Being Healthy

I started my journey to a fitter life last week and I have to admit it has been challenging and at times quite frustrating.

As someone who at one point could run for 2 hours and bike for almost a full day, it's strange to be tired after a 15 minute run. Even stranger was the intense muscle soreness I experienced after my first day doing the 300/30 ab challenge. I have never felt so much pain in my abs and hip flexors! Pain that almost pushed me back to my sedentary lifestyle. But that's not the solution and the pain actually made me realize that my body was showing me how out of shape it had really gotten and how important it was that I was finally taking these steps...

I've also got another source of motivation. Not only has my own health declined as my weight increased, but recently my cousin, a fairly obese 23-year-old, started suffering from seizures. The doctors have ruled out epilepsy, but still haven't pinpointed the cause. Of course I have no idea if her seizures are linked to her weight or unhealthy eating habits, but this isn't the first time she has gotten sick and the fact of the matter is: a person, who eats healthy and exercises, significantly reduces their risk of illness.

That to me is the key. It is not about dieting to look skinny. It's not about dieting, period. It's about making a lifestyle change so that I can be fit and healthy for as long as possible. I want children some day soon and when I have those children I want to not only teach them how to lead healthy lives, but I want to be healthy with them.

So here we are. Day 2 of the blog, but officially day 11 of my journey.

Cardio: 18 min run (I increased my time and decreased my miles/min today!)
Strength: 300 ab challenge with only some minor modifications
Calories: 1700
Weight: 164 lbs (Starting weight 11 days ago: 167.5 lbs)

Pretty good day, if I say so myself!