This morning, I woke up early, did a 2.5 mile run, took a cold shower, and felt really great. I realized that, health-wise, I'm the best "me" that I can be. It's a great feeling, one that I can't remember the last time I experienced.
The food and diet choices I'm making are smart ones, including cutting out a lot of sugar and carbs, eating mostly veggies and protein, and going crazy cray cray on my cheat-days. The choices don't feel like a burden and I feel energized by what I'm eating. I've been thinking a lot lately about this article my neuroscientist Michael Graziano on the feeling of satiation and diet and how much sense it makes from my experience.
Seriously, who wouldn't go all in for a diet where you get to eat stuff like this on your cheat day?
But honestly, I get just as excited about my normal breakfast that looks something like this.
I'm active, but not hyper-active. I run 3-4 times a week, just 2-3 miles each run. I dance as many days a week as I can manage. And I go on awesome long-ish bike rides whenever I can.
And I'm seeing the results. I set a casual weight loss goal of 140 pounds a few months ago, and reached it the other day. The mirror doesn't intimidate me anymore. I had to buy a new belt recently and my old pants feel huge on me.
None of this stuff was overnight. I feel like my slow and steady approach is going to keep paying off much better than crash diets, cleanses, and torturous exercise regimes that I've tried and failed at so many times before. You can read more about my various interventions here.
So for those of you struggling with trying to make healthier choices, feel more at home in your body, be more active, or have a more positive relationship to the foods and drinks you consume, I'm sending you positive energy and cheering you on. Find your own path, listen to your body, and be kind to yourself.