Running Around

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" - Benjamin Franklin


Have you ever had one of those days where you run from work to pickup kids or fur babies (one of mine goes to daycare - yes, daycare for dogs but that's a story for another time), then run to the grocery store, then run to the pharmacy, then run to meet friends, and then.....you run out of steam?  You have no motivation to run much less cook dinner.  Most of us have busy lives and find it challenging to work out and eat well while juggling hectic schedules.  This is when we take a tumble down that all too familiar slippery slope and end up rolling smack into those golden arches and ultimately landing on the sofa to watch a junky reality show.  Goodness knows it happens to me (remember my pizza encounter last Monday?).  Running around sometimes keeps us from doing something that is very important - taking care of ourselves.  So what do you do to keep this from happening?   

The best solution I have found is to plan ahead.  I try to plan out meals (lunch AND dinner) the previous week.  I will be honest with you, it's a pain and requires lots of organization but boy does it help out during the week!  I wash, chop and package veggies during the weekend.  I split containers of Greek yogurt into individual portions.  I cook chicken breasts ahead of time and pack them away so they are ready for post-run meals and/or lunches.  I even make a batch of oatmeal the night before so that in the morning, it just needs to be warmed and some fresh fruit added.  Trust me - the moment I deviate from this plan, pizzas get ordered or burgers get picked up at drive-through windows.  Why?  because those foods are CONVENIENT.  Chopping broccoli is NOT convenient; french fries ARE convenient.  That's why drive-throughs, take out and delivery have become our "frenemy".   Let's face it, there are going to be times when we have no other option but to order something at the local greasy spoon because we are too busy to chop six different veggies, steam rice or cook a piece of salmon.  We just need to try our hardest to not make that a habit - again.  Running requires a lot of energy and as we learned in science class, calories = energy.  If we follow that line of thinking, then a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and fries should give us TONS of energy for our run, right?  Wrong, wrong, wrong!  Running requires clean burning fuel and junk food is far from clean. If you want to be able to have a productive run (or insert your exercise of choice here), it's important to watch your diet.  I am very proud to say that I have been doing this for the last couple of weeks (unfortunate pizza encounter aside) and feel SUCH an improvement in my energy level.

Finding time for work outs can be tough, too.  Back in the old days, my brother and I use to be out at 4:30 AM to run before I had to be at work at 7AM.  It was insanely early but he and I both knew that if we didn't do it then, we probably wouldn't run after work because we would be so pooped we would just lay around like slugs.  I'm not saying that you should get up that early but I did find that getting my workout in before my day started helped to get things going in the right direction.  An added bonus was that I didn't have to worry about squeezing in a run at the end of the day if something unexpected came up.  My best friend, on the other hand, prefers to run in the evening.  She has said that she feels like she is letting go of all the crap that happened during the day if she runs after work.  There is no right or wrong time to run or work out, do what works best for you, but by all means do SOMETHING.  Even if you take a quick thirty minute walk during your lunch break, it's better than skipping a work out. The point is to have more work out days per week than non-work out days.  That's gonna make all the difference in the world and help you reach your fitness goals.  

So this week, be kind to yourself, eat well and get in a few walks if you aren't able to hit the gym.  You are worth the extra effort.


Happy Trails,
Valeka