Adios, Leftover Halloween Candy

A couple days ago I wore a pair of my most expensive shoes.  They are hot pink and green, with bouncy soles.  James bought them for me just over a year ago, right before a 5k race.  I wasn't running while wearing them.  I was at the office.

As evidenced on this very blog, I am a reluctant runner.  However, I learned that running can be fun and I usually feel better when I run (also evidenced on this blog, as well as the fact that "run" is a relative term when my kids are out there with me).

A year ago I was training sort of regularly.  There was the 5k to raise funds for mission, in which my bishop nearly powerwalked past me.  There was the highlight of my running year, going out for a run with my dear friend Carol, who inspires me from half a globe away with her persistence and joy.  There was James, who was proud of my running and bought those expensive shoes.

But somewhere along the line I stopped.  I don't know what happened, or why.  I could list the multitude of excuses that have lived inside my head for the last year, but I'll spare you all that particular bit of prevarication.  The fact is, I quit exercising altogether.

And now I'm faced with a bowl of leftover Halloween candy.  Not just any leftover candy.  Nope, I was careful about what was leftover.  Turns out, that bowl has a bunch of the candy James likes, and a bunch that I like.  It's relatively easy to walk past the candy bars at the grocery store or the convenience store, because they are big and full of lots of calories.  But this bite sized one, well, it's so cute and really, there's not that much wrong with just a little ole bite sized one, right?

~cue rustling sound~  tick tock tick tock  Suddenly I realize that I've lost track of time while here at my desk and ~gasp~ there's a pile of bite sized chocolate candy wrappers beside me!

~sigh~

I know myself well enough to know that thinking up a grand plan for total fitness make-over will be doomed for failure.  I'll start off well enough but then I'll fall off the wagon rather soon and give up in frustration.  It's best for me if I just pick up again, slowly but surely, starting over again off the couch - specifically, the Couch to 5k program.  It works for me, working my way slowly into running again.  And if I'm not mistaken, I do still have a gym membership.  I'll feel better about holiday meals if I'm already working out a couple days a week.  And bonus, then I'll be comfortable with the gym when all the new years resolution types come in to the gym in January, right?  Nah, I'll never be comfortable with the gym, who am I kidding?  But a habit, well, now that might be worth working on.  Never mind if it's not comfortable, it's healthy.  I sleep better, think more clearly, and have more energy if I train for a run and go to the gym.

So, it's adios to the leftover Halloween candy and hola to my running shoes!  Ole!