What exactly is an addictive personality? Because damn if everyone I know isn’t addicted to something. These days it seems more about picking your poison instead of leading a well-balanced lifestyle. Alcohol, Marijuana, drugs, caffeine, GMO’s, religion, extremism in politics, television shows, video games, keeping up on current events, internet, talking on the phone, work—–it seems hardly possible to start most habits without overloading. Personally I’m getting exhausted hearing about all the bad health effects of basically everything in society, ranging from my shampoo to the aspertam in diet coke. But thats a rant for another time. Myself, I’m a member of Binge-Eating Anonymous. BEA. Today, I would like to proudly say I have gone 5 days without binge eating. Which means in 2 days I want my 1 week pin.
And although my body is still becoming accostomed to eating less, stomach still shrinking and thus hungry most of the time, dang if it doesn’t feel good. But mostly that’s because of my new obsession. One that I am nurturing carefully, trying not to overdose on and carefully crafting my schedule so that it becomes a staple in my life right along with two habits I’m more addicted to than breathing (sleeping and checking facebook). My newest obsession is exercise. I’ve never been a big fan. Exercise was always a necessary evil that came along with the best game ever, soccer. Running was a chore. Amusing if you are chasing after a ball or slide-tackling the other team’s forward, but completely groan-worthy in any other circumstance. Tolerable during pre-season training, but even then running was short drill after short drill. Suicides, sprinting, run from cone to cone and pass, head and juggle at each station. No joke, just talking about these fun drills makes me want to go sign up for a soccer camp, sigh, if only they had one for adults.
Thus integrating running into my life has been a bit of a hurdle, more mental than anything. I never took legally blonde seriously when she talked about the power of endorphins, keeping you happy, not killing your husband. It wasn’t until a month or so ago after a short fifteen minute run when as I walked back chatting on the phone I noticed that I literally felt happier, my mood boosted. Today it feels like an afterglow. No matter how rough the workout, whether I feel my sides splitting from cramps, have to slow down and walk or feel dizzy from the heat, afterward I feel fuckin great. And I can feel my body starting to crave the movement and the work out. I’ve found that when I do too much, like last weekend three days in a row a total of almost six miles and lots of abs, I burn out and get caught in another slump of about 36 hours hibernating in my room. But every other day seems to be workin well. Though I have to stop myself from fitting it in on my off days. Balance baby, balance.
But just between us, I’m hoping next week or the week after I can move up to running everyday. Here’s hopin.
hugs,
Alex Marie
