Catching up

Ever feel like you've fallen behind? Not just with work or school (which I am behind in) but also just with your goals and desires in life? They can be big dreams like winning a competition or graduating from school, or they can be small goals like passing a test, paying bills on time or, in my case, keeping up with your workouts.

I've been so overwhelmed with school and wedding planning that for a few weeks I had completely lost my focus in my workouts and dance. It didn't feel good, and now that I'm getting myself back on track, it doesn't physically feel good. I feel out of shape and it hurts.

I re-amped my workouts, not taking any excuses from myself like I have been: "I have to get home early so I can do some online work before I go to work" or "I'm so exhausted from writing this paper I can't workout tonight." Now more excuses. I know my work and planning will get done whether I workout or not, so I won't let these things stop me anymore.

Life is kind of like that. We let all the "musts" and "have-to's" get in the way of the things that keep us healthy and happy, and then many of us then fall victim to the vicious cycle that causes the worst type of weight gain: emotional/stressed out eating.

When we get stressed or sad, our bodies CRAVE simple carbohydrates like sugar, breads and starches. This is because these foods cause our bodies to release certain "happy" chemicals like serotonin, which can ease our stresses and depression. The problem is that not only are these foods usually high in calories, they can be addicting and make us consume large quantities of them in minutes if not seconds if we're not too careful. This is essentially how we can eat an entire bag of chips or down a whole box of cookies or pint of ice cream in one sitting without ever realizing what we're doing until it is too late.

I've been doing that at night, and I realized only a few days ago that it has to stop. There are other ways of getting happy, like dancing and playing games. These are things I love that I MUST make time for so I don't end up consoling myself at night over a tub of soy ice cream. Or a pie... lol

It's a mental discipline and we all must make these choices and resolution for ourselves. My new-day resolution: Get out, have more fun, love my workouts and leave the food in the fridge.

What's yours?