Playing catch up

Okay, so I missed writing for week 5, but nothing out of the ordinary went on that week. Week 6 however, was really tough. I don't know what it was, but there were a few days that I just about threw up from working so hard. However, I can tell that my body is SO much more in shape than it was six weeks ago. I went on almost an hour-long run and I never would have been able to do that before this. And I never wanted to. I would run 5ks, and that would be good enough for me. But now I'm seeing that my body really is capable of doing more than a standard half an hour work out a day. I really am capable of doing more. A marathon? Probably not, but I cant totally do this 10K! :)

This week was also the start of a diet change for my disease prevention class. We were supposed to change something, even if it's something small, to make our diet more healthy. I've been reading a LOT of information about how red meat (meaning anything besides poultry and fish) is horrible for you and that it causes cancer. Now, I'm not freaking out that everyone who eats red meat is going to get cancer, but here is America, we definitely eat beyond our fair share of protein, and red meat is the worst of them. So, I'm cutting it almost completely out of my diet for at least the next month. It's not a huge jump for me since I'd rather have chicken than beef any day, but the pork and processed meats (sausage, bacon, J Dawgs) are the things I'll be really giving up. It's one more step to a healthier me.

My dad is also doing this month-long change with me. I was scared to death to ask him, but with my mom's help I got it out and he agreed to do it! With my weight loss progress I have been praying that he would see the difference in my life and make some changes in his own life to become healthier. He has so many health problems and they are only getting worse, and I only want him to get better, and I know he can! It just can't be any fad diets, it has to be a permanent change for the better. I sincerely hope that this month of experimentation will yield some results and that he can see how much it can help him.

I cannot even begin to express how happy I am for each and every little change I have made in my life. I would not like to think of how my life would be if I wasn't where I am now. I would be extremely unhappy, and I most definitely wouldn't have been able to go spend two hours playing night games that involved not quite constant sprinting. I am more confident in myself and my ability to make a difference now, and I have hope for an even better future. Sixty pounds down the road, I am a completely different person than I was ending my senior year of high school. And if I can do it, anyone can do it! :)