Fit, not skinny

These are my new best friends.

I've packed away my scale (because I'm sick of weighing myself) and replaced it with specially prescribed running shoes. I've decided to love my body no matter what the scale says. My focus now is to simply get fit.

OK, what a difference a proper pair of shoes makes! No more hip pain, no more shin splints. Just good and sore muscles.

I went to The Running Lab and had my stride analyzed. Apparently, I "pronate"--meaning, my ankles turn in when I walk. I'm also a wee-bit pigeon-toed and have high arches. Pretty much my feet suck at running. Which is why I need a particular kind of shoe to correct my stride and keep me from injuring myself. As I told you before, I'm a born swimmer. But oddly enough, this running thing is growing on me--mostly because it gives me energy and I feel so good afterwards.

This past Monday, I clocked my fastest mile. 8:53. Which is still heffalump-slow. But compared to my last timed mile of 11:59? It feels pretty good.

I also found some proper running clothes on sale and bought myself an official running outfit. Hello, wonderful invention of clothing that "wicks" away sweat.

I've been doing bootcamp for about 6 weeks now and I can already tell a huge difference in my energy level. I seem to entirely skip that 3pm afternoon lull. Yes, I'm going to bed early--but at least I can power through my whole day without feeling like I'm crashing during the Witching Hours of 3-7pm.

The other benefit is that hard exercise in the morning really acts as a stress buffer through the rest of the day. During this whole sell-the-house-and-move-thing, exercise is helping me remain calm and happy.

Lastly, I'm totally enjoying my food more. Since having babies, I usually focus primarily on dieting. I'm a big fan of The Zone diet and have used it for years to great success. However, when I'm on The Zone, I'm always hungry. Furthermore, dieting doesn't give me that same energy high.

I really love being able to work out and then enjoy my food without feeling guilty. I still eat pretty healthily. But it's nice to enjoy myself.

I even signed up for my first 5K. I know, I know. Crrrr---azy. But I'm doing it with friends who've promised to walk with me if I can't run the whole thing.

Hold up. Is this blog turning into a running blog? God help us all.