What a beautiful weekend it was, Dallasites! As always when the spring weather finally returns, I try to take advantage by spending every second possible outdoors. I love the return of spring, at least for the nine milliseconds before it turns into the blazing inferno of Texas summer. Without fail, I find that it renews my energy in every area of my life - which is great, because between jobs and job changes and grad school and future grad school and beginning to think about moving (Yes, again - I know, I know. It's a necessity unless we want to spend our retirement savings on gas money), not to mention friends and family and birthdays and happy hours and cooking dinner and feeding the cat, I need all the energy I can get!
Lately I've been trying to adopt a new mantra in my life: "Put goodness in, get goodness out." It seems simple enough. Anyone who runs or trains regularly knows that what you eat before you work out makes a big difference. For instance, if I eat a lot of dairy the day before a long training run, it is guaranteed to be a long exercise in torture. Once, I had an evening run scheduled, but I ended up going to happy hour with friends instead, resolving to go home and run afterwards. And I did - fueled by an IPA and approximately a pound of truffle fries. Mistake. HUGE mistake. Never again. The point is that what we put into our bodies matters. Whether you make a conscious effort to eat healthy or don't, you need to know that you are not an exception. Your body isn't made to run on nachos and cheeseburgers and Dr. Pepper.
Let's say you own a Ferrari (I wish, right?). It requires premium gas, but maybe you decide to put in regular to save a few bucks. It might get the job done in the short term, but eventually that fuel is going to mess up your engine, and it's going to cost more to get it replaced than the premium gas would have. Your body is a finely crafted piece of machinery. It might require more effort to take care of it now, but down the road? Believe me, you'll be happy with the choice to put goodness in, because you will get goodness out, too. When I stopped eating meat, it was like waking up to a whole new world. I had so much energy and I felt so much better. I'm not suggesting that you, too, should be a vegetarian - I think everyone's body responds differently to different things, and I know that many of you are diehard meat lovers. Okay. But consider whether you are nourishing your body, and what it might be capable of if you made a couple of changes. Five years ago, I had never run more than a couple of miles in one go. Today, I have completed two full marathons and six half marathons, and I'm hungry for more. I know what my body can do when I take care of it... and I know how terrible it feels when I demand a lot from my body without giving it what it needs.
"Goodness in, goodness out" doesn't just apply to your physical body. It's true for your spirit and mind too. Am I putting goodness into my life through spending time with friends, family, and God? What am I reading that challenges my mind and causes me to consider what I know and what I believe? Here's a big one for me - what am I putting into my soul? Is it positive, or truthful, or meaningful? Or is it trash, like gossip or reality TV (hey, I love a good Top Model marathon as much as the next girl, but it's not like it's altering my worldview)?
No one is perfect at this, myself included. My primary vices include cheese, wine, dessert, and Top Chef marathons. I'm not suggesting that you get rid of all your guilty pleasures - far from it! In moderation, there are many "frivolous" things that can add richness and fun to our lives. But it is important to remember that we are only given one body, and one life. We only have one shot at today, and we never know when our time will be cut short. That's not a cliche. Ask anyone who has suddenly lost a friend, a parent, a child. You do not know that you will live a long and healthy life. But regardless of when your number is up, we should live in an awareness that life is beautiful, and precious, and a thing not to be wasted. And if you do live a long time? Your body will age, you will gain weight, or lose muscle tone, or get injured and be unable to exercise - whatever hasn't happened that makes you feel immortal. But today, you have the chance to nourish your body, mind, soul, spirit. You have an opportunity to make it count.
Goodness in... goodness out. It's our choice, and we will receive the consequences, whatever we choose. What will your choice be?
Lately I've been trying to adopt a new mantra in my life: "Put goodness in, get goodness out." It seems simple enough. Anyone who runs or trains regularly knows that what you eat before you work out makes a big difference. For instance, if I eat a lot of dairy the day before a long training run, it is guaranteed to be a long exercise in torture. Once, I had an evening run scheduled, but I ended up going to happy hour with friends instead, resolving to go home and run afterwards. And I did - fueled by an IPA and approximately a pound of truffle fries. Mistake. HUGE mistake. Never again. The point is that what we put into our bodies matters. Whether you make a conscious effort to eat healthy or don't, you need to know that you are not an exception. Your body isn't made to run on nachos and cheeseburgers and Dr. Pepper.
Let's say you own a Ferrari (I wish, right?). It requires premium gas, but maybe you decide to put in regular to save a few bucks. It might get the job done in the short term, but eventually that fuel is going to mess up your engine, and it's going to cost more to get it replaced than the premium gas would have. Your body is a finely crafted piece of machinery. It might require more effort to take care of it now, but down the road? Believe me, you'll be happy with the choice to put goodness in, because you will get goodness out, too. When I stopped eating meat, it was like waking up to a whole new world. I had so much energy and I felt so much better. I'm not suggesting that you, too, should be a vegetarian - I think everyone's body responds differently to different things, and I know that many of you are diehard meat lovers. Okay. But consider whether you are nourishing your body, and what it might be capable of if you made a couple of changes. Five years ago, I had never run more than a couple of miles in one go. Today, I have completed two full marathons and six half marathons, and I'm hungry for more. I know what my body can do when I take care of it... and I know how terrible it feels when I demand a lot from my body without giving it what it needs.
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| An old photo... but a view that nourished me, for sure! |
"Goodness in, goodness out" doesn't just apply to your physical body. It's true for your spirit and mind too. Am I putting goodness into my life through spending time with friends, family, and God? What am I reading that challenges my mind and causes me to consider what I know and what I believe? Here's a big one for me - what am I putting into my soul? Is it positive, or truthful, or meaningful? Or is it trash, like gossip or reality TV (hey, I love a good Top Model marathon as much as the next girl, but it's not like it's altering my worldview)?
No one is perfect at this, myself included. My primary vices include cheese, wine, dessert, and Top Chef marathons. I'm not suggesting that you get rid of all your guilty pleasures - far from it! In moderation, there are many "frivolous" things that can add richness and fun to our lives. But it is important to remember that we are only given one body, and one life. We only have one shot at today, and we never know when our time will be cut short. That's not a cliche. Ask anyone who has suddenly lost a friend, a parent, a child. You do not know that you will live a long and healthy life. But regardless of when your number is up, we should live in an awareness that life is beautiful, and precious, and a thing not to be wasted. And if you do live a long time? Your body will age, you will gain weight, or lose muscle tone, or get injured and be unable to exercise - whatever hasn't happened that makes you feel immortal. But today, you have the chance to nourish your body, mind, soul, spirit. You have an opportunity to make it count.
Goodness in... goodness out. It's our choice, and we will receive the consequences, whatever we choose. What will your choice be?
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