I Fought The Food and The Food Won

This year the holidays brought temptations galore and I will admit, without any fear of being exulted from the society of healthy life, that I truly did indulge this Christmas.  Why are you looking at me like that?  Did I run?  Of course I did…not!  Look, with the holidays comes food and, well, vacation.  I know it doesn’t mean a vacation from being healthy, but what do you expect when you make two gingerbread houses and four dozen cookies.  I actually have a better excuse than my acute inability to say no to bad food during the holidays.  I was sick.  Besides, I figure my body needed some rest before kicking back into full gear for my next half marathon.

Surprisingly I worked out on Christmas Eve after making cookies with my sister.  I figured I would be eating bad the next few days and knew I had to take it upon myself to be as healthy as possible.  Being healthy and working out is not easy by any means.  It takes work and, pardon my language, a butt load of desire.  The second that desire wanes everything else crumbles to the ground.  So there I was on Christmas Eve with three cookies nicely nestled in my belly and realizing the holidays were going to be much harder than I first anticipated.  I procrastinated for two hours as I tried desperately to convince myself to workout.  I spent the first hour flipping through channels on the TV as I tried to forego any thoughts of being healthy.  I got dressed in my workout attire and in the next hour I fought the desire to be healthy by engrossing myself into projects like cleaning.  Can you believe that? 

Finally, I worked out hard for 45 minutes and felt somewhat proud of myself for finding the power to fight the demons.  I have never, and I mean never worked out and regretted it.  The hardest part is getting to the gym, park, or any place to work out.  The easiest part is finishing and feeling alive.  I truly felt alive on Christmas Eve after that workout and then I proceeded to eat everything in sight that night.  I told you it wasn’t easy being healthy.  After about 5 tamales, 5 mini sausages, some regular sausage, chips, queso mixed with turkey meat, more cookies, coke, more coke and a margarita the damage was done.  But, I thought, at least I worked out.  Plus, I am sure I burned a few calories playing Guesstures (It’s not wishful thinking!).

Christmas day brought with it a refusal to workout (let’s just be honest).  I wanted to rest and, of course, eat.  I went easy on the dinner and only had one piece of pie.  In all I was very good on Christmas, but I will admit that I made it a point to enjoy my family more than the food.  The following day was a bit harder with leftover food and it being my sister’s birthday, which meant a nice dinner and, yes, cake and ice cream!  You have to realize I am not always the picture of health.  I struggle like anyone else, but I find a way to keep my desire at a maximum.  Therefore, I went and ran at a park the day after Christmas.  The weather was a cold 50 degrees in the shade, which actually aided in my run.  But, I felt sluggish and unable to run with my normal energy.  I got through it, but it wasn’t easy.  I promised I would work harder the next day.

I would love to tell you that in that last week before the New Year I worked out like a mad man determined to make 2011 an even healthier year, but of course I would be lying.  Unfortunately, there seemed to be a virus of some sort going around causing a sore throat, cough, and the feeling like a horrible cold was looming.  Thus, I listened to my body and I spent the week leading up to the New Year taking it easy and indulging in food. 

The problem when you’re sick is that everything becomes harder.  The desire to workout suddenly dissipates because it is simply impossible.  Your body goes into shutdown mode and for some reason your appetite goes into overdrive.  There you are with an excuse not to workout.  However, you do not have an excuse to eat badly, but your mind kind of thinks you do and so you eat.  Within a week I became reacquainted with soda, pizza, hamburgers, fried fish, chicken fried steak and a plethora of other things.  Now, don’t get me wrong, this was not all on the same day.  However, it was consumed in a week’s time which is completely out of the ordinary.  Normally when I am sick I will do my best to ensure my healthy diet stays on track.  I guess with it being the holidays and all it was a little too easy to lose sight of that.  Food can be evil when consumed in mass quantities without any consideration of your health and I will admit I lacked the want and desire to be healthy.  The only good thing is that I know it was wrong and it can be easily remedied.

The holidays are officially over and it is 2011.  I stepped on the scale and for some reason the healthy gods have decided to give me a reprieve.  Luckily I know that won’t always be the case and it takes discipline, hard work, and desire to remain healthy.  Two years ago Rachel and I said we were going to get in shape.  Two years later we have continued to come through.  This year it isn’t about a new year’s resolution to get healthy.  It’s a new year’s resolution to stay healthy and to live life to the fullest.  As you have seen it is a struggle to be healthy on a daily basis.  It’s understandable that some days or even weeks are going to be harder than others.  But, the thing you have to realize is that in the end it is you who ultimately makes the decision if you are going to be healthy or not.  Is it possible to get healthy when you have never really been a healthy person?  Hell yes it is…just ask me or Rachel.  It all starts with a want and a desire.  I know I didn’t end the year as well as I hoped, but I will start this year better than I anticipated because I want and need to.  I have half marathons and a marathon to run, besides, I already paid for them so I might as well be healthy and run them right?  It’s never about that.  It’s about setting goals and accomplishing them.

What are your goals for 2011?