The Road to Istanbul Is Paved With Good Intentions

Merhaba! I am currently traveling for business--in Turkey, as you may have guessed. When it comes to being healthy, travel has been, and will always be, my Achilles heel. It doesn't seem to matter how long or short the journey, when I am on a plane, in an airport, on a train, even on a long car ride, I want to eat everything in sight! I'm usually traveling alone, and therefore, no one is holding me accountable. When you're alone, it's easy to stop for a milkshake or buy an armful of candy or eat three donuts in  the privacy of your hotel room. And, as I have mentioned before, the slightest change to my routine, and my good habits are out the door. It's fair to say this trip to Turkey is a change to my routine.
Knowing that I would be tempted to partake in delicious treats (hello, baklava) and that I would be eating out all week,  I made sure my gym clothes and running shoes made it into the luggage. I had all sorts of intention of using them this morning before meeting some colleagues for a trip to the ancient ruins of Pergamon (nope, not my normal routine). When my alarm went off, I realized it was midnight at home and I just couldn't get out of bed. I snoozed for an embarrassing long time and eventually did get up and pull on my gym pants...and went to breakfast. I only had time to either workout or eat breakfast, and though I regret not working out, I knew that I'd be a cranky pants if I didn't have food in my system. I tried to make some healthy choices, focusing on fruits and grilled veggies, with a little bread and cheese (for those of you who have traveled overseas, you know that breakfast generally leans more towards the savory than sweet).
When we got back from Pergamon, I was exhausted and hungry. But back in my room, I put my gym clothes on--for reals this time-- and  had a decent run in the hotel's gym. I started to think about two years ago, when I was staying in the same hotel and using the same gym. Then, I was just starting to run, and still working my way through intervals. Today I ran the whole way through and didn't even consider stopping. I've come a long way in two years, and despite not every choice being a great one (I may or may not currently be consuming a club sandwich), I like to think I make the better ones more often than not (I'm having a piece of fruit for dessert). Travel is always going to be difficult for me, especially in a foreign country, but this time around, I am holding myself accountable.







   

Summer of Change

It's easy to focus on the things I haven't done, or haven't done well. Since my little tumble two weeks ago, I've only been for 3 rather short runs,and my eating habits have really suffered as we have approached phase 2 of the big move. Rather than beat myself up about it (sometimes, you just need cookie dough Oreos) I've tried to focus on all the good stuff I've accomplished the summer of  2014- the Summer of Change!

1. Hiked a mountain - with 15 lbs strapped to my back, no less
2. Got a promotion at work
3. Completed 2 5ks, lived to tell the tale
4. Lost 14 lbs since June, despite vacations/business travel and we're-moving-and-don't-have-food-or-plates-so-let's-have-takeout dinners
5. Become a homeowner!

It's been a summer out of the ordinary for me, but regardless of how big or small the accomplishment, we all should take the time to acknowledge our own awesomeness.  It always seems easier to focus on the negative, the stuff you didn't do, but I'm hoping you'll look back on the summer and remember all the things you did right!

Another one bites the dust

I know you have all been waiting with bated breath... I finally found pants! Nike slim dri-fit trak pants. Multiple pockets! A real drawstring (they don't fall down)! Sweat wicking fabric! Ventilation! AND and I paid 22 bucks for the then at the Nike outlet. Ah, there's the catch. The outlet. Of course this means they are being discontinued. I'll probably go back and buy to more, assuming there are any left.

I took them for a test run today, and though the pants stayed up, I did not. I made it about a block before BAM! My first running fall. And it was a doozy. Banged up elbow, a scarped hand, and a bleeding, swollen knee cap. Ouch. And the pants? Well, they're not ruined, but they are certainly worse for wear.

I won't be running, or doing much activity, for a few days. I won't lie- I'm kind of looking forward to an excuse to sit on the couch the rest of the day, but I'm actually really disappointed that I didn't get to work out today. I never thought I'd say that!

Running a mile on someone else's route

I am a creature of habit. A change to my routine, and what little healthy eating and exercise I do goes out the window. The next few weeks do not bode well.

My boyfriend and I just sold our condo and are waiting to close on our new place in a few weeks. In the meantime, we are lucky enough to be staying with family, while 95% of our belongings chill in their garage. (Seriously, how do people buy and sell real estate at the same time?) Though we are excited to be moving on to the next phase and into a real home together, this state of limbo may kill me.    Thankfully, we're eating home cooked meals most nights. But I find myself in a house with snacks that I haven't personally bought in months and I'm trying like hell not to eat them all. This is on me. I'm not going to tell the people kind enough to take us in that they can't bring cookies into their own home! It's bad enough that I am scanning every little thing  they cook with to calculate its Weight Watchers point value. Yes, I am that person. I kinda hate that person. But I need to keep myself from going off the deep end.

