Angel vs. Devil

It's Friday. And on Fridays there's nothing I love more than going home, slipping into something a little more comfortable (preferably something with an elastic waistband), pouring m'self a glass of wine and flipping on the ol' boob tube for several hours before I decide to call it a night.

NO MORE!

Tonight, I came home and ran 3 miles. And I actually ran it. I was a jiggly, sweaty mess the whole time, but I RAN IT. It was actually pretty awesome. Not because I had great form or ran super fast. Honestly, it was a slow jog and nothing about it was pretty. It was awesome because I do my best thinking when I run.

The things is, I actually enjoy running. I know... I'm a weirdo. Here's why:
- It clears my head and organizes my thoughts.
- It makes me feel GREAT-- if I'm feeling tired or my muscles are tight or I'm feeling a bit under the weather, running makes me feel better 100% of the time.
- The act of running makes me feel great, but finishing a run is even better. Every run is an accomplishment in itself.

Tonight's blog entry is about what went through my head during my run. Excuses. I can justify not working out all the time. I can justify eating out or eating unhealthy meals all the time. But why? None of that lines up with the goals I've set for myself! SO, I came up with a little list of excuses that I think are pretty common and some things you can do to mentally negate those. I bring you, the angel and devil on your shoulders...

Devil: "But I don't want to! The couch looks better"
Angel: Yes you do. An accurate list of things you don't want to do is: wear pants all summer again, stress out about an upcoming event because of how you look, dread shopping (especially the fitting room) and regret not taking this step towards your goal. Work your tushy off for 40-60 minutes and THEN sprawl on the coach like you've never sprawled before.

Devil: "I've had a hard day. I'm too tired for this"
Angel: You got this. You can OWN this workout. It's only a small percentage of your day. Knock it out now and you'll have plenty of time to sleep. In fact, you'll probably sleep better ater you work out.

Devil: "I don't have time to work on this today.. I've got a packed schedule!"

Angel: Really? Be a grown up. Plan ahead. And if you want this, you'll make time for it. Most of that stuff on your to do list today probably isn't for you... it's probably a list of things you are doing for other people. How are you supposed to become the best version of yourself if you never make time for yourself? Wake up a little early, squeeze in a lunch time workout, or make a hole in that schedule this evening. You CAN do this... you just have to be smart about this.

Devil: "Healthy food is so expensive."
Angel: Healthy food CAN be more expensive, but remember, healthy food has nourihment-- not empty calories. Look for sales, sneak veggies and tuna in with that mac and cheese instead of eating it by itself. Focus on protein and veggies. Get creative on how this can work for you instead of giving up and buying stock in Cheez-Its.

Look, I'm not saying my way is the best way for everyone, because it's not. It's the best way for this tight budget, busy schedule, on-the-go household and somehow, we make it work. I'm working on being creative with my diet AND my budget and that can get tricky. We're going to probably start couponing soon. I don't plan to be one of those crazy lady savers that hoard 10 dozen cans of tuna for the sake of saving a dime, but I will be using coupons in our favor and keeping an eye on sales. No excuses!