I am resigned to being a little soft this summer

Why? Because it's like a bazillion degrees outside! No matter what my intentions are, either I get another freakin' headache (not sure why) or it's just too darn hot to even breathe outside. It's just insanely warm, and it's not going to get better until Fall arrives. What will I do? Try my best to exercise, but don't be surprised if I don't get out and run often. When just walking outside for a few minutes causes me to sweat like a pig, running doesn't seem all that appealing. What I am looking forward to is boxing. I still need a fan for the basement, because even though it's much cooler down there the air needs to be circulated. Speaking of fans, I finally got to see one of the new Dyson fans in action yesterday. AMAZING! No blades! And the thing blows air like a jet engine! WOW!

Sorry, I got distracted. It was just that cool. Literally and figuratively. No, I will not buy one because I'm too cheap.

Anyhoo, I'll just keep wearing comfy dresses this summer and try to run when I can. When it's this hot outside, you do what you can. I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

We have got to start eating more organic produce!

That's my first thought in reading this article, which describes why some researchers believe we're becoming more and more obese. It certainly explains why some people, especially those who eat good diets and get light to moderate exercise consistently, can still be overweight. Turns out we need to limit our exposure to plastic more than we thought too. The article also talks about grass-fed meats, which I have talked about in the past. I'd love to eat more, but it's hard to find. The one thing I do consistently is drink filtered water at home, which the article suggests eliminates a lot of those obesogens. Isn't the name of those chemicals telling? It's combining obese with estrogen, which is the hormone these chemicals mimic - estrogen causes women to gain weight more than men.

Long story short, I think this just confirms the fact that we're killing ourselves with our environmental choices. I also think that because I happen to be middle class I can help myself limit the exposure my family has to these chemicals because I can afford to buy glass containers, filters for my water, and organic produce. The sad part is that those who are poor will continue to suffer due to their lack of resources. Some may label me as a bleeding heart liberal or communist (labels I am comfortable with, although I am certainly not a communist), but I think we ought to get rid of exposure to this stuff on a national level. Stop buying this garbage, and companies will have to change their ways. Ask your congressmen and women to pass legislation that forces companies to change their ways. Once the US gets on board, the rest of the world will change too.

Lapses are okay!

I got super busy this week at home, so no running since last Monday. That's okay though. Starting a new habit, or restarting an old one, takes about 21 days of consistently nailing it. So far I'm in that phase where running isn't a habit, but I want it to be a habit again. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I'm not a fan of guilt if it's not really necessary. If I ran someone over or accidentally kicked my cat while she was trying to walk between my legs, then yes I feel the appropriate level of guilt. Missing a few days of running? No guilt. That's just life.

I'm trying to find more ways to work out outside a gym membership, and I think I've found a solution. Boxing! Rex loves boxing and martial arts, and I know boxing is a wonderful exercise. We've been talking for a year now about setting up a workout space in our basement, and so far my research on the price of equipment leads me to believe this would not only be a fun workout but also much cheaper than buying a machine. We'll see how that goes, since I'll be buying the gear bit by bit. I'm not interested in going into debt for this, so it's cash only. Hey, I got into running because it's cheap, so of course I'll find another exercise that's cost efficient! LOL!

Two more runs under my belt!

I seem to be stuck at the 1.5 mile distance for my runs, but since I've only been getting back into the habit for a couple weeks this is just fine. Rex thinks I'm torturing him, but it's not that bad. So far I think the hardest thing to deal with is the heat. The humidity doesn't help either, but boy is it hot! I'm looking forward to running more this fall, which ought to yield better results for me. It's always nice in the spring and fall when the weather is more conducive for running. The deepest part of winter can be tough because of the exercise-induced asthma.

On another note I've developed a real weakness for homemade cobbler. I get fresh fruit from the farmer's market and make it from scratch. This is good because I love cobbler. This is also bad because cobbler is filled with sugar. If you're feeling up to having a tasty Southern treat check out Paula Deen's recipe for peach cobbler. YUM!! Needless to say I need to run more just to compensate for the awful amount of calories I've been eating from cobbler alone.

Oh the familiar feel of lactic acid in my quads!

