During the late winter, I planted the seeds of transformation in my life. Feb. 14 my girls and I went completely vegetarian. I never looked back. Seeing the health changes and the changes in my energy level, I began the next step of taking my own health and making it a number one priority for myself and for my family. I decided to get fit. I don’t mean fit as in a size zero because, honestly, that shit ain’t ever going to happen. I mean feel good physically, mentally, spiritually and stop making excuses beginning with “ I can’t” or “I am too old to”.
I began running in April with my daughter. It was comical that we set out with intention of running cross country type miles and yet we couldn’t get 200 yards without gasping for air. We pushed each other every day to get out and run regardless of how much the other complained. One day she was lacking motivation and the next was me. We began an app called Couch to 5K and over the summer made it through the 9 week program. It was a long hot journey. We ran every single day starting with 1 minute at a time and ending with a straight 30 minute run. Some days we ran in the rain but most we ran in 95 degree and hotter temps with high humidity. We live surrounded by hilly terrain that you don’t really pay attention to until you must run up it. In August my daughter started her freshman year of cross country and I was alone to train. I had been cross training 2x a week at the gym and lifting weights to help building muscles and make me a faster runner. I had to find a new way of staying motivated, one that relied only on me. I used to run at night when the temps got cooler. I couldn’t imagine getting up and running. But now I run 3-4 mornings a week. I get up and get the kids off to school, lace up my shoes and get my running in, then come home and begin my day. I only run 3-4 days a week now because I run farther and the mileage begins to take a toll on my body, after all I am still fairly new to this and am still a work in progress. I still cross train 2 days a week, lifting weights and doing cardio on the elliptical for 30 minutes. I tried running on the treadmill but that was scary. I could easy see myself on one of those treadmill utube videos of people that fall and get flung off the back of it. I don’t run at a steady pace and until running on one I didn’t realize how crooked I run. That thing is just disturbing. All joking aside, I am proud of myself. My body is stronger, lighter and in better physical condition then I have been since I was in high school. It’s a journey and I have goals so there is always further to go but as of today I have lost 35# and I can run for more than 5 miles and an full hour straight. Today alone, I ran for four miles and then I walked for a mile to cool down. My body is transforming, and that is causing me transformation mentally and spiritually too. My biggest words of advice: Keep doing what you know you should be doing every day until it becomes a habit. It doesn’t ever get easy ALL the time. Everyone has low energy or bad days but do it anyways. I have never seen anyone return from a work out regretting have completed it.
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Keri Nichol
Founder, Artist, Herbalist, and Writer Archives
August 2018
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