The title is directed at me. I am sure that you enjoy a nice healthy meal and you eat veggies and fruits for between-meal snacks. Me? I eat crap. A lot. I have no self-control when it comes to eating. Just in case you think I am exaggerating, here’s a rundown of yesterday’s intake:
- Breakfast – chocolate Donettes and Diet Pepsi
- Snack (for the drive to Owensboro) – Twix and Diet Pepsi
- Lunch – O’Charley’s – Shared an appetizer with Addison – chicken strips, potato skins, and fried cheese wedges (it was awesome!)
- Snack – Cheez-its
- Supper – Peanut butter and jelly
- Snack – more Cheez-its
Do you see one healthy item on that list? The thing is, I know that I need to eat better. When I go for a run, I can immediately tell that I have eaten crap all day, and that I have chosen my beloved soft drinks over water. I feel heavy and yucky. I ran five miles last night, but it never really felt good because of what I had put in my body all day. After my run, I decided ‘No more!’ I was going to do better. I would make better food choices so that when I run or do Zumba, I actually feel good. I will eat better so I can help others, especially my family and my students, live a healthier lifestyle.
I have to drop Addison off at the high school at 7:30 in the morning on my way to teach summer school. Rather than get up ten minutes earlier so I can eat something at home, I have gotten in the bad habit of running in the convenience store that is located – conveniently – across from the high school. I am in there daily. This morning I made my stop, bought a Diet Pepsi and …Poptarts! I could not even make it until 8:00 am before I was ingesting crap. I can justify anything; I needed breakfast, and I would do better the rest of the day. I had to run in the grocery store to get some milk after school, so I also bought a bag of Baked Lays. Again, I justified this purchase because they are better for me than real potato chips. So, lunch consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich (not bad), and Baked Lays (could be worse). I also had a 20 oz Diet Pepsi and a Diet Mt Dew today. Suffice it to say, when I went out to do a 3 miler while Addison was at her tennis lesson, I felt every single baked potato chip. So what was next? I had to get gas at my favorite convenience store, and I bought chocolate milk rather than a soft drink (baby steps), and animal crackers, which are low fat (darn, I am good at justifying my rotten habits). Yesterday I actually apologized to the clerk at the store for being in there buying junk all the time.
Addison just texted me to see if I wanted to go to Zumba tonight. How could I say no? After putting all of this down for the world to read, I feel guilty. I will go to Zumba; I will work extra hard; and I will work off those stinkin’ baked Lays. The question is…what will I do tomorrow? How can I change my eating habits? What will cause me to make that change once and for all? I KNOW what is good for me. I KNOW what I should be eating. I don’t eat because of some underlying issue. I eat crap because it tastes good. It’s as simple as that. I would much prefer a bacon cheeseburger and fries over a salad with vinegar. Fruit or cake? Give me the cake. Perhaps I should make it my summer mission to find healthier versions of some of my favorite foods. But then I would have to cook.
The fact is, I want to run better, and in order to do that, I will have to eat better. I am also supposed to start teaching Zumba classes as soon as I have my choreography prepared, and I can’t exactly teach fitness classes when I eat crap. That would make me a hypocrite. Starting right now, as I type these final words, I am going to promise you that I will try harder. I will work to bypass the candy isle; I will eat breakfast at home; and I will drink more water. What about you? How are your eating habits? Are you proud of how you eat? Do you have advice for me? Do you have some tasty recipes to share? If so, leave a comment. Help me out, People!
