So sorry to my TENS of readers (Okay, that was probably a generous estimation) for not writing anything in quite some time. I know I promised to get that menu plan down-loadable, was working on some exercise routines and other things that I haven't posted. Truth is, if you are on my Facebook, you probably are already aware of how hard life has slapped my family in the face right now and it's been the number one thought on my mind. My youngest brother, Brent, went through his 3rd major heart surgery two weeks ago and things went horribly wrong. He's alive, so that above all is worth celebrating. But his recovery is something none of us were prepared for. If you are interested in finding out more, here is a link to a great website that my Step-dad and brother Ryan are updating daily on Brent's condition: CaringBridge.
But I thought I would take a second to relate this somewhat to the point of this blog. So, I discovered that I am a stress eater. It's not like this is really news, and I've never claimed to have amazing will-power with food, but I just don't buy or make junk too often. Well, I spent the first week at the hospital giving into the evil snack machines with their taunting Sour Patch Kids that I haven't eaten in like 10 years and other equally deadly sugar-packed goodies. With not being able to workout, I gained 5 lbs in 2 weeks. EEP!
So my poor family not only has to deal with the hardest thing any of us has ever gone through, but also has to endure me whining about how I'm gaining weight and what the hell happened. HELLO! Sour Patch Kids happened! So, I decided to just let that go, allow myself the temporary comfort and slowly channel that to a more sustaining stress-reliever, which it turns out is running. It's okay to have ups and downs with food. The "everything in moderation" doesn't take into account our emotions and life's drama. We all deal with things differently, the point is to just reel it in before it spins out of control.
So the running... yeah I was in the Army Reserve for 8 years and I HATED running because of it. It screwed up my right leg and knees permanently, made me go to physical therapy for it, blah blah, long uninteresting story. But I did miss working out. I like to just zone out to music, reading my nook, or whatever I can do depending on what type of exercise I'm doing and have some me time. It feels good to get my heart pumping, endorphins flowing, and take an hour or so just for myself. On Saturday, I was at my parents house, and just felt I really needed to run. I have been having a hard time processing the reality of Brent's situation while taking care of two small children and shuffling back and forth from Portland to Seattle. It's hard to keep track of the days and I felt like I needed to just MOVE. So I went on a run, and boy did I move. It was so much nicer to be going somewhere and feeling the strength I have worked so hard for, pumping away, faster and faster then be stuck on an elliptical machine. It's like it was the first time I've ran before or something, which doesn't really make sense, but all I can say is I needed it. I did it again the next day. Then couldn't feel my legs on Monday, and went again last night. I just might become one of those runners after all that I see and silently judge how crazy they are, running in the rain when there is perfectly good equipment that they can take advantage of indoors. God help me.
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