The other day I had a particularly awful shift at work. People were being negative, being mean, being aggressive. As much as I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed, I knew my gym clothes were waiting for me in the car. So I sucked it up and went running at the Silverlake Reservoir. It's a nice little loop, something like 2.2 miles, and I've only ever run it once before--I've really never been much into outdoor running, I'm usually a treadmill type of gal. But it was perfect, just what I needed: some fresh air, some good music on my headphones, and some heavy breathing. Of course, there were points when I thought, "Am I actually running right now? Is this too slow to be considered a run?" So, let's be fair, perhaps I was JOGGING. But I was doing something!
I went home, and, feeling the high of exercise, sat down to eat my snack. And then I just wanted to keep eating and my mind was playing tricks on me, giving me the thoughts of, "Oh, you went running! Treat yourself!" This is SUCH an easy trap to fall into. I've done it millions of times. But it is so utterly counterproductive! I ate too much and felt heavy and full and disappointed. I didn't want to sit with this feeling, so what did I do? I put on my shoes and went running out the door. What?! I have never, ever in my life done this--especially not at night. Sure, I've taken walks--power walks even--after dinner or when I'm feeling antsy or like I need to indulge in a little self love, but I've never gone running. It felt so good! Of course I'm not proud that I was driven to do this thanks to overeating, but I think it's a GIANT LEAP in the right direction. I am not sure how far I went, but I think it was about 3 miles, and I cannot tell you how good it felt.
...and the next day I felt like my legs were going to fall off.
"A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise."
-AA Milne
No comments:
Post a Comment