I'm very excited to say that I have found some running buddies and I've decided to run a marathon for my 25th birthday next January. We are calling ourselves "The Running Divas." Shirts are being made right now to wear at our next big race which is a week from tomorrow. We completed a 5k last Saturday at Chick-fil-a in Monroe. It was a ton of fun except for all the hills. This next one has a 10k option which I'm debating on whether I'm ready or not. I cannot express how much these women have blessed my life. I feel like too many times we as women put ourselves in competition against each other. I hate being around people who I feel like are measuring me and passing judgement based on the size of my waist or whether or not my hair is fixed and I have make up on. My Running Divas aren't like that at all. They encourage me and make me feel free to be me. I feel like we're helping each other celebrate who we are and I think its just beautiful. I wish all women could be free from comparing, trying to out do someone else and put them down. I'm so happy God has been surrounding me with strong women who inspire me to be a better me. Thank you so much ladies if you're reading. You're truly amazing and I mean it.
One of the things on my list is to reach a healthy weight and to maintain it. This is a great idea but very stressful. I don't know if anyone else struggles with this but I will do my best to eat right and exercise, then I'll step on the scale, cry and go binge on a bunch of crap. I'm tired of it. So now, I have been discipling myself to only weigh in once a month and to keep measurements of my waist and other areas. This way I can also see if I'm losing inches. As far as food goes, I've been buying a lot of fruit and veggies. We got a Magic Bullet which makes eating the 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a lot easier. My overall goals in this area have been just to eat more of the good stuff and to relax. Since I've made these changes, I haven't had to worry about eating crazy. Not to mention my natural desire to eat healthier since I've been running. I'm in full training mode and I'm having fun. I can tell my muscles are firming up whether I'm losing weight or not.
My advice to anyone who struggles so much with weight and feeling like its never enough is to just find something you love to do like dancing or running and do it. Make goals on how to get better at that particular hobby so you're not focusing on the weight and have fun. Make a t-shirt bragging about your cool hobby or a necklace or something that shows your pride about it. I have never been a team sport person and being an athlete was never a big deal in my family. However, I've decided that I am a runner and I will wear that title proudly. I will put race stickers on my car and wear a charm necklace showcasing all the races I've run. I'm planning on making a quilt out of my race t-shirts. I want the world to know that I am a runner. It is a part of who Anna Elizabeth Johnson is and each time I accomplish a new goal I have something that no one can take away from me which is huge. So if you're like me find that new great obsession and own it. Let it become a part of you and wear it proudly.
Once you find whatever hobby you want to train for, find a healthy food that you can't live without. My favorite food in the world is broccoli and has been since I was 8 years old. I eat it at almost every meal. My other latest weird food thing is vinegar. I love red wine vinegar on my sandwich and balsamic in my salad. Sometimes there's more vinegar than anything else. I don't even mix it with oil anymore, just straight vinegar. I've also been putting raw cabbage on everything lately. Last night I piled it on top of my pizza for a good crunch effect. Fresh fruits and vegetables are amazing. I fully believe that God gave us the best tasting food naturally before everything got processed. Sometimes I bite into an apple and all I can say is, "Thank you, Lord. You out did yourself on this one." I'm kind of obsessed with getting back to nature when I'm eating right now. I love how after a eat a piece of fruit a donut doesn't seem too tempting anymore. Its a great feeling.
Anyways, I feel like I've been on a tangent about living a healthy and more fulfilling life. I'm just so excited with how God has been freeing me from the desire to be thin and replacing it with the desire to live. I want to help everyone who's been where I have been and I'm kind of thankful that I have had this struggle. I know now that if I didn't I wouldn't work this hard and I wouldn't be able to help others who have this same struggle. I'm hoping that once I am a PA that I will be able to help patients to not feel alienated and chastised about their weight and diet. I want to be able to open the door for better health and happiness by finding something they love making it easier for them to stick to it.
