Tip of the Day, Musicals, and Running

Day 2 Healthy Tip: Stay active. Don’t mistake being "busy" for being "active." You still need to exercise at least 30 minutes each day. Break it up into a few smaller sessions throughout the day if you're pressed for time.

Now this is a great tip. I have been so guilty plenty of times when I push being active to the side because Im on the go go go. Ill always do it tomorrow. But why not today? Today is actually better than tomorrow. So even when I feel that I dont have another minute in my schedule, I will take a closer look at where I can fit in 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. Its may be a lower intensity workout, but nonetheless its a workout.

My weekend has been pretty pleasant. Hairspray was AWESOME! I absolutely loved it. The cast was absolutely amazing. In the movie there was some meh actors/actresses, but in this musical they all shined. The girl who played Penny actually was a little scene stealer, and it was her debut performance. That girl sang her lungs out! I really liked how they combined scenes from the original and the remake. I was a little disappointed in Detroit though. Although maybe the 8 o'clock crowd may have been more hyped. But at the end after they did their bows, they said come on Detroit, Dance! And the music started up and the actors danced. But there was maybe a handful dancing in the crowd. How could you not dance! I was practically jumping out of my seat :) I went with my friend Fran. Sorry to disappoint you, because I know you all were thinking Grant was some musical fanatic :p Fran is so cultural, and I love hanging out with her. She seems to always know of interesting things going on around town, and it gets me trying new things all the time. Its been hard transitioning my life to involve more sober social activities, and finding sober friends. My friendship with her has really been helpful :)

Last night we went to the bar to hear Claude VonStroke and it was such a great time. It was a little hot in there, so I think I may have sweated off some pounds! lol The music was good, and we danced the night away. A good night out was long overdue for Grant and I. So that was nice.

So as I was browsing a message board the other day I came across the question, Why do you run? This is an interesting question, and the responses I read were pretty consistent. So I asked myself, Mel why do you run? When I first started running I did it mainly for weight loss. I knew that it would help in that respect. I also did it to keep me focused, and its has succeeded my expectations on that as well! Its probably the hardest cardio Ive tried, and mainly thats because it is very psychological. So not only am I working on myself physically, Im also working on myself mentally. Those two things working together are amazing. I love when you see another runner out when your on your run, you bond in a way that your friends and family who are not runners could never understand. And that is simply by just nodding, waving, or smiling at another runner. Its such a connection. I also love running because I feel like an athlete, Ive never, ever felt like one in anything Ive did before and I even played sports in high school! lol I also love to run because everyone has always doubted me to do it. I have really bad knee problems, but my orthopedic surgeon said you can be a runner just like everyone else. He gave me tips and good information on how to go about it. And he was right, I can do this. I havent had one knee problem yet!

Even though Im still a novice runner, its difficult. I dont think it will ever get easier. And thats why I love doing it. Everytime Im done I feel accomplished. I thought walking 60 miles in 3 days felt awesome, but running is a whole different ballpark. Its kind of funny that sometimes when Im running Im think this is miserable. Just one race and you have proved your point. You have met your goal, you dont need to do this. But when Im done Im like that wasnt to bad. And the fact is, I do need to do this. I need to push myself, and running seems to be the one thing where I do push myself. I told Kristen last night that I want to run a half marathon. I said I dont know if I can do it, but I really want to do one. And this has been an ongoing debate in my head for the last few years. And debate no more, Im going to do one. If not in 2008, well than in 2009. But I will do one. I think it is one goal I really need to accomplish.