Stop comparing - start running

I'm sure you will be pleased to know this is the first post that isn't all doom and gloom. I've been running for the past few days relatively consecutively, and it's starting to feel... okay.

I had a realization a few days ago that helped me start working out on a regular basis. Comparing myself to where I used to be has been extremely harmful to my esteem and my motivation. I think things like, "you used to be able to go 10km, now you can't even make it 3km?"... and then I would stop. Because what is the use in a 3km run full of walking breaks, it couldn't possibly be helping my fitness levels - or my waistline.

But that simply isn't true. Last week, I ran twice, for about 3km, and it was hard. This week, I'm increasing my distance and starting to pick up my pace. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I've let myself go to a point where I pretty much have to start from scratch... which is okay. Accepting that right now I'm just not an athlete has helped me keep a more positive attitude about fitness.

Tonight, I tried yoga, and it hurt! Maybe even more than running. By the end of every pose my muscles were shaking. I did as much as I could, about three quarters of the class, then I quit... and there's nothing wrong with that. There is no shame in not being good at something you don't practice. In fact, I find pride in practicing something I'm not good at.

After this shift in attitude, I'm finally getting motivated. I've cut down on reality television (okay, mainly because most of the good shows have ended for the season...), and have started cooking all my food at home. Instead of coming home having a nap and ordering in, I'm getting things done, working out, and feeling good about it.

Lessons learned? If you can only run one mile, run it. Don't look at marathoners and compare. Realize that one mile run is better than no miles, and feel good about choosing to challenge yourself. Motivate yourself with the feeling you get from fitness, not from comparing yourself to your former fitness levels, or to other people. Fitness should make you happy and healthy, and perks like weight loss should just come as an extra bonus on the side.

Happy running!

I'll start.... tomorrow

I'm hoping that so far no one is following this blog for motivation, because you won't find much of that here.

After a typical weekend of drinking, staying up too late, eating McDonalds breakfast (sometimes getting two combos instead of one... for myself) I vowed that today I would run. Today I would get up, eat healthy, workout, and feel good.

As three of my classmates and I walked past fast food choices for lunch, I saw golden arches in the distance. While two of my smarter friends headed for Subway, myself and one other girl were drawn in by the arches. Like a magnet it pulled us toward it, posters of crisp fries and bubbly pop making it impossible to resist.

Before I walked inside, every ounce of rationality in my body must have seeped out of my pores as I ordered a Filet au Fish combo with an extra filet on the side. Necessary? No. Never. But as a member of the Clean Plate Club, I finished every last bite.

Okay. So I ate a terribly unhealthy lunch. I'll eat a good dinner and go for a nice run to balance it out. Right?

Wrong. As soon as it started raining I knew that tiny bit of motivation my grotesquely large lunch had helped me amass was gone, and I resigned to the computer, television, and couch for the night.

I know, you don't want to hear me whine about how much I miss being fit when the only thing I do involves some kind of fried seafood and an intense amount of gluttony. But this is harder than I thought! I feel so far from where I was that the finish line just seems too far away(I'm pretty sure that's what Mike, the winner of this year's Biggest Loser said... and he was 526lbs).

I promise that I will not write until I have gone for a run, eaten well all day, and released myself from the hypnosis of those damn arches.

For a little extra push, I'm looking to social media. Check out this link http://www.diet-blog.com/08/35_social_media_sites_for_the_health_conscious.php to find a list of social networking fitness sites.

I chose comotivate.com, where you register by typing in all of your health, fitness and weight loss goals, as well as personal information like height and weight. Each user has their own homepage and a news feed (like facebook). As you add friends to help motivate you, you can form teams with others with similar health and fitness goalsgoals. In the Team Area members can blog, share photos and videos, and track their weight loss together.

So far I have one friend, and she is smaller, lighter and fitter than I am...

Check back next time for the verdict on this site as social media takes over the fitness world!