ode to a healthy life

I don't like to do things like this very often. 

Aka ever. 

It makes me feel like a prick.

BUT.

It's something I'm passionate about, and this is how I get when I'm passionate about something...

(hence the 98,000 music posts. no shame)

...I must talk/blog about it. 

So here we go.

I'm doing a triathlon in approximately 19 days, and running the Halloween half marathon in October.

(!!!)

And here is what I've learned over the last 2 1/2 months as I've been training with loves Jburk and Abbers:

- I've learned (or re-learned) to love exercising. It's so cool to see an improvement in strength, endurance, mileage etc after working hard for weeks.

The burn, the sweat, the blood, the tears. It just plain feels awesome! 

(Ok maybe there hasn't been blood involved. But I like to pretend it's that intense.....)

- I've learned it's so important to be conscious of what we put into our bodies. 

Like maybe it's not a good idea to go run after eating $4 worth of frozen yogurt.

*voice of experience*

But when you eat a ton of protein, gobs of vegetables, fruit, good carbs, and a workout supplement or two, WOW your run/bike/swim gets taken to a whole new level!

It has taken me a while to learn, but you really should consider the effect of your food on your workout.

It makes a big difference.

And when you do decide to eat that much frozen yogurt 

(I'm an advocate!)

you better plan on running like 3 days later.

- I've learned that sleep is also a HUGE determining factor in how well your workout goes. 

Also learned this the hard way, more than once.

It's basically the worst thing in the world to run and feel like you are going to fall over the whole time.

Couple exhaustion with aforementioned frozen yogurt-eating, and you might as well be dead. 

- I've learned that strength training is also incredibly important. 

Say goodbye to sore knees, hips and shoulders... and say hello to POWER!

- I've learned that it's great to pick an event (like a tri) to have an actual goal you are working towards. 

It makes workouts seem even more important, and it's especially fun if you can get friends involved too. 

So basically it's important to set goals, eat consciously, sleep lots, lift weights, and ENJOY IT. 

Life lessons that have taken me a few months to nail down, but man. It's so worth it!

So take it from Nike, and: