I am so sorry to all of my tremendous followers. I have been no where to be seen on here on Journey for Jessi lately. For those of you following my Instagram, you know I haven’t been completely missing in action. You have seen so many tidbits lately that I owe it to you all (and myself) to fill in the pieces.
Although I love love love Spring with a burning passion, especially April (Easter, *cough my birthday…), Spring is always the busiest time of year for me: catching up with school trying to boost my GPA the best I can, trying to be more social as my sorority holds more and more events and trying to fit in my half-marathon training and getting my body ready for summer days poolside.
Lately, I have been doing really well with my Half-Marathon training. No matter what I am feeling, I always just get out there and go. I would say I run alone, but I know that isn’t true–I always have Jessi watching over me, I feel it. When I start feeling tired, or can’t push any further, I just think of Jess’s bubbly spirit cheering me on. Half-training has been bitter sweet. I love running and running outside, I love that I have a reason much bigger than myself for striving for greatness, but sometimes the memories take hold of me and just flood my insides. I miss Jessi more than I tend to let on. It has been a ride going through (almost) a year without my best friends and confidant. I’ve grown though, in more ways than I ever thought possible–and I’m still growing. So as I continue to run on until my half on May 17th, I will continue to grow, but I know I am never alone in all this. I have a wonderful support group of family and friends. Including my other best friend who ran 8 miles with me this weekend on the trails! What an accomplishment!
In addition to my all the running I’ve been doing, I am in the full swing of things at my Crossfit Box. It is true what “they” say, it’s another family and it is strangely addicting–in the best way. I just love the challenges and support I get. I have never been the most confident person, but I feel that changing. A big part of it is crossfit. Everyone checks their ego at the door. No one cares that you don’t have a muscle-up, hand-stand push-up or even if you don’t even have a pull-up, they help you through it. Not just the coaches, but the people there struggling with you. Because of crossfit, I am appreciating my body more. All of the sadness I use to hold for my long-gone, thin “dancer’s” body is being replaced with a feeling of pride and accomplishment in my strength. No, I can’t fit into size 0 jeans anymore, BUT I can squat more than my body weight, do double-unders and endure some pretty intense cardio. I am caring less about the numbers and more about the quality–quality of my workouts and quality of my diet.
Because I have a better appreciation for my body, I found that it much easier to eat cleaner and healthier because I want to be kinder to my body. When I eat better, I perform better mentally and physically and emotionally. You stop restricting your diet, and start adding in benefits like more protein and veggies to fuel your body and workouts. A good example of this? My Southwest Breakfast Scramble.
Just an egg white, egg, sweet potato, kale and bell pepper scramble topped with southwest chipotle seasoning to fuel my WOD. Rest day? How about half a grapefruit and egg whites? It is all about balance and knowing your body.
You will have slip-ups. Here comes Easter (my favorite holiday) and my 21st Birthday for example. I already know my diet will have quite a few cheats, but I am confident in my ability to bounce back. Why? Because I feel crappy after a sugar overload. My body rejects processed foods and freaks out. Listen to your body! That counts for working out too.
Take care of your body inside and out. Feeling pain? Take a rest day. Ice yourself before an injury. Don’t ignore signs of fatigue. *Ahem* because I didn’t. I recently when to a Physical Therapist because of built up pain in my shoulder/deltoid. Long story short, years of stress on my body acting out in the form a fatigued shoulder. (Thanks 15.5…) After a few days of rest this week, the pain is diminishing. I still haven’t decided whether or not I will start PT for my body. I’d love to hear feedback from you all on this.
I will call this a wrap for the day! I am so happy I finally got back to catching up. Stay tuned for more recipes, workouts and half-training updates! Happy Spring Y’all! Stay happy and healthy!
Moving Mountains Wellness 