So I did manage to run yesterday, despite having left my running shoes at home which meant I had to come all the way back to the house and ended up running in my neighborhood instead of at the Greenway. I took it easy since it was so hot outside (hovering around 93F). As I was running I looked down at my GPS/heart rate monitor and realized I had already completed half a mile and was coming up on three quarters! And I felt good! So I finished the whole mile, although the last tenth or so I was pushing it. I then mostly walked back to the house, so all in all it was 1.66 miles of awesome. Considering I haven't trained in so long it was a nice surprise to do so well.

I did stretch last night after the run, but apparently my legs decided that yes they had worked and that yes I would feel it today. I'm not hurting really, but my quads are letting me know they need some time to work out that lactic acid. It's all good. I'll run again on Saturday. I'd run tomorrow but I have the air conditioning people coming out to finish installing a new unit. Let me just say that paying for two new units makes me cry. Oh well. At least I'll super efficient units for the rest of this incredibly hot summer. It's hot even by Georgia standards, and we have hot summers. There's a reason it's called Hotlanta.

Upcoming races? I feel like such a liar. I said I'd run the Possum Run. Nope! I said I'd go back to Clyde's Run. Nope! Maybe I'll try Old Soldier's Day Race? I dunno. Rex and I are trying to get back into the habit of running (he really really wants to run more yay!!). I'll have to see how I feel in the coming weeks. I'm just super excited that I could fit my flabby behind into some size 6 jeans at Ann Taylor Loft today LOL! No, that's not ginormous, but it felt good to me to see the jeans look good. I would have been pleased if the size 8 jeans looked good too.

You know, speaking of jeans, I gotta make one soap box comment about clothing in general. Ladies (and gents), please just buy the clothes that fit properly and look good on you. The size doesn't matter. If it happens to be bigger than you'd like, it's just a label. Wear what looks good for you and you'll end up being sexy and more confident - all of which makes you look slimmer anyway. If you can't get stuff off the rack (and who can these days? I'm not a fit model!!), find a great seamstress. Fit the largest part of you (hips, butt, chest, whatever) and tailor the rest to make it work. Cool? /end soapbox moment

Btw, one of my cats just sneezed all over me. Gross!

Running tomorrow!

I'm excited about running tomorrow, but I have a feeling I won't be in the mood come tomorrow afternoon. That's usually how it goes for me, but I plan on taking my gym bag with me so I can change at work. Then I'll run at the Greenway by my house. It'll be hot, muggy, and full of bugs. The best part? I'll be running! Rex is away for training this week, so I gotta find some stuff to do to fill my time. Playing Fable 2 like it's going out of style is probably not recommended. I also have the new Lego Harry Potter, but that's not much better on the nerd scale. I'm such a dork!

So I had class tonight, and I can tell it's going to be good. Who knew managing quality could be cool? Yes, I'm a big nerd. I embrace the nerdness!

On another note, I wanted to give everyone an update about the hypoglycemia. I haven't finished reading that book I bought, and here's why. It suggests that I completely give up sugar in all forms for 20 days. Things like fruit, rice, bread are included on this list. I can't stop eating fruit now! It's the middle of peach season! Do you understand that I made 2 peach cobblers this weekend? TWO!!! GAH!

Anyway, I'm not doing this fast (I heart fruit!). I'll finish reading the book sometime, but the part that made me kind of sad was that most doctors apparently don't believe that this is a legitimate condition. I can see why. I basically have pre-diabetes. Kinda figured that, but you'd think the medical profession would like to prevent full blown type 2 diabetes and treat folks like me. Nope! We're written off as hypochondriacs. In the end I have a feeling that staying away from processed sugar and exercising will always be my best bet for making sure the shakes and migraines don't get to me. Who knew we could be our best doctors?

I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July!

Just a quickie...

I gotta get cleaned up and go to bed soon, but I wanted to post that Rex and I finally made it out to the Greenway today and ran! Only a mile since it's been about a month since I've been out, but it's something. Rex felt surprisingly well considering he hadn't been running in a long time. We tackled our usual run/walk, but we know we're working up to the jog/run phase. I hope to have more time this weekend to talk about other goals and progress. I've also learned some more about my hypoglycemia that I need to share (like how a lot of doctors don't think it exists).