I DID IT!

Today was a crazy important day for my weight loss journey.  I reached one of my goals to complete a 5k run.  I KILLED IT.  I cannot believe that I not only finished the race in under 45 minutes (my goal time),  I made it in 38 minutes!  It is hard to believe that a short six weeks ago I could barely run a mile and today I ran the entire race.  This journey has been such an experience, although extremely challenging at times it has brought out the best in me and the people I surround myself with.  At the beginning of the summer, my parents were a bit weary of my goals for losing weight this summer, so it meant a ton to have them and my grandparents cheering me on at the finish line.

 

 

The charity I ran for is called the Halos of Hudson, a wonderful charity that aids families who have lost children.  This is a cause near and dear to my heart because I work with kids every day and I couldn't image losing any one of them.  It was extremely inspirational to see the families who have lost children banding together and walking in support of their angels.  Please see the link below to learn more about this amazing charity.

http://halosofhudson.org/

I know I didn't blog the last couple of days, but I had a good reason I promise.  I was on my last run Thursday a nice easy four miles...said no one ever and yesterday I went berry picking with my family to make a yummy healthy dessert.  Since dessert is by far my favorite meal of the day I have had to become creative in the sweets that I eat.  THANK GOODNESS FOR WHIPPED CREAM.  The greatest invention of all time to sweeten up any "good for you dessert".  The health benefits of blackberries are amazing and I know that I can tell a big difference in how I feel. 
Here is a link to some more information on blackberries:
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-blackberries.html

After eating healthy for the last eight weeks, I have learned that sometimes you just need a REAL treat.  So today after running this morning, taking a nice nap, and relaxing for a bit.  My family decided to go out for dinner, something I used to love doing, but now absolutely despise.  Eating healthy is SO difficult when you are out to eat, but there are some restaurants that offer great options.  Tonight for example we ate at Ruby Tuesdays,  I had salmon in a light glaze, grilled zucchini, and mashed cauliflower...although making healthy choices may be difficult it is important to just think about what you are putting into your body and also remembering that you are making a life choice. So after dinner my grandma wanted to stop for ice cream.  Eating healthy is just as much about portion control as it is about what you are actually eating.  We went to Culvers and I just got a single scoop of the flavor of the day, my favorite S'Mores.  It is totally fine to splurge some days, as long as it is not every single day, you WILL be fine! Enjoy your favorite treat every once in a while, just make sure it isn't a huge one! 

Here is an article I found in Women's Health,  it is a little cheat sheet about what to put on a single serving of ice cream to keep it "semi-healthy".