Routines are important

When I'm at my best dieting and exercising, I have a routine. It's when I'm thrown a curveball -- however slight -- is when things go awry.


I have not had the greatest two weeks. I have stuck with my running. I skipped Friday but absolutely made myself run Saturday, so I've been three times a week several weeks in a row now. So that's the good part.

But the bad part is my diet is gone out of the window. It's because I'm not in my routine.

My routine is to cook a big meal on my second day off of the week in eat it the rest of the week for dinner at work. I haven't done that in five or so weeks. Why? I have no good reason. But it's thrown me off my routine. My brain has an automatic "out." "Oh, well, I don't have any dinner, and since I don't have any dinner, there's no reason to make breakfast and lunch. I'll just grab something on the way to work to cover all three meals."

And while QuikTrip is convenience store heaven on earth, it's not a good plan.

Everyone is so pressed for time that we seek convenience. But we all have time; we just don't like appropriating that valuable commodity to things that aren't as fun.

I like cooking; I enjoy it. But there are so many things I feel the need to do on my days off, I use excuses to not cook. Even though cooking takes very little effort for me, I still put it off.

I can't continue to do that. I must get back in my routine. I think mapping out my meals a week in advance so I can look forward to them will work. I already am craving chicken tacos, so I will make that this week.

And hopefully by the week after that it will be cold enough to make chili.

If I have dinner prepared, all my other meals fall into place. I don't have my excuse, and the anchor of my routine is in place. It's when it's not when things go downhill.

Great day

I feel great today. I ran great today.

I still battle to actually get going though. I ran on Monday last week, totally recommitted to the process. Totally skipped Wednesday, which was supposed to be a long run day. Waited until the last possible minute to run on Friday and skipped Saturday.

I started this week anew again. It feels like I have a different mindset. I'm not motivated; I'm determined.

I think this is going to carry over to a great week.

Back at it

The good news: I ran again today.

The bad news: I've eaten about 40 tootsie rolls at work tonight.

I procrastinated and put off running as long as I could today until I either had to run or be late for work. I ended up running, thankfully. But even during my run, I tried to talk myself out of finishing it. "Just run one lap. That's a 'good' start for starting back up." It's not like I have been off for months; I last ran a week ago today. Thankfully, I powered through and finished the whole run. And of course I felt great after. It's just during the runs that I absolutely hate it.

It's amazing how just one week off affects your body. It was super hard to get going into my run. My pace was one minute slower per mile. Because of my recent two mini-layoffs, I'm basically taking two steps forward and one step back. I guess that's better than going backwards.

Back to it

It's been nearly four years since I've blogged. I wish I could say my "quest" is finished. But it's not.

I ate McDonald's for lunch today. I ate there yesterday, too. I didn't run yesterday. I didn't run today.

I have no legitimate excuses. But I make excuses to myself all the time to not run. Yesterday, it was "I'll run tomorrow." Today was "I'm running late for work." Never mind the fact that I sat around and did nothing for hours before work -- when I should have been running.

I have to hold myself accountable. That's why I will start blogging again. I WILL run Monday. I WILL have a long run Wednesday. I WILL walk tomorrow, to shake off a week's worth of sedentation.

I have no excuses. I feel great after I exercise. I obviously hate exercising, but why can't the feeling I get after doing it be enough motivation?

I'm done with excuses. This is my second bad week in three weeks. I must nip this in the bud before I go into another year-long funk. The holidays are coming. Food awaits me. I am NOT going to gain this holiday season. I WILL maintain. I might even lose.

It starts again now.