Monday, June 28, 2010

Reality Check

It's funny how time gets away from you. We tell ourselves we're going to do this or that and then we get wrapped up in the ins and outs of the every day and this or that never happen. The reality of this hit home for me over the last week. I've had a chronic headache for 2 weeks, I've got tendonitis in 3 different joints, I haven't been to the dentist or eye doctor in over 3 years, and I'm taking ZERO supplements or vitamins to help keep me healthy.

Now, I've set out to reach certain goals...my first triathlon, my first half-marathon, my first half-ironman, Virginia Tech, grad school, etc. I've succeeded at these goals and I'm proud of that but there is an entire part of my life, my entire life, that I haven't been paying attention to.

The last three years have seen me reach physically demanding goals but have also seen the unacceptable decline of my physical health. Lyme disease, poor eyesight, less than stellar nutrition habits, and a 20 pound increase have all made me unrecognizable to myself. I spend my days helping other people, being over-worked, caring more for others than I do myself, and not paying attention to what I'm doing to my own well-being. I'm tired, in pain, stressed with work, spread too thin, and wanting to make a change.

So here I am now and it's time for me to focus on me. My goals are as follows:
1. Incorporate more foods with anti-inflammatory properties to aid with my inflammation issues
2. Eat less artificial (splenda, etc.)
3. Increase my vitamin intake to help my immune system, joint health, and workout recovery
4. Lose 25lbs.
5. Visit the farmer's market weekly to utilize local, fresh, organic, and chemical free produce
6. Drink more water
7. Practice yoga at least 1x/week
8. Drink less alcohol
9. Remove refined sugar from my diet
10. Become up to date on all doctor visits (dentist, eye doctor, etc)

I intend on keeping this up to date so you can join me on my journey back to better health!

Until next time...