get back in shape

So then I ran two more times that week… and didn’t run at all this past week. I found several ways of telling myself that I would be better off not running, getting more sleep being the primary one, but the whole time I knew that it was mostly just me not wanting to do it. I eventually got to thinking about how I stayed fit before, and remembered that I walked well over a mile every day in college. One thing led to another, and today I walked a good hour and a half, or (according to Google maps) about 4.8 miles. Now, I don’t plan on being able to do that every day, but I was getting excited during the walk about maybe walking to class sometimes, which would be a little over an hour each way. I think I’ll wait until it gets a little cooler for that, because I’ll have to walk in the hottest part of the day carrying a laptop etc. bag, but I do plan on doing a dry run tomorrow.
Oh, and some exercise calculator I just found told me I burned about twice as many calories in that walk than I usually do running. Ha! Maybe I’ll find a good blend of the two, like walk twice and run twice every week. Really, the important thing right now is just getting active again, and not taking entire weeks off.

So today I got up at 8 and ran for 15 minutes. Realization #1 Yeah, I’m definitely out of shape. I went to class, where my instructor is infectiously excited, so the four hours flew by and I came out with renewed enthusiasm for the program. Funny how that seems to happen on live sound days. Realization #2 Live sound is definitely my current trajectory. But more importantly, Realization #3 I feel good when I get up early to exercise. I guess I should also note that I passed out at just about the right time last night, despite my best efforts, so I suppose that should be “I feel good when I get enough sleep, THEN get up early and exercise.” I was also excited about mixing up my meal plan, which includes eating more fruit. And finally, Realization #4 Grape nuts, where have you been all my life? Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven? And do you have any tips on running, because my legs hurt today from just 15 minutes of running, but you don’t seem to have any problems after running through my dreams all night.

Ah, never pass up an opportunity to rejuvenate an old and tired pick-up line.

I’ve been having a lot of trouble with this because:
A) I haven’t had time to ride my bike in the afternoon
B) I don’t want to take two showers in the same day, yet I really don’t want to show up to class with no shower, and
C) I’ve been eating like I am exercising

So the new plan is to try running every morning, if only a little bit. All I have to do is get up half an hour early, throw on some clothes, stretch a little, and go. This way I’ll be able to shower after the run but before class, plus I’m making my own time, plus it’s cooler in the morning anyway. Oh, and last time I rode my bike, I was hit by a truck… I’m a little more nimble off the bike. Don’t worry, I seem to be just as fine a week later as I was the day after.

I absolutely ate better at college. Salads! Oh, how I pine for a good salad! All the ones I’ve had here in the two weeks I’ve been back (about 3 total) have been drenched in dressing and way smaller than I’m used to. I’m thinking like half a pound of spinach with cucumbers and tomatoes with some light vinaigrette. But nooooo… we had KFC tonight. I would be only slightly inclined to think that the grilled chicken is significantly healthier than the fried. Oh, and a night or two ago I got to explain to my family what hummus is. That really goes to show how different Kenyon is from here… and several days ago I was explaining hipsters.

But I digress. In terms of exercise. I recently put quite a few hours into WiiFit, plus several hours of cycling, but nothing for over a week with my sickness. And now I’m ordered (by Mom, not doctor) to stay off the bike until I’m done with the antibiotics. Argh. I’m trying to get used to riding in heat so I can use my bike for transportation in Arizona, but frankly I’m not sure that’s going to work, because I don’t know if I’m even going to live within 5 miles of anywhere I’ll have to go. Maybe I can bike to the… post office, or something. Oh, and I think I might pick up parkour if I have spare time… which apparently I won’t. We’ll see.

It’s really striking now that I watch what I eat how much worse I eat at home. Dessert every night, snack foods, pizza and eating out at restaurants, and not many vegetables at all. Not to mention that, at least in the winter, I don’t have much opportunity to exercise. I did manage to practice karate several times over the break, though, and I decided to stop eating candy after New Year’s, which I definitely think made a lot of difference.

The trip to NOLA was good for me in more than just one way. As far as fitness goes, I got plenty of exercise moving limestone rocks around with a rake, shovel, and wheelbarrow, and drive-bys get the blood pumping pretty well. Also, I didn’t have any chips or candy, which were present in mass quantity at the house. My only slip-up was that I didn’t drink much water, and I let myself burn in the sun.

Now, back at Kenyon, worked out thrice last week, getting mostly enough sleep because I’ve been pretty tired, and I’ve been eating vegetarian all week with one exception of a slice of sausage pizza on Monday night. I still don’t plan to ever call myself a vegetarian, but it’s good to really cut down on fat every once in a while. I might branch out and have some tuna or good-looking chicken this week. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve slimmed down a fair amount. It’s actually pretty easy once I changed my perception of greasy foods from “yum” to “eww”.