Chillax

     When you're running from job to job, workout to lunch with the girls, sometimes we forget to grab a little me time. But unfortunately, when we're stocked up on IOU's of me time, it can catch up to you. It caught up to me in the form of what I was sure was the plague (though more believably, strep throat). On top of that, because we were getting our floors re-done, I wasn't allowed in the house. Instead, I was holed up in a hotel with nothing but water, dry bread, and enough medication to cure an entire country of the common cold.
     What I learned between episodes of Desperate Housewives and restless sleeps was not to wait until you literally can't get out of bed to spend some time there. Allow yourself a day to sleep in. Tell your friends you can't go out because you want to curl up with your favorite book for a few hours. It's okay to be alone for a little while. I also highly recommend doing it when it's not in a drug-enduced stupor.

Where's My Healthy?

   
      I was nannying the other day when I had a little girl asked me why I was fat.
     "I'm not fat," I answered. "I'm just bigger than your mommy and daddy."(Her mom and dad are triathletes and ultra-marathon runners. Hard to compete...)
     "Yeah, but bigger is fatter," she answered.
     Right then is when I saw it: the truth of our generation and those that are coming after us. Bigger is fatter. At least, that's what we're told. I'm at a perfectly healthy weight for my height, though certainly not on the model-skinny side. And yet, to this 5-year-old, I looked fat.
     Her question didn't hurt my feelings, didn't upset me or make me angry. Rather, it made me worried. How do we correct this distorted image? In a society where millions are dangerously overweight, we have been taught to praise the skinnier, smaller people. But in that praise, we're forgetting about the normal people. We forget about the people who are healthy, who eat right and exercise, but are never going to grace the covers of Vogue or Marie Claire. We ignore these people who fall somewhere in between skinny and fat, despite the fact that they make up most of our population. They are real-sized. I am real-sized.
     Skinny doesn't mean healthy. Though many people think of them as one in the same, they are not. I am not skinny because I enjoy a piece of birthday cake at a party and I relish in sleeping in a few times a week instead of hitting the gym before work. In this routine, I have found happiness. Yet, magazines and television urge the public with diet pills and magic workout programs that you can't be happy until you're skinny. But you know what? I feel pretty damn happy, big butt and all.

Motivation

     Motivation is one of the hardest things to fake. If you aren't truly motivated to get out the door and go for a run or hit up the gym, you're going to have a difficult time getting there. That's why if you can't find it deep within yourself to work out for the sole reason that it's good for you (don't worry, I can't do that either), then create motivation.

     This summer, I signed up for the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. Maybe being signed up won't motivate me to go fast or to train every day for hours on end, but while I'm laying in bed, debating whether or not to actually get up and run, now, there's a little voice inside my head asking me, "Do you really want to crawl the 6 miles?" The answer, obviously being no, reminds me to get up, get out, and, as Nike says, just do it.
     If running isn't your thing, find some other way to hold yourself accountable. Sign up for a workout class at your gym. If you've already paid for the classes, you won't want to miss them. Buy a swim suit that you want to look great in on your next vacation and hang it on your bedroom door. When you see that, you'll remember to put on those gym shorts and get active. Maybe you can't fake motivation, but you can certainly find a way to make a little of your own.

Getting Out of Bed

     I've never been one to hop out of bed with the rising sun and be ready to go. Sure, I'm a morning person, but it takes a few cups of coffee and a few hours of lounging to be ready for the day. Usually, I'm up and about for a while before I'm ready to go for a run. In the brisk fall weather or the warm spring afternoons, that's never been a problem. But when I hit my favorite running trail at 95 degrees with 0% humidity, afternoon running didn't feel so hot.
     I love running, but I had to change my habits as the summer heats up. If you're like me and you'd rather beat your head against a wall then run more than five minutes on a treadmill, choose two or three days out of the week to get up early and hit the running trail. Choose the days when you need to be up early for work and set the alarm 30 minutes earlier or coordinate morning runs with friends so you aren't tempted to roll back under the covers. The air conditioned gym may feel like the best choice when the temperature sky-rockets, but if you need your dose of outdoor activity, plan ahead.