K&K Come to Town!

This past weekend was wonderful - a mini-reunion with some of my best friends in the entire world!

mini-reunion!

The two lovely brunettes on the left, Kimberly and Katie, came down from New York City to visit Kerry, Blair (remember them?), and me.  All of us met when we were in the same sorority at UVA, and we love each other dearly.  We definitely missed our sixth counterpart, Valerie (she's getting some blog love of her own tomorrow - stay tuned!).

We made a lot of healthy weekend decisions that I was very happy about.  For starters, we were active!  So important for fitness maintenance.

Ready for some hardcore walking!

We took a 3.5 mile walk on Saturday, bopping down the footpaths along I-66, crossing over the Key Bridge into Georgetown, and walking along the canal, all while enjoying each other's company and what was absolutely a perfect spring day.

map calculated with my Pedometer app - the avg speed & time are off because I forgot to turn it off when we returned from the walk, oops!

We even headed back to Georgetown later that day to do some store exploration - another two hours of walking around from store to store can really be an effective way in which to get your daily step requirement. It's amazing to watch them all add up!

Food-wise, we ate tons of veggies, oatmeal, egg white omelettes, and turkey sandwiches with cranberries.  We got substantial amounts of sleep (which is always an accomplishment when five ladies are cramming into a two-person apartment), and drank plenty of water.

Healthy snacks, courtesy of Kerry!

We were healthy for the most part, but... I got distracted.

Maybe it was the excitement of all of us being together, maybe it was the non-stop fun we were having, but I found myself straying from the healthy ideals I am striving to attain and getting caught up in the moment.  I made a lot of healthy decisions that weekend, yes.  But I made some unhealthy ones, too.

I had an extra glass (or two... or three...) of wine when we were out together that I probably did not need.  I inhaled junk food, most notably the lethal combination at a party of melted processed cheese product and hamburger meat (which - for the record - was incredible.  I am determined to devise a healthy version of it ASAP).  Once the girls headed home on Sunday, I avoided any form of physical activity, preferring to lay down watching TV and reading books instead.

This is what happens whenever I lie down.  So you can see why once I was lying down, I was kind of stuck.

My body is really starting to become used to my healthy lifestyle changes, and it reacted very adversely to those negative health decisions I had made.  I felt achy and a bit nauseous.  And it wasn't just physical - I was getting irritable and feeling anxious for no reason.  Not the best way to feel going into Monday, knowing that you still have a full week of work and responsibility ahead of you.

source

I stated in my recap of my weekend with my mom last week that it's okay to indulge every once in a while because it keeps you from becoming resentful of having to avoid things that you really enjoy.  But I also stated the importance of keeping the indulgence in check - that moderation is the key.  I overindulged, and I paid the price for it.

At first I was really angry with myself.  I had been doing so well and I had regressed.  It took some self-reflecting, but I finally had to come to these ultimate truths:

I'm human.

I make mistakes.

And sometimes I slip and make unhealthy decisions.

I'm not going to let my slip-ups keep me from becoming 
the healthy and fun person I ultimately want to be.  

I'm back on track now, filling up on nutrients, getting plenty of exercise, and staying hydrated.

Please don't let slip-ups discourage you from your health goals, either!  If we were all perfect at making healthy decisions, the mission of this blog would be irrelevant, wouldn't it?  So while my blog's purpose is still relevant, let's keep on working together to find optimal ways to treat our bodies and minds.

I had an amazing time and so much fun with my girls this weekend. I let my fun tip the scale a bit too much, and I'm okay with it now.  Heck, sometimes I probably tip the scale a bit too much on the healthy side too!  It's all part of the journey to discover the perfect balance between a fun and healthy life.

Loves!