Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Change is a good thing

Well, hey there, stranger! Change is something that has been my mind lately. And, for this reason, "change" is the topic de jour.
I know you're supposed to change up your workouts so that your body doesn't get used to the same thing and start to plateau, but I haven't been doing that. I hit a plateau. I read up a little bit on some exercises I can do to prevent injury and improve my running (cross-training), such as swimming, elliptical, stationary bike, and the row machine. I think I'm going to do one or two of these a week. I know I should also be doing strength training, as it helps you to build muscle and lose weight by burning calories even after the workout. To be blunt, I've been slacking off in this area. In the first couple of weeks, when I lost 7 lbs, I was doing strength training in addition to my running. So, I also plan on resuming strength training following and/or in between runs. It all seems so easy, in theory!
Other changes lately:
-Running with a friend. Something I've never "enjoyed" doing, as I felt pressured to keep someone else's pace. I figured, now that I'm running on a consistent basis and getting better at it, I could try it again. My lovely friend usually runs on a treadmill, so she expected to not run the whole time with me. When she got back to her car and I continued without her, I felt a little lonely! We plan on going on running dates twice weekly. :)
-Trying different routes. I was getting a little bored on my normal route, so I've decided to change it up each day. There are several neighborhoods/apartment complexes to run through nearby and most of the roads have sidewalks (busier and side ones), which makes this easier to do.
-Cutting more calories. When I lost weight before (33 lbs), I was drinking SlimFast and drastically cutting calories. I'm going to try to substitute at least 1 meal with a shake. I don't want to cut as many calories as before because I don't think I was paying as much attention to what my body needed. I also now know that as a runner, I need more carbohydrates to fuel my body.
-I cut my hair and my ponytail is so tiny now! haha
tiny ponytail :)
-Trying new foods! I am the pickiest eater. Since I started this journey, I've been broadening my horizons, so to speak. I've recently tried (some for a "second time", as I probably ate these as a kid, but they've since fallen into my "do not like" category): beets, blueberries, starfruit, kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, granola and granola bars, almonds, oranges... I've also been eating more of the healthy foods (and one liquid, in particular) that I've denied before, like broccoli, grapes, and water.
-I can't remember. I've been in the process of writing this post for about a week and a half (who am I kidding? It's been at least 2 weeks). I just kept getting distracted.

Funny story: When I thought of the title, I honestly thought it was a country song, but I could only sing that part ("change is a good thing"), then couldn't think of the rest of the song. But, then, I'd start singing the "everything changes, everything changes" part from Tracy Lawrence's "Time Marches On" (1:26). I knew they were 2 different songs, but couldn't think of the first one. Suddenly it hit me, the song actually goes: "rain is a good thing!" lol It's by Luke Bryan (1:25, hah, almost the same spot) and every time I hear it I have to turn it up! (I love it when he says "warshing.") :)

How many times can you say "change" in one post? I think I hit my limit.