All things in MODERATION!

Okay, so since I accidentally skipped my Thursday post (sorry!) I get to post today :)

First, a TRIATHLON UPDATE. So this last week is when I started my official training schedule which includes the following:

-one long swim day

-one long run day

-one long run day

-three days of strength training (one for arms & back, one for legs, one for core/abs)

-2-3 days of smaller double workouts (i.e. bike & run)

-at least one complete day off

The first time I was supposed to jump in the pool was

Monday and it was in the 30's when I woke up- no swimming for me thank you! All I have access to at the moment is my apartment pool which is definitely not heated (but nice...see picture). I started to investigate and see if there were other places to go, but I only found one that had a heated pool that you don't have to be a member at (hello, membership rates are nuts!) So on Friday I decided to suck it up and go to Fleet Aquatic Center for their "open swim"; it couldn't be that bad, right?

So I drove there and could see people swimming from the parking lot. For one thing, all the lanes were full. For another, they all had like goggles and swimming caps and were like serious swimmers...I was just hoping to not drown! So I sat in my car for a few minutes and watched...but I couldn't get up the courage to get out of my car. It was a very weird moment for me; eventually I drove home. I was mad that I didn't do it and so when I got home (already in bathing suit and such) I made myself jump in the apartment pool...IT WAS FREEZING!!! I swam a couple of laps (it is a small pool!) freestyle, backstroke, froggie style, and freestyle again before I got out and wrapped myself in my towel. I was a little dizzy and quite nauseous and so I had to sit there a few minutes before I could walk back to my apartment...but I did it! The running and biking aren't too hard for me though so I am still hopeful that I can meet my goal in May...by the way did I mention that the swimming part is in a river? Yikes.

Now, on to my post. Today's thought is about moderation :) I heard this week about a new eating disorder that they are calling "orthorexia". Basically these people cut more and more out of their diet because they are thinking that they are being healthy when really all it does is malnourish them...an excessive focus on eating healthy.

This one lady told her story- she started becoming aware of food labels and realizing how much weird stuff we put into our bodies...so soon she became a vegetarian. Then she went completely vegan...and then only ate raw foods...and by the end her doctor told her parents to plan her funeral because she was so emaciated. She had started at a normal weight (for her) of 120 lbs. and at rock bottom was barely 60 lbs! She had started as an average woman- she was married and had two kids- who wasn't even concerned about losing weight. The moral of her story...be really cautious and talk to a professional if you are thinking about eliminating entire food groups from your diet.

Our bodies need protein, carbs, fat, etc. It is okay to eat! While we could and should be more careful about what and how much we eat, the bottom line is that we need to enjoy foods from all food groups to get the nutrients necessary for our body...and one cookie isn't going to ruin us! The trick is to enjoy things in moderation. Don't live on chocolate chips and marshmallows and swedish fish and french fries (that was pretty much my diet in college!) Have a well balanced meal, heavy on the fruits and veggies, and then go ahead and enjoy a little dessert or meat or night of lounging on the couch watching reruns. The point is that we don't create bad habits that control us- being a slave is no fun!

Which leads me to the peaceful thought for today: We have been given our agency to choose. Our Father in Heaven believes that we are smart enough to choose what is right for ourselves and thus has endowed in us the ability to choose...He wouldn't have given us that gift if He didn't have faith that we could do the right thing. We do have control- you are the only one who can determine what goes in your mouth! Be strong and refuse to choose things that aren't the best!

I hope that we can all retain the gift of agency by staying in control of our body instead of losing it by becoming a slave to our passions. Enjoy things in moderation and you can can have the power to control yourself!