Day 1. (I forgot my body can feel like this)

Fitness Activities/Meals/Inevitable Side Commentary

6:30 am- Ya, I'm an early riser.
Breakfast: banana, 8 oz. 2% milk, graham cracker sandwich with pb&j
Everywhere I turn i have people telling me skipping breakfast is the worst. Every time I go to see her, Dr. Ellen Rome (who you will meet a few lines down) of the Cleveland Clinic reminds me that the best way to kick start my rather slow heart rate, and my metabolism, is by eating breakfast.

8:30 am- 2 mile run. Mind you, I haven't run since basketball ended in February and due to my cast, the muscles in my legs are severely lacking. But I tried my best anyway. I parked my car at Hawken, and took off at a reasonable pace past the football fields, down Sherman to County Line, and making a loop all the way back up to my car. The terrain was hilly, but smooth and easy to run on. At about 1.6 miles, though my stamina was far better than expected, my weak little legs started to scream at me. "We're Jello! Complete Jello!" So I decided not to do anything irrational, and I walked the last leg of the loop. Upon returning to my car and having slight deja vu of soccer season, I glanced over my shoulder before promptly spitting out the gross stuff that always piles up in my mouth when I run (classy, Sam). And with that, I smiled, thinking to myself "Clearly, I'm back."

9:30 am- Meeting with Tara Harwood. Part of the focus of this project is nutrition. So I went to visit Tara Harwood, a nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic. Because it was the first appointment, we had to go through very basic history and daily routines so that next time we can focus on what I need calorically to maintain a healthy weight. I have kind of a special case here because my family has a history of disordered eating that has kind of touched us all in one way or another, so the whole food/nutrition thing has always been very weird for me. I told her that my biggest goal with her was to find balance and to be ok with myself if I eat a little but more here or there--it's ok to have fun. I'm one of those people who has to be in control of everything, so knowing exactly what I need, and having the ability to meet my own body's needs without relying on other people is very key for me. She gave me a form to fill out asking me to detail three days worth of food that I eat, so that we can look over it together and make adjustments. I can do that.

*By the way, at this point, my legs were still shaking from that silly run. I hate being out of shape more than anything in the world. This is not ok.

10:30 am- Appointment with Doctor Ellen Rome, my pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic. She always begins by asking what I had for breakfast. She applauded me on my well rounded, sufficient choice this morning. Then, she asked me to detail the physical activity I will be doing, and what I'm eating every day. From that conversation, she suggested that I add in a sports drink, like gatorade or vitamin water, after all of my workouts for a little extra energy boost and to make sure I'm staying hydrated. She said to avoid caffeine...which happens to be impossible for me because I'm addicted to diet coke. But I smiled and nodded anyway. The other big thing she stressed was that I'm the kind of person who wants instant gratification with everything I do. i.e. I want to be back in shape immediately, and she was very worried about me pushing myself too hard. She said if anything hurts, don't push through it. Stop and evaluate why there is pain before it gets worse. I can do that I guess.

1:15 pm- Lunch
2 small apples (I couldn't decide between green and pink lady. What a dilemma.)
Whole grain bun with swiss cheese, black bean spread, and chicken
Frozen yogurt

3:00 pm- Workout with Ann Marie Cipolla at Anytime Fitness in Chesterland. Let me begin by saying Ann Marie was about the nicest person I've met. She was super friendly and genuinely cared about my concerns and what I had to say. First, we sat down for a consultation. I told her about my cast and how I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat at the fact that I'm out of shape. She said she wanted to see what I could do, which was scary at first. The last time I worked out was February. We went to the free weights first, and all she kept saying was what a powerhouse I am for a girl (surprisingly, I went right for the 20 pound dumbbells and did splendidly. Raw power has always been one of my claims to fame.) Then, I was quickly knocked down a few pegs on the confidence totem poll when we started doing abs on the large rubber ball. I normally do crunches and sit ups and such at night before bed without really feeling much. But using this magical ball, I was burning after 1 set of 10. Luckily she didn't let me stop there. We did regular crunches, a crunch with a twist to both sides to target obliques, then moved on to some stretching and what felt like the beginnings of yoga. We finished off the ball exercises with some push ups. Back in the day, I was the push up queen. We're talking 50+ real, bonafide push ups, ladies and gentleman. But, again, it's been a while. I cranked out a few with good form, then called it a day. One of the biggest things I took away from today was Ann Marie's focus on the long term. She showed me how to properly roll up after finishing a set with the free weights. She told me that even though it isn't hurting me now, in the future, my back will thank me. To do this, you pull your legs to your chest, bring the weights to meet your knees, and roll off the bench like a potato bug. I found that interesting, and rather difficult because I lack balance, something she swore we would address over the next five weeks.

