Ch…ch…ch…changes

Change can’t all be bad, right? (says the girl who does NOT adapt well to change at all) I mean the changing of seasons, especially from summer to fall is gorgeous, and going from a single girl to a married girl, that was kind of fun, and after years of letting Type 1 control me, finally taking the bastard by the horns and kicking it in the ass over and over again, that’s kind of … exhilarating, really.

Changing of the seasons in Berlin 2010

And yet, I am a girl who more times than not does not like change. I like things a certain way, I like routine, I like to know what’s coming at me at all times. (Just look at my lunch. Five days a week, I eat a ham and cheese sandwich, with an apple and yogurt. On the weekend, every weekend, without fail, I eat a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and Tostito chips. Predictable maybe, but at least I know every single bite will always be a tasty bite ;))

And when change does come my way, it takes me forever to adjust. Case in point, five months ago, my newspaper changed its publication date from Friday to Thursday, and every Thursday since (minus my holidays) I have honest to goodness woken up thinking it was Friday – that is NOT a good way to start the day. Another example, when the clocks change, it takes me a good couple weeks to adjust and usually another couple weeks before I remember to change my watch over. And it’s not just in my head, my body doesn’t like change either. That monthly demon of mine (sorry guys) screws my face AND my blood sugars over nasty.

So why the hell am I looking for change now?

For at least three months, I have felt the need for change in my daily exercise routine. I have not been excited to go on my runs, it’s been laborious to get on the bike, and my moms pushes me out the door practically kicking and screaming like a two-year-old for Pilates. Something needs to change.

But what?

As mentioned, I am taking a break from training. I’m not giving up running, not by any means, but I am putting races on hold … for now. It’s a decision I felt I needed mostly to rediscover that love for running that I have, and that I know is still in me, but that’s been somewhat diminished in the last couple of months. I don’t want to feel like I have to run, I just want to run for the love of running.

But because my body does not handle a running-only regime well (hello dear physio) I need other avenues to keep my fitness going. So what are my options? Do I keep the struggle of the status quo? or do I try new things? A gym? Mountain biking? Trail running? More hiking? What?

I guess fitness is kind of like shampoo and face wash, you need to switch it up every now and again in order to reap the full benefits.

Because really, without change we wouldn’t have seen the beautiful colours of these fallen leaves.