Motivated to Get a Move On

So my best friend has been on a health kick. I'm really proud of her, but honestly after I spoke to her on the phone on Saturday, I kind of wanted to kick her. Here it is on a Saturday morning (okay, late afternoon), and she has gone to Pilates, gone running, and run errands. In contrast, I had suffered a panic attack because I received a text message from my boss on a Saturday morning, watched half an episode of Shameless on someone else's couch (hey, I walked there), and eaten a bowl of pasta (and like six pieces of bread.)

So I felt a little cruddy about myself, which is why I went running today. Running to Roosevelt Beach and back is one of my favorite things about visiting (okay, living) in Oyster Bay.

This is the nifty 5 mile loop I like to run.

Now that I'm back on my own health kick, there are a few pieces of advice I'd like to share.  First off, you need to watch your diet, but you shouldn't over-diet. Make sure you are eating clean foods that your body can use for fuel. Stay away from 100-calorie pack crap and artificial diet foods. Your body doesn't know what to do with that garbage.

If you rapidly lower the amount of calories you are consuming, and you are not obese, your body will freak out because it thinks it is being starved to death. Instead of losing weight, your body will start storing calories like a bear about to go into hibernation. Be sensible, although every so often I like to go way below my calorie allowance. It tends to wake me up a little.


Drink a lot of water. You will feel fuller, and most "hunger pains" are actually dehydration.