I’ve decided to weigh the Pros and Cons of working out, for those that know me it may look as if running comes easy to me since I do it so often. Well, I am only human and I have negative thoughts just as much as anyone else. I think it’s fair to say that I have to talk myself through my workouts, I do negative self-talk and I don’t have the best self image around,  but I push myself through it all. There are days when I wish I could lounge around like everyone else or days when all I feel like doing is feeling sorry for myself, but I know deep down that all the negativity digs me deeper into my own self loathing hole. Why, why do we do it? What makes us do it? Honestly, there cannot be a point to the negative talk. The only thing it does is make us point out what we THINK is wrong with us. That leads women into offices of plastic surgeons to do whatever reconstruction surgery we think is possible, dumb? I think so!

This was during the AF half-marathon. I PR'd @ 1:39. I was excited, I took off over 3 mins from my previous time and this was a tough race!

Whew, now that my tangent is over with let me get back to my pro/con checklist! I was actually thinking about my checklist during my run (when I do my BEST brainstorming), and I think it’s quite useful for me to have it put out there as a visual. This gal is a visual responder, I see things and I usually follow through with doing them! Here it goes:

Running allows me to feel:

Rejuvenated

Relieved

Energized

Fearless

Strong

Confident

Boundless

Rewarded

Running helps me to:

Think Clearly

Recognize my strengths and weaknesses

Appreciate my body for what it can do

Be part of a community

Be part of races

See the world in a different light

Learn new areas by way of running

Expand my comfort zone

Run with my sisters

Manage my time wisely

Eat better for my body and its performance

Maintain my weight and body composition (this somehow ended up on the bottom of my list, my mind is either playing tricks or it’s transforming into a more positive machine…yep, I like that idea!

I push my limits when:

It’s rainy

When I run a route foreign to me

I am beyond exhaustion and my inner voice challenges me to go further

I’m hungry and I go out for a run instead

It’s below 20 degrees and I go out for a run

It’s pitch black outside and all I have is myself and the darkness unknown

I run with strangers

I am overly confident in my running abilities to others despite my inner weaknesses

I lose my modesty

Wow,  I don’t know about your list but I know my list is pretty lengthy in terms of positives. Now let’s look at the negatives of running:

Negatifs de ne running (I think I like my slang/ebonics language!):

Possible bone loss (Note** running has been proven to increase one’s bone density, I’ll take my chances)

Time dedication

Costliness (I don’t really spend my money on anything else, it’s a healthy habit and it could be worse…

Ummm I couldn’t really think of anything else. It seems to me that I’ve talked myself down quite a bit…I know I am capable of running the distance. I truly believe it’s our minds getting into the way of things. If we all took a moment to talk ourselves through the temptation of quitting we wouldn’t get anywhere. We would all be a part of the Wall-E world. Who wants that? Hopefully no one! So…

Stomp the laziness and get-a-movin’! Take care friends, I’ll post when I can!