Healthy and Happy

I've been keeping up with a miraculous blog here: http://www.fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com I've mentioned it once before, when speaking about my passion for children and their education and well being.

The posts go beyond elementary school lunches and reach into the homes of people nation-wide. I feel that I have gained so much wisdom and knowlege from this blog on how to cook and eat healthier, how to interest my future kids in cooking and eating right, and what to be on the look out for when my future children become school aged. I am totally in love with this blog and high recommend checking it out, starting from older posts and working your way to current ones.

Once kids graduate high school, they gain what's known as the Freshman 15...although, in many instances, it becomes the Freshman 40 or 50. It comes from a new college student's first year away from regulated, homemade meals; their first year in the world of Top Ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner; weekends of sugary alcoholic beverage and/or beer intake. Some are immune to the Freshman [insert number here] and can maintain a healthy regimine of exercise and proper food intake. I was not so lucky.

I fell into the routine of fast food and beer pong. I ate whatever I wanted at all hours of the night and am suffering justly. I am unhappy in my own skin, embarassed at the weight I've gained and hopelessly trying to hide my body flaws. I'm notorious for talking up a storm about loving exercise, wanting to change my eating habits, and so on and so forth...but as of today, I've truly made a step in the right direction.

SR (who has only been back home from San Diego for a few months now) and I have decided to start running in the mornings before work. Today was our first effort and we ended up only going for a 1.25 mile walk, but it was great. Good conversation with my best friend, brisk morning air, watching the sun rise over our little city...I'm so excited to keep this up!

There's a nutrigrain bar commercial out right now that attempts to drive the point home about making better choices throughout the day. The commercial shows a split screen of a woman picking up a donut on the left, and the same woman picking up a nutrigrain bar on the right. The donut-choosing woman continues to make "poor" health choices throughout the day: a big burrito at lunch, taking the elevator...while the nutrigrain bar-choosing woman makes "better" health choices during the day: a salad for lunch, taking the stairs, etc. I must say, from experience, that the situation shown in the commercial is incredibly accurate. It's being reinforced for me today. Having forced myself out of bed this morning to go on the walk has made me not want the exercise to be in vain. I made healthier decisions about my lunch and snacks and am looking forward to being up bright and early tomorrow morning!

Today is a much better day than yesterday...and I can't wait for this weekend, when I drive down to BS's house for another Caveat show. Saturday, Britannia Arms in Cuppertino, 8 pm, BE THERE! :)