"You can't out exercise a bad diet."

One of the biggest misconceptions I see floating out there on the internet is people thinking that they can eat whatever they want as long as they kill themselves exercising to burn off all those extra calories. Your body needs X amount of calories to survive each day, yes, and it will not run on a lower amount just because you want it to. Your body NEEDS calories for every day functions and to keep yourself alive. On the other hand, just because someone exercises a lot doesn't mean they should be eating chocolate upon chocolate (although wouldn't that be nice if it really was beneficial in the long run) or cookies and chips and cupcakes. I read lots of health and fitness blogs, but there are always people out there that think, "I can eat whatever I want, because I work out for two hours a day!" Congratulations. You are so special. Wouldn't you rather work out for less than that and eat healthy, instead of loading your body with excess sugar, chemicals, and actually be putting GOOD food into your body to fuel your work outs? A healthy diet can ward off illness, keep your organs strong, help you live longer, slow down the aging process, keep your brain healthy... The list goes on and on. Sure, I am definitely guilty of having a treat every now and then. For instance, I had a cookie yesterday and a mini chocolate bar from Halloween. Does that mean I eat like that all the time, just because I exercise regularly? No, and it doesn't mean I should either. People develop food sensitivities from having a poor diet. They also develop diseases. Throw in no exercising into the mix and the life span shortens that much more.

Long story short:

"You can't out exercise a bad diet."

Think of your health in the long run, and think of how your body will feel without all that junk food. I'd much rather feel healthy and pumped up from whole, healthy foods rather than a sugary donut that spikes my blood sugar and sits like a rock in my stomach. That being said, it is important to find a balance and let yourself have a piece of cake every once and a while. After all, you don't want to drive yourself crazy! It's important to be mindful of portions and stick with eating clean most of the time to reap the most benefits.

And since we are talking about food...

Every day oats!

In the mix:

1/3 cup rolled oats, 2 tbsp. unsalted roasted sunflower seeds, a sprinkle of raisins, 

vanilla, apple pie spice, banana & natural PB on top. 

So good! I enjoyed some coffee with honey and unsweetened vanilla almond milk on the side. Gotta perk up for the work day ahead!

Breakfast was especially delicious after a four mile run this morning. I'm sure everyone in the house enjoyed me thumping around on the treadmill at 5:45 AM this morning. Sorry, family, I had to! Plus it seems as if everyone but me in the house has the day off today. What's up with that? Oh well. I can't complain, because I have tomorrow off, so life is good! Tomorrow also marks the last three miles of my 30 mile running week. I  think the last time this happened was... Maybe last month? I haven't been consistent with it, that's for sure. Time to get my lazy butt in gear (and keep looking for more races to sign up for next year, yay!).

Happy Saturday! :)