6:00 Dinner- At Spectator's in Chesterland. They have delicious food and great sports on tv, but I often have a lot of trouble finding healthy options. So i went for chicken that was grilled, traded the french fries for soup, and told them to hold the butter on the green beans. There you have it, a HEALTHY restaurant meal!
Cup pasta fagioli soup
Hearty serving green beans
2, roughly 3 oz. pieces grilled chicken

Dessert-
3/4 cup moose tracks/mint chocolate chip ice cream
(Yes i know this is more than the serving size, but I knew what I was hungry for, and allowed myself to eat it. Everything in moderation.)

7:00- Casual walk down my street. It was a beautiful, warm day, and I wanted to look at the sky. The distance is roughly 1.5 miles. This was a nice change of pace from the more physically demanding tasks earlier today.

Today in Summary

1) Running in the morning made me feel energized and ready to attack the day. I stopped when I was tired and didn't over-work. Even though my legs burned for literally the rest of the day, it was worth it because it felt so good.

2) I am trying to find balance and I need to know my body's needs in order to make sure I can achieve that goal.

3) Sports drinks are my friends. After I work out I need to replenish and rehydrate.

4) Always eat breakfast.

5) I need to be ok with starting from scratch physically and realize that I will bounce back quickly.

6) Remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint. Being pro-active about my health and doing things the right way now will only benefit me in the future.

7) My arms and legs--powerhouses whether I work out or not. My abs--not so much. I'm excited to focus on those areas in particular and get my muscles back.

8) You can make healthy choices when you are out to dinner. All it takes is a little creativity and self control even when the smell of french fries fills the air.

9) Ice cream is delicious and a good source of calcium, says Dr. Rome. She also made a point that in college, it is actually a good snack for me to have and I should eat it when I want. I like that woman. Also it's important not be scared to break the serving size slightly every once in a while. I shouldn't be rigid or stuck on portion sizes or labels.

10) A scenic walk is a nice alternative to grueling physical activity. I forgot I was working out at all because I was so busy enjoying the sunset and my iPod. If I'm ever just not in the mood to exercise, something like that is a great alternative.

Reading Material

My book of the week is Personal Wellness for the Modern College Student by Betty Kern, MS, CSCS. This is a work book style collection giving kids entering/in college the knowledge they need to lead a healthy life. I will say that the beginning was rather elementary, at least for me, who has a somewhat deep and complicated relationship/understanding of food/nutrition/health. Thus far, here are some of the interesting points I have found/aspects i will research and report back on:

1) Water is the only true zero-calorie beverage...What about diet coke?!...I'll have to look into the meaning of this.

2) Weigh in weekly to keep yourself on track. This will be a huge change for me because its completely against everything I've ever been allowed to do in my own house. But I feel like knowing where I am weight wise will help me, because of the control thing that I discussed previously.

3) Find things in the cafeteria that are good for you. It's super easy to over eat when its all right there. Have healthy snacks in your dorm, and eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day no matter what.

There was also a lifestyle evaluation to prevent gaining the freshman 15. I took it and here are some of my most interesting/relevant answers.

Q: Which areas are your strengths?
A: I know what I'm doing and what is correct with food and nutrition, and also I am aware of how it affects me. I just need to stop letting go and having junk days about once a week. Once and a while is ok. Once per week is pushing it.

Q: Which areas need improvement?
A: Eating empty calories when I'm too lazy to make something good for me.

Q: The Freshman 15 is a real problem for college students. What areas do you think might prove to be a problem for you with weight management?
A: Eating when others eat. I need to be in control of my own choices and be ok with seeing other people eat and not eating too unless I'm hungry.

Q: What could you do to avoid some of the unhealthy habits that often become a problem for college students?
A: The biggest thing I can think of is staying away from excessive parties. I need to be independent and not influenced by the lack of understanding/care of others. Having fun is great, but everything needs to be in moderation. I need to remember that my health and my studies always need to come first.

Today i kicked off my project by getting to know the different people involved and setting out goals and general guidelines and information. The 10 points listed above that I learned today can all be applied to college life for me. And I'm excited to attack a whole new set of challenges tomorrow. Catch ya on the flip side.

-Sam