it's not rocket science

I know I've blogged about half a million times about how, since I know how much better I feel when I eat right and exercise, why don't I do it more consistently?

Well, the other night I was going through my old workout journal. It started as a running journal alone, around March of 2010, when I was training for my first race--the Bridge Run. I gradually began tracking more info, like my weight, workouts other than running, and eventually everything from tracking massages, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and when I get migraines, colds, or stomach woes.

Y'all! This year and a half of journals is now a wealth of valuable health information. I hadn't taken the time to go back through them in a while, but I wanted to look at how many long runs I've done since getting off crutches, and then I just got curious. The first wonderful tidbit was that I only gained 11 pounds while injured, instead of the 13 I'd remembered. I am now just a couple of pounds above where I was before going on crutches. So, that's awesome.

But more importantly, a very clear cause and effect pattern emerged. Skip yoga for a week? I'm going to the chiropractor 2-3 times the next week. Don't run much for a week? A migraine is sure to follow. A few nights of no workouts at all? A sure sign that I went out to dinner more than usual, and a stomach problem is the inevitable result.

In a way it's depressing--can't I EVER slack off without paying a pretty significant price? But at the same time, knowledge is power! I can indulge without taking off several days in a row and causing back issues or a migraine. It's all about exercising more days than not, and eating clean and healthy 90ish percent of the time. The older I get, the more important it seems to be. After reading an article about 68-year-old Mick Jagger, in which he describes regular running, yoga, pilates, weight training, and a diet of organic veggies and lots of green superfood smoothies, I want to be doing all that at 68! I want to be ABLE to do all that at 68! And if there's one thing I know, it's use it or lose it.