It's good for me, right?

Two days ago I went grocery shopping. I passed up the potato chip aisle (and the bakery section and the Starbucks counter)and, instead, loaded up on bananas, watermelon, strawberries and blackberries. I also grabbed some pecans and walnuts (plain, not salted or flavored) which my doctor says contain "good fats" that help to make our bodies feel full. I'm not sure how the word "fat" can ever have the word "good" attached to it, but my doctor is a pretty smart guy and hasn't led me wrong yet...

What my grocery haul means is that yesterday when I wanted a muffin, I had a small cupful of strawberries and blackberries. I took the time to savor the flavors in my mouth and delighted in how VIRTUOUS I felt for not eating something packed with empty calories. Later in the day, when I really, really wanted my vinegar and salt potato chips, I grabbed a handful of pecans. A handful is all you need so says my wise doctor. I was doubtful it would satisfy my craving for something salty, but apparently the crunchiness of the pecans (and who knows, maybe even the "good fats") did the trick, and I was feeling just fine and not missing my friend, Mr. Pringles.

I may not be able to keep this up all the time. But I figure if I can make fruits and nuts and veggies my go-to snacks MOST of the time, I will be doing my body a huge favor!

On the running front, my second running group session was Wednesday. We met at the track of one of the local middle schools. I "ran" a mile, so the coach could establish a baseline, in 12:46. I know, that's pretty bad. But I look at it this way: 1) I did it, and 2) it can only get better! Then, we did sixteen intervals in the grass, in which we ran from one football goalpost to the other, and then walked back. I was feeling super motivated so I ran back during the final interval rather than walking. After running, we did 15 minutes of core exercises which consisted of planks, planks and more planks. I do not like planks. I think I would almost rather give birth than do planks. What happened to good, old-fashioned crunches?

Tonight, I will be running on my own. It's going to be cold. I don't want to head indoors to a treadmill at the Y, but I'm not really looking forward to running in the cold. If anyone has good tips for this, please share!