Happy New Year - Get Back At It!

Let's not talk about the fact that I haven't posted a blog entry since July or that I never actually followed "Race Week Recap Part 1" with "Part 2." I'm not here to make excuses, but things kept getting in the way (I honestly don't know how you regular bloggers do it, other than the fact that you obviously ROCK). No sense in posting it now, but just know that it was a week full of personal accomplishments for me that, I'll be honest, felt ridiculously awesome.

Happy New Year, friends! 2013 was probably the best for me in terms of fitness level and general health, even though it ended with me feeling somewhat slug-like. I literally went from the week of Thanksgiving to the end of December without a run, and it had been even longer since I had done any weight training. When I brought this up at my parents' house over the holiday, my mom was so surprised that she looked at me like I had grown another head. I'm not proud of it, but perhaps it was just a sign that I needed a break, both mentally and physically.

As I surfed the various New Year's Eve specials on television last night, I heard several people (namely celebrities) say that their New Year's resolution is to be a nicer/kinder person in 2014. That's great and all, but it makes me wonder what their 2013 was like if they actually had to make a resolution to be nicer. I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means, but I just feel that should be the way we always try to live our lives. I certainly don't need a resolution to make me do that, but then I'm just not big into making New Year's resolutions. It's great to have goals, but sometimes the resolutions people make are so lofty that if they don't reach them (for whatever reason), there's a good chance they'll feel like a failure. No thanks, not for me.

Instead, I simply set today, January 1, as the day I would "get back at it." New year, fresh start, no excuses. I got up and hit the treadmill first thing this morning for 3.25 miles. Not as much as I'm capable of, but it's a start. It felt good, and the headache I woke up with began to disappear. Then I decided to do my kettlebell weights, which I hadn't done in a good 4-5 months. As soon as I started, I could really feel it in my legs. I imagine that it won't be fun getting out of bed tomorrow morning, but it's a good kind of pain. Once I was finished and getting ready for the day, I felt that post-exercise feeling of awesomeness for the first time in a long time, and it was good to have it back. I began logging my food into My Fitness Pal again, and started tracking my daily miles in a brand new running log. I'm stopping short of calling all these things resolutions, though. They're just things I used to do and needed to get back to.

So my challenge to you this year is this, regardless of whether you're a seasoned athlete or new to this whole fitness thing - make a fresh start for 2014 with no excuses and "get back at it." If you miss a day of training, you miss a day and you "get back at it" the next day. Try to eat healthier, but if you indulge once in awhile, it's okay - don't make excuses and "get back at it" your next meal. There's no reason to let one thing drag you down for a long period of time.

So Happy 2014, and congratulations on continuing (or choosing!) the path to a healthier life!