You are worth it!

What kind of wonderful incite do I have for you today? Uh...not much.

Everything is pretty much the same. Oh, except for that my husband and I have made another no-sugar-pact. Basically, I've been treating myself to ice cream a little too freely these days and I don't want my health to suffer. Or his. Because at some point in his life, the way he eats sugar, he'll likely develop diabetes. I know we won't give up sugar for good, but it will be good for both of us to slow down. So, we are not eating sugary treats. And the first one to cave has to do something the other wants. For instance, I think that if I hold out the longest, I will make my hubs come to the gym with me some Saturday. Muahahahaha!!! But shhhh....don't tell!

Despite not really giving a crap about what I'm eating, I'm doing great. I've toned down my neurotic behavior and don't kill myself with grueling daily workouts. Don't get me wrong, I still workout 5 days a week and I'm panting and sweating profusely, but I'm not driving my intensity up as high as it can go every. single. day. I'm done with that. I've already proved to myself that I'm a maniac hardcore fitness freak, there's no need to over reach all the time.

You know what's funny? Being fit has many advantages. When I go out to a bar (which is rare) we usually end up dancing. If there is a good song playing and I'm slightly lit up, I can't help but shake it. So one of the last times I was out with my sisters, we went to a karaoke bar. And in between singers, the dj would play awesome dance music and so I got up and started dancing. I think my sisters thought I was a lunatic but I didn't care. Eventually, a whole bunch of people joined in. I was requesting songs to dance to left and right and the dj was lovin' the music I was picking. I think there was more dancing than singing going on. And my sisters were like, "We have to start working out more. We can't keep up with you!" By the end of the night, everyone else was dropping like flies but I was still flailing around. Another bonus to being fit, I guess. The dj even gave me his card, he thought I was fun. I guess people don't typically turn a karaoke bar into a dance party :)

My current schedule is weight training 3 times per week and 2 sessions of cardio. As I said, I've been doing the recumbent bike. And it sucks ASS. I don't like it. But I'm curious to see if it does anything for my legs. I'm thinking that one of these nights I might get the urge to run outside. Every now and then the mood will strike. We have been biking together some evenings and it's very nice. We found a new bike path near our neighborhood that takes us through an area on the edge of town that is away from traffic, sort of in the middle of a field and has a pond....it's really quite lovely.

Next month my mother-in-law is coming to stay with us for a couple weeks and my husband is taking time off from work. I'm really excited because we'll probably spend a lot of time at the beach. We're also planning on taking a trip to Canada, just the two of us. It's been a long time since we've had any sort of vacation with just the two of us. We drove to Wisconsin together the first year we were dating and since then, we've never taken a trip together just because. We did spend a little time in Copenhagen together sans children but there was a motive.....house hunting. So yeah, looking forward to some quality R&R.

Fitness advice for anyone looking for it: do what you like. It doesn't matter if you cycle, run, lift, roller blade, surf, or swim, as long as you enjoy it and it keeps you active, do it! More of us are becoming overweight and every body seems so intent on this "it's not your fault" slogan. I believe that some people are luckier than others in the weight management area than others. No question. But we still are responsible for a part of it. I don't buy into the idea that we can eat what we want without regard to our health and live a sedentary lifestyle and then claim that it's not our fault. Sure, some of us may have a greater likelihood for gaining weight than our neighbor, but that doesn't mean we should say, "oh well, it's in my genes to be fat" and continue to stuff ourselves full of junk. I'm all about loving ourselves the way we are but since when it is bad to want to be leaner and healthier? It's not narcissism. It's not selfishness. It is loving yourself. That you care enough for your health, your longevity, is saying you are worth the time and effort a healthy lifestyle takes. You are worth being around to see your grandchildren and great grandchildren. You are worth living into your golden years without being riddled with pain and disease. You are worth it!