Food, love, nature, and running.

In between laundry loads yesterday, I had the thought that the things I need to survive and then live happily are food, love, nature, and running. Of course, food, clothing, and shelter are the basic needs. If those aren't met, it makes higher needs, such as love, more difficult. Lately, I've been rethinking my food intake. After visiting with friends in Maryland who eat very naturally, I looked at how unnatural my food intake has been. I never paid attention to food labels because I assumed I was healthy. I weighed normal, exercised, and ate nearly the same foods every day. I avoided pop, candy, and other sweets unless it was a special occasion. But after the Maryland trip and late night research on the internet, I realized I could be doing a lot better.

I experimented a few weeks later by shopping at EarthFare, a natural foods supermarket. This experiment was not only a test of eating organic and natural, but a financial test. And in my life right now, I wouldn't be able to afford such a food bill on a weekly basis. However, I knew that once I started drinking whole milk, organic veggies, and products free of high fructose corn syrup, I would have a hard time not converting. So, I found a way to get creative with my food and my money.

I used to have one PowerBar a day for about the last two years. I thought I was being healthy with these bars until I read the ingredients. High fructose corn syrup was an active ingredient. If I could cut these bars out, I would not only free up $30 a month but I could find something healthier to replace the bars with in my diet. The later part of the equation was much harder because I do love the taste of these bars and find them to be a great snack food. For my replacement experiment this week, I am making my own "bars"- two large graham crackers with organic jelly and peanut butter (enhanced with omega 3s). So far, I've found these homemade bars to be tasty and filling.

As previously mentioned, if I want to eat more naturally, I have to do so in a way that is cost efficient for me. So this past week, I shopped at Aldi and EarthFare. At Aldi, I bought my cereals because they have generic brands of Kashi. I also bought lunch meats, bread, some veggies, and frozen fruits. At EarthFare, I bought more of the basics- milk, eggs, other veggies, orange juice, dried fruit, and coconut milk for my (decaf) coffee creamer. Together, I spent roughly the same that I would at Aldi, but with more conscious food choices. It helps to price shop and then guestimate the total bill before going. This route is a little more time consuming, but it helps that the two stores are close to each other. I haven't noticed any significant physical differences as a result of integrating more natural food choices into my diet. However, I feel better mentally by doing so. I feel simpler, as if going back to the basics of living.

As for my running, it's been going very well. I've put in four weeks of consistent training and will be testing my fitness this Monday at the Aurora Fun Run. The last two weeks were especially well executed. I improved my tempo run paces and even had negative splits on the Fun Run course this past Tuesday! That was a first for me. My track workouts have also been going well, despite being achy. Last night, I ran 8 x 400, averaging 97 seconds. This was a huge improvement from three weeks ago, where I struggled to remain even and averaged 1:40. My long runs have been enjoyable and around 8:45 pace. It's starting to feel comfortable and efficient to go fast. And my times are still not even that fast! It's an enjoyable process for sure.