And fitness? Well, that's another story. I had just gotten used to--and even rocked-- the longer, hilly route in our old neighborhood, but it, and our regular gym, are too  out of the way to go there after work. I planned to use the gym at work, but got an email last week that it's closed until September!  I've tried running in the new, temporary neighborhood, and HOLY SHIT IT'S HARD! These hills are no joke. The route is totally foreign to me. It sucks. I will keep trying over the course of the next few weeks, I have to. But I feel like the odds are stacked against me a little. Maybe I'm making excuses and really I just need to suck it up and deal.

So what do I do? I have worked through a lot in the past few months, but I haven't encountered a long- standing change to my routine yet. This will prove itself to be a real challenge. Any suggestions on how to stay focused when your world is topsy-turvy?

Is this really the worst thing I can be?

I've always been the fat kid. There, I said it. What mystifies me is when other people feel the need to point it out. Oh really? I thought I looked like Cindy Crawford.  I mean, Jesus, the name of this blog has"fat" in the title. I'd like to say that teasing and name calling stopped in high school, but the truth is even adults are guilty of it.  To be clear, I'm not looking for pity. I'm a big girl (no pun intended) and I can handle it. But I feel the need to talk about it, and I'm certainly not the first blogger to bring this up.

We're all guilty of some kind of bias, some kind of prejudice,  and for some reason, ridiculing people based their physical appearance seems to be socially acceptable to many. Or funny even. It really proves someone's immaturity when the worst he or she can do is call me fat. Is that all you got? If you're going to insult me, at least have the sense to insult my character. Here's the thing: I can stop being fat, but you will probably never stop being an asshole. If the worst thing about me is the way I look, I'm doing pretty well by me, and by a lot of other people, thank you very much.

Maybe you think I'm a slob, maybe you think I'm lazy, maybe you assume I am unhealthy, maybe you think I just stuff food in my mouth all day long. Nothing could be further from the truth. I work hard at a demanding job. I run. I am very conscious about what I eat. I've lost 35 pounds in the past 5 months    ( and even so, I am still overweight, yes). But why do you look at me and assume I'm downing a pint of Ben and Jerry's for dinner every night? It's no different than looking at a skinny girl and assuming she's living off cigarettes and carrot sticks. Neither assumption is fair or right.
So what's my point? I guess I just want us to all think about what we say to each other, to be careful about what we assume. I'd like us all to stop shaming each other.

I could go on, but this  great blog post on Huffington Post says it better than I can.

Have you considered pants?

I'm basically down to one pair pants I actually like to run in-- and the seam split yesterday. Oh, you know I am going to sew those bad boys up and get as much use out of them as possible.  But they will rip again and where will that leave me? You may say "just go buy another pair, fool!" Here's the rub: they're from the Gap and in typical fashion, the Gap doesn't make that style anymore. Not to mention that I cut them myself from a full length pant to a capri. I basically made my own damn pants.

My issue with running pants is that they all seem to fall down on me. I've gone up a size, down a size, tried those useless infinity drawstrings (how the hell do those stay put??) but it doesn't seem to matter. I jump up and down in the dressing room like a fool and before you know it, they're all past my ass. Maybe it's because my ass is big. I don't know. But this is not ok.

I need help, serious help. And suggestions. Where are the pants?!

Am I One of Them?

Today I did something I have never done. I went for two runs. I had planned to run after work through a lovely green space near my office--which,  by the way, when dodging bikers, walkers, joggers, the geese and the goose poop, is like running an obstacle course. When I got home, I convinced myself to do it all again around the neighborhood, with far fewer obstacles.Work- life and life -life have been stressful lately and I have actually come to see running as an outlet for all that stress. It really got me thinking about what I had already intended to be topic for this post: I hesitate to call myself  a runner.

Even though I do run, and I went so far as to start a friggin' blog about it, I really hesitate to call myself a runner. There has to be an average mileage requirement. Is it 5 miles? 10 miles? It's certainly not "only" 2.5, is it? Or is it? I've had a few joggers wave, nod, or smile while passing me. I've tried to smile or wave back, bur fear I look like I am having a medical episode. Tonight, a man in a passing car beeped at me; let's just go with the idea that it was a sign of support. (No, sir, no need to call the police, I am not being chased!) So if these strangers actually mistake me for a runner, why can't I? Yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed at 5am to run. Today I logged more miles in one day than I ever have. So what gives-- why do us short distance runners hesitate to call ourselves what we are?

I do know one thing: I'm taking tomorrow off!