REMINDER: I am not a registered dietitian. When I write about health I am writing about my own personal experiences which include success and non-successes. For great vegan nutrition information please check out some of the blogs linked on our blog.
Mike and I went for a run yesterday. We are both in training. This year we did our first half marathon, as part of the Colfax Marathon here in Denver. Now we are training again, Mike for his first marathon and me for my second half marathon. My goal is to finish in 2:30, which would be 25 minutes faster than this year. We have until May of next year and are super excited.
Yesterday's run was wonderful for me. I train at Sloan's Lake which is a Denver city park about 1 1/2 miles from our house. It's beautiful. The path around the lake is just over 2.5 miles. Yesterday's run was the fastest pace I have done since I was a teen, at just under a 10 minute mile. Whew, what a blast!
At 47, I am more and more grateful for the health benefits of being vegan. I became vegan as a way to do the least harm as I could while on this earth, which for me means not partaking in the cruelty that is inherent in eating meat, dairy, eggs, etc. This has been a 17-year journey for me.
Knowing that Pepsi and potato chips are vegan, it is not automatic that being vegan means being healthy. I know all about that. In my recent past I have really tried to pay more attention to what goes in my body and how I take care of myself.
I drink lots of water throughout the day. Most days I start with a smoothie filled with kale, Swiss chard, berries of some sort, coconut water and usually some vegan protein mix. Currently using a hemp protein, and also use the Vega proteins which are delish. I definitely make an effort to get as many serving of fruits and veggies throughout the day as possible.
I smile when I see our shopping cart these days. We still have some processed foods, but the majority of our cart is filled with organic veggies and fruit, both fresh and frozen.
My body definitely feels the difference when I focus on eating as healthy as possible.
With the healthier food choices, I also exercise a lot. The running is wonderful. Not only does it help me health wise and feeling better physically, it also helps with my self-esteem. I also try to get to the gym twice a week for swimming and lifting.
I feel better physically than I ever have. It's wonderful. Many, many thanks to so many of you who inspire me daily.
And thank you for reading!
You are awesome! And you are fast...I think I need to push it up a notch.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the marathons! I envy people who have the will power to run like that. People assume being vegan automatically means healthy, but there are so many processed unhealthy vegan foods out there - hello Oreos! But it's a journey and everyone has to take it at their own pace, it seems the longer people are vegan the healthier their choices become.
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