Fitness Diary

Hello all! Hope you are having a terrific Monday! As most of you know, fitness has become more important to me over the past year. I'm going to start a fitness diary through this little blog. I hope these diary entries encourage and inspire you to join me in living a healthier lifestyle. So, here's today's entry! 

This afternoon was not a perfect one. I had just returned home from history and anatomy co-op discussion and my head was throbbing. However, I knew I still needed to run. I considered making today a cross training day instead, but I knew my schedule the rest of the week wouldn't work if I did that. It's definitely hard trying to fit in runs and workouts while attempting to maintain a busy schedule. That's why it's important to be flexible with your weekly workouts in order to keep your priorities straight.  Today, I was not motivated at all (I never ever get excited about running my neighborhood route) which didn't help. But I knew I had to do something despite my lack of motivation in order to keep my week clear of any complications. I ended up running 5 miles (actually one mile short of my scheduled run). The funny thing was, I ran my fastest time since my cross country days back in elementary school. My first mile was around a 9:50 (which may be slow for you veteran runners, but for a gal who started off with a 15 minute mile, I'd say that's an improvement.) and maintained a 10-ish mile for the rest of the run. Now I know if I would have gone farther, my time would have definitely slowed down. Nevertheless, it was so awesome to see a not so hot afternoon turn into a happy, endorphin filled evening. Very rarely will you ever regret a workout. Why? Because of the amazing benefits afterwards. Anyways, I celebrated my success by trying out a new {healthy} dessert recipe. Cookie-dough Greek yogurt. Talk about YUM! Here's the delicious, protein packed recipe: 

Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt:

1 container Chobani plain Greek Yogurt

1 tbspn peanut butter

1 tbspn sweetener or honey {I used agave nectar} 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 pinch sea salt {optional}

1 tbspn chocolate chips {the mini chocolate chips work well} 

                       Lots of Love,

                        Madison 

Sick Day

There are many days when I am very thankful to be homeschooled. Today is one of them. I woke up this morning feeling exhausted, stuffy, and just plain icky. Not exactly the most pleasant thing at 6:30 in the morning. So of course, I wallowed in self pity. But then I realized that wasn't going to make me feel any better. I've always thought it was impossible to be joyful on sick days. I mean, I had things I needed to do today. I have things I need to do tomorrow. I had plans. Getting sick can be really frustrating, and can bring out the monster in you. Though I may have a "right" to be frustrated because I'm sick, I think it is still important to try my very best to be joyful. I actually have a LOT to be thankful for. When we dwell on our problems, we end up feeling and acting worse and worse (ever heard of the phrase "garbage in, garbage out"? It actually does apply here) However, when we think more about the things we can be thankful for, we can find a peace in the midst of the chaos and unhappiness. You may mot be sick, but you could be under a lot of stress at work. Or maybe your having problems with family and friends. No matter what the situation is, you will always have the choice to be joyful or pitiful. The joyful route may not look very appealing, but it will pay off at the end of the day. So today, instead of whining about my backed up nose or my sore throat, I'm going to be thankful for the sunshine that's pouring in my windows and the fact that I can still do my school work because I'm homeschooled. Have a fantastic day everyone! 

                          Lots of love, 

                             Madison 

Hello There

Why hello there, everyone! I must apologize for my unexpected leave of absence. Things got pretty crazy at Christmas. That seems to happen a lot during the holidays, I suppose. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy start to 2014. Anyhoo, I pinkie promise I will begin posting once again. I must warn you, my posts may not be long, but I hope that I can make them meaningful. Looking foreword to the journey ahead! 

                       Lots of love,

                        Madison