One years difference

Last year in September I began changing my way of life. I embarked on the Whole30, a month of eating strict Paleo foods in an effort to become healthier and lose weight. Since graduating university I have been relatively active. I have been a runner for years and have almost always had a gym membership. Even when I came to Korea I continued to run and remained as active as possible. But I found that these things were not working for me. Over the past year I have struggled testing out new eating habits and exercises. I have had months that I worked out endlessly and others when I was sick and suffering from IBS(irritable bowel syndrome). I have been dealing with IBS since high school but for some reason during the winter last year it flared up and I had a really hard few months. Luckily I have managed to keep things under control since about February.

After my break up in May, I really started to focus on my eating habits and how they were affecting my workouts. I have been going to Cross fit consistently and am training for my first full marathon in October. I try to stick to a pretty consistent diet, it's easiest on my system. I avoid all grains because they are too fibrous for me and almost always cause stomach issues. I rely mostly on lean protein, veggies and fruit. I allow some dairy here and there, but not very much. I have noticed huge gains over the summer based on how I eat. I have lost a significant amount of weight and am beginning to see muscle definition.

Before Sept 1, 2012
During Sept 1, 2013

The before photo is from September 1, 2012, the after photo September 1st, 2013. I have definitely made a lot of progress. I still have more work to do until I am fully satisfied but I am definitely happier than with myself now than I was a year ago. I have had multiple friends tell me they think I am too skinny. To that I explain I am eating quite healthy and am very conscious of what I eat and when. I eat to fuel my workouts and restore my muscles. Yes, I eat much less than a lot of other people, but the majority of people eat way too much than they need. I have struggled with how much to each, and how to not eat based on my emotions. I had a hard time during my break up, I didn't eat a lot at that time. But I know that if I want to fuel my workouts and compete at the level I want to athletically, I need to eat properly to do so. 

Living an active healthy life is not always easy. There are days I slip up, just this past weekend I ate pizza and ice cream. And boy did I pay for it. My stomach was a mess for two days afterwards. Each time I binge, it's easier to say no next time. I like feeling like my body is healthy and ready for anything. Eating like crap doesn't achieve that feeling. I have been spending a lot of time reading fitness and health blogs in order to remain motivated. Less than two months left until my full marathon in the mountains of Gangwon-do Korea! I am nervous and excited at the same time! 

Next week is Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving so we get a 5 day weekend! It is also the beginning of Hashathon, 12 days of hashing in the ROK. It will be a busy two weeks! I am looking forward to logging as many kilometres as possible! 

Recently, I received two little bits of advice from two different friends that have been helping me get through the days. At Crossfit this week, I was figuring out how much weight to put on for a WOD and my coach and my workout buddy both encouraged me to add more weight even though I was reluctant. I finally did and ended up getting through the WOD and feeling great, to which my friend added, "See, you're stronger than you think you are. " It has been ringing in my head ever since. 

And another day this week, I was having a really tough day, one where I just want to burrow down under my covers and cry for days. A good friend sent me a clip from the movie Finding Nemo and told me to fast forward to a certain part. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Every time I have a bad moment or a tough day now, I find myself repeating it over and over in my head, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. 

I have been keeping to myself a lot lately, not socially too much because unfortunately, my ex Ben and I run in the same circle so I have been avoiding our social scene to keep potential run ins to a minimum. But I am lucky to have two close friends I have able to confide in and who both have been there for me no matter what I need. My workout buddy, KA and my close hasher friend NL. Without their love and support over the past few months I am not sure I would be where I am right now. The following quote seems to sum up everything for me,