Sunday, May 29, 2011

Vegas baby!

I got invited to go to Las Vegas this summer. The trip is totally affordable and I think I'm going to go :)

But there's a tiny little glitch in the form of 30 lbs. The trip is only six weeks away, so I don't think that I can lose it all by then, but I can work my butt off, be really strict with my diet and drop about 10 while toning up and creating muscle.

I've been trying to lose weight for a while now, and I've dropped a few pounds in the last few months, I'm not shedding it as quickly as I would like. I think this trip is going to be the boost I need to whip me into shape.

How am I going to do it? First of all, lots of lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish, beans), veggies, fruit, healthy fats (think eggs, peanut butter, olive oil) and whole grains. Very few sweets, white carbs and little to no prepackaged food. The exception would be Kashi granola bars for a quick, on-the-go snack. But even they aren't as good as having a piece of fruit or some veggies.

I've been eating better, but not nearly as good as I should be. I've been eating less bad stuff, but not no bad stuff. That's going to have to stop now.

I've been lacking something to really motivate me, so I think this trip will be a good thing in more than one way.

It's Vegas baby!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Midnight Run

This town can suck you in. It can break you down and kill your spirit if you let it. They want you to conform, they don't like outsiders here. People who do different things, look different, act different, are different aren't welcome, aren't wanted. People here get married young, have families and work to support that family, not because they want to build a career.

They don't like independent people here. People aren't supposed to be alone here. The sidewalks don't get used here, especially not at night. And no one goes out in the rain.

So the strangest thing I could do would be to go for a midnight run alone in the rain.

I was sick of sitting alone in my apartment. I was sick of sitting. I was sick of being afraid of a little water and darkness. If no one uses the sidewalk they are just as safe in the darkness as they are in the light. And I might look harmless, but I can fend for myself if need be.

The water, the water felt good, cleansing. The movement was cleansing as well. The heavy breathing was putting good in and bad out. I guess I didn't run as much as I walked, because my knee hurt, but it still felt good.

More importantly I got stuff out. I thought and talked to myself about all sorts of stuff. It felt good to get it out, it felt good to put it out in the world. The bad went out and the rain washed it away.

Most importantly, it felt good to be different, to stop trying to conform and just do what felt good, what felt right for me. Because now I feel better, I feel right.