Still Working on it...

(My makeshift kitchen)

I just got back from the gym and I'm actually sweating on my keyboard as I type. I had a pretty good workout tonight. I kept it simple; 5 minute treadmill warm up, 10 minute run (running at about a 9 minute mile pace now) and a 5 minute brisk-walk cool down. I followed that up by some lower ab work and a couple sets of push-ups. It's amazing to me how much push-ups alone can do for your body. Not only do push-up movements work your biceps, but they are also great for the triceps, chest, abs, and back (to an extent). If all someone did was push-ups, deadlifts, and squats in an intense circuit rotation, they'd probably be in pretty good shape, with no gym equipment needed...maybe I should be that someone! Unfortunately, I won't have the luxury of a free school gym (like I have now) when I go back home for the summer so a circuit much like the one I just described might become a reality for me. I purchased a jump rope off of amazon.com a couple of weeks ago and I can't wait to use it during my workouts. I've been playing around with my room arrangement to see if I can create enough space so I can jump rope inside but that hasn't been working out so well. The weather has been beautiful anyway so I should take advantage of it and workout outside.

I labeled this post 'Still Working on it' because, as you can guess, I'm still working on gaining more control over my diet. I would give myself a B- for my dietary behavior over the past three weeks because although I have come a long way from where I was this winter, some of my habits are still pretty pathetic. I also have to be even more careful now because, ironically enough, when I workout, I get more cravings to eat unhealthy foods. Perhaps this happens because I think that I can simply burn off whatever fatty calories I ate during my workouts. This philosophy really sucks because that would be a huge waste of burned calories. I would much rather burn the fat stores that I currently have rather than new carbs and fats that I just consumed. AGHH!! Sometimes my own thinking can get me really worked up.

Does anyone else agree with me about cravings coming hand in hand with increased exercise? My sister told me that her habits are quite the contrary; whenever she gets serious about working out, she is more apt to follow up her exercise routine with healthy eating. I guess that gene was lost somewhere in between her birth and mine...

I'm no where near where I need to be in order to complete my first 5K of the season but I'm getting there slowly but surely. I think that once I knock the first one out of the way, the rest will be a lot easier. There's a 5K serious that takes place about 5 miles from my house and they hold their races every Wednesday night from April through August. Attending a few of these should make reaching my running goal more attainable. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to scope out their course when I head back home in a couple of weeks.

By the way, Tim VanOrden had a speaking appearance out on Long Island a couple weeks ago not too far from where I live. Did anyone attend? I'm just interested to hear what people thought; he's one of my favorites!

Take care everyone and don't be shy with the comments.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie