Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Thinking in the grey

Two different people brought treats to work yesterday. Both of these individuals are very skilled bakers. One brought cookies, and the other made brownies. I did everything in my power to abstain. I concentrated so hard on avoiding the treats that I wound up stressing about it. By the time I got home, I just wanted to stuff myself. And I did.

However, there's a silver lining to this cloud. In the past, if I "messed up" at some point during the day, I'd think the whole day was screwed and it would be pointless to exercise. This time, I knew I had 4 miles to run. It wasn't just about burning the calories; it was more about getting the mileage in for my marathon training. So, I made myself get on the treadmill. I had such acid reflux from the crap I'd eaten earlier that I wanted to quit after 5 minutes, but I stuck it out and finished all 4 miles of the workout.

I know I didn't burn off the extra 1300 calories I ate after dinner last night, but I did feel very proud of myself for not succumbing to all-or-nothing thinking.

3 comments:

WWSuzi said...

Yah for still exercising!! That's something i'm trying to learn, that afterwards even when i think i've blown it, stop and keep doing the exercise and get back into eating right!

Pokey said...

I totally fall victim to the all or nothing philosophy on way too much of a regular basis!! Good for you for not taking the easy way and out making the most of your day. It's not easy ;)

Linden said...

Hooray for the victory! Every little step in the right direction is a step away from the wrong direction. When I first started running, that was one of my mantras: I focused on each step and said in my mind "I'm getting closer to a healthy Linden and leaving the unhealthy, lazy one in my past."

(I think I found your blog through Topher at I'll Run for Donuts. It's taken me a while to comment, but you're very inspiring!)