meal, etc. Even if it seems so insignificant, making a little change like this is just one step in your journey to a healthier lifestyle. And that's the way to do it: one baby step at a time. Every little change you make will add tools and knowledge that will benefit you and your family for a lifetime. So choose that one thing, stick with it the best you can until it has become a habit, and give yourself a pat on the back for doing something good for yourself and your family.

The Silver Lining

Earlier this year I trained for and ran my 3rd half marathon, and it went great. I cut more than 20 minutes off of my previous race time, coming in less than a minute behind my husband and feeling really happy with my performance. After that the plan all along was to continue on and train for my first full marathon. I really thought everything would go smoothly since I was already in the best shape of my life and running better than ever. But the 3+ months since finishing the half marathon have been plagued with injuries, illness, discouragement, and lack of motivation. I've gained about 12 lbs. in that time, and while I've managed to make it up to 20 miles on some of my runs, training has been sporadic and, to put it bluntly, rather pathetic. In fact, I've hardly run at all for about 3 weeks now, and the marathon (which, of course, I've already signed up for) is in less than a month away.

A few days ago someone suggested that maybe I should just bag the marathon since my training and preparation are going so poorly, so I've been pondering about where to go from here. I've really thought a lot about everything that's happened, and the conclusion I've come to is that all of the problems I've been having are a direct result of my inner fears relating to running a marathon. It's a distance I've never attempted before, and I think deep down part of me doesn't believe I can do it and/or doesn't believe it will be a good experience. Those fears have then manifested themselves as injury, illness, depression, junk food cravings, etc., anything to sabotage my training and give me an excuse to fail. So I can either let my fears win by dropping out, or I can continue forward and prove to myself that I CAN do this! I CAN do hard things! It's all about what I truly believe I'm capable of anyway, so if I can let go of those fears and doubts and really believe that I can do this, then I know I'll succeed.

As you might have guessed, I've decided to do the marathon still. But for this last month, there will be some changes, particularly with my eating habits. I am really going to clean up my diet by once again cutting treats and processed foods down to a minimum and sticking with whole foods. I'm actually excited to do an experiment with my nutrition to see how much progress I can make in one month after all of the damage I've done. While I have no illusions that I am going to come back and qualify for the Olympic trials as a result of eating well for one month, I am confident that this way of eating will help me have a wonderful experience come race day. I believe I will have more energy and motivation to train, I will be able to drop a lot of that recently-added weight, and I will be injury free by the end of this month! Add to that some emotional work to help me let go of the doubts and fears, and voila! Insta-marathoner! So let the game begin!

The Holiday Challenge Grand Finale!

Okay, I think we can safely say that the holidays are over. So how did you all do? I have to admit that I ended up gaining a little bit from all of my celebrating over the weekend, but not so much that it has me at all worried. I am so motivated to start out this year right, and by the end of this week, I know I will have lost that weight and then some! And that's my final holiday challenge tip for you: keep up the great work! Just because we are officially done with this challenge doesn't mean you should stop trying to be a healthier, happier person. Let's make 2012 our best year yet in every way! And of course, that starts with treating yourself right on the inside and the outside. Love yourself and your body, and give it the good, healthy things it needs to look and feel great. That includes regular exercise and fresh, whole foods.

I am going to start a challenge group really soon, so watch for more information on that. Just so you know, though, the word "challenge" is a little misleading since people in the group are actually working together to help each other succeed with their own personal goals. The challenge comes in challenging yourself to stick to an exercise routine for a month. I think it's a great way to start off this year!

This has been a lot of fun for me! I hope you received some benefit from it. I of course will still continue to blog, so come back and visit often. I welcome your comments and questions!