Weekend Update

Time for weekend update! - just like on Saturday Night Live but not as funny. Got back a few hours ago from the run posted above. It was really nice out again and Ashley went with Pim and I on this one. She didn't run w/ us the whole way but started out with us and ended up doing a big walk and got a lot of good exercise. Pim and I ran the same route as we tried last week, eventually making our way to the park and a bit beyond. We didn't go any further though, and were a little slow - which probably isn't bad considering our weekend.

I'm sorry to say that Saturday I didn't get much exercise in - in fact it was a bit of the opposite with lots of eating! We went down to a wedding where Ashley's cousin was getting married in Scottsburg, Indiana. It was about a 5 or 6 hour drive into the very southern part of the state. I did manage to eat healthly until dinner, when I indulged in the "candy table" at the wedding reception. Anyway, with all the driving, sitting in the church, eating, and visiting I didn't get a run in.

I'm happy to say though that as soon as we got back Ashley agreed to go on the above mentioned run which was fun to do together. Here's the weekend food report:

Saturday:
Breakfast - nothin'
Lunch - McChicken, small fries, small Diet Coke (no refills) from McBadforyou in Gibson, IL
Dinner - Candy of various kinds, chicken casserole, small cut of pork, potato wedges, 2 rolls w/ butter, and some small beef strips w/ rice (NOT a very healthy meal(

Sunday:
Brunch - scrambed eggs, 1 biscuitw/ gravy, 3 pieces of bacon, 1 sausage, 1 1/2 small cinammon rolls
Dinner - Small bowl of rotini pasta w/ cheddar cheese sprinkled on top and tomato sauce, piece of leftover wedding cake.

So today was better.. just not by much. This weekend did get me thinking a bit though. I think it is really "OK" to celebrate at an event like a wedding or a holiday with big meals and a bit of indulgence. The problem is our society has turned EVERY meal into this kind of celebration (i.e. "you got an A Johnny! Let's go get some mcnuggets and a quarter pounder to celebrate - then stop for ice cream!). Either that or meals aren't "events" at all anymore. People, including myself, tend to just eat when they want, which leads to eating in front of the TV, not paying attention to what they are eating - then looking for food next time they are bored. It's not like I'm coming up w/ original thoughts here, lot's of people have noticed we do this, its just so damn hard for us to change.

I just got of the phone w/ my friend Laura who is a PE teacher out in Colorado. She sent me a nice note congratulating me on putting this run up as a goal and working towards getting in better shape. In fact, she said parents ask her all the time how they can get their kids to be more motivated to work out and eat better. Her usual response? It's all about what you do as a family, how you act. Basically it's a different lifestyle. Anyway, I know I'm not going to stop loving pizza and donuts, but I may be able to have 2 less slices or one less donut and still be able to enjoy those things w/o thinking much of it.

All right, enough regurgitation of "Super Size Me" and "Fast Food Nation", Morgan Spurlock and Eric Schlosser could probably sue me for plagerism. Speaking of, click here for an interesting news story going on in Illinois right now. The faculty at SIU has apparently voted overwhelminly asking him to resign.

Well Ashley just came in and said she wants to do 8 minute abs. So I'll sign off for the night - thinknig of my grandparents down in North Caroina :)