Hi again!   Well it’s another gorgeous day here in Wapakoneta!  I hope everyone else is having the same beautiful weather that we’ve been having!

This morning started off with one of my favorrittteee breakfasts:

Whole wheat toast with all natural peanut butter and a sliced banana on top.  Heaven.  So simple, so easy, but so delicious.  I also downed a big glass of water and, of course, coffee.  This was a new coffee that I picked up that is cherry flavored.  It was very tasty and made the kitchen smell wonderful!  And that coffee mug is the one I use every morning.  I got it when Brandon and I were visiting a new church, and they gave us a “welcome” basket.  I have no idea what “Imagine 3:20″ means (because we decided to choose a different church before we found out!), but the mug is the perfect size… not too big, not too small.  Jussttt right (I’m channeling my inner-Goldilocks right now).

Then I went to the gym and did 45 minutes of cardio… 15 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the treadmill doing intervals.  When I say “intervals”, I just mean that every 3 minutes, I do something slightly different.  So I might jog at a low incline for 3 minutes, then walk at a 3.8 speed on a 8.0 incline, then do a fast walk at 4.2 but on a lower incline.  It just keeps the body guessing and makes the time go faster!

As I was on the treadmill, I was reading an issue of People magazine, and I wanted to share some quotes from one of the articles.  It was an article called “Real Bodies, Real Sizes.”  One of the interviews was with Clementine Ford (yeah, I didn’t know who she was either… she’s a “Young and the Restless” alum).  She said, “When I was a size 2 – my thinnest – I thought, ‘I’m so fat.  I hate my body.’  But then I got into spinning and yoga, and it’s become less about ‘Oh, I feel disgusting’ and more about ‘Look what I can do!  I can stand on my head and put myself into a pretzel.’  It’s changed my relationship to my body.  Now I enjoy my body more than I did then.” (The article reported that she’s now a size 8.)

I love that, and it’s similar to how I’ve been feeling lately.  I’m no longer as concerned about how I look, the number of calories I ate, or the weight on the scale.  I just want to keep myself healthy and strong so that I can accomplish the fitness goals that I want to accomplish (for more on my fitness goals, see “Great Run Today!” because for some reason it’s not letting me link it!).

And to give you an update, it’s been a week since I’ve tried to stop counting calories.  And overall, I’ve been doing well keeping the numbers out of my head!  Here’s the interesting part… when I just started listening to my body and not worrying about the numbers, I actually lost weight.  I stepped on the scale on Tuesday and then today, and on both days the scale said that I’m down a pound and a half from my typical weight.  I realize that 1 1/2 lbs isn’t much, and it may just be a water weight fluctuation, but I really DON’T want to lose weight.  I want to stay at a strong, healthy weight so that my body can handle the training that I’ve been doing.  So I guess I need to make a conscious effort to eat more, but still try to keep it moderately healthy.  Of course, since Brandon and I are going to Chicago this weekend, I’ll be eating PLENTY and I can assure you that most of it will NOT be healthy!

Just one more quote that I want to share.  It’s from April Ross, who is a beach volleyball pro.  She’s 6’1” and a size 10.  She said, “…I battle with that idea in my head a lot: skinny versus strong.  Size 2 and 4 are model sizes, so that glamorizes those specific numbers, but people forget that it can be very unhealthy to be small if it’s not right for your body.  I’m 6’1”, so I would have to not eat if I ever wanted to be a size 2.  I’m a size 10, I work out every day and eat healthy, so I know it’s where my body should be and I feel like I’m in great shape.”

I think she made such a great point.  Every body is different, so each person should focus on being their healthiest selfs.  I joke that I have the body of a 10 year old boy… I have zero curves.  It’s just the way God made me!  I will never have Kim Kardashian’s booty or Halle Berry’s… ahem.. bosom.  It’s just not me.  But I CAN love what I do have, like my strong legs and my blue eyes.  And I hope that each person reading this can be confident in who they are.  While we’re on this earth, God gave us each one body… so work whatcha got!

Well I’m off to do some cleaning.  Wish me luck…

the never ending pile…

I can’t even imagine what the laundry basket will look like after Brandon and I have kids… this is just 5 days worth, and he hasn’t even been home for 3 of those days!  Yikes…

Before I leave, inquiring minds want to know…

What do you love about yourself?  Your nose?  Your arms?  Your friendly smile?  I want to hear about it!