Self improvement to attract others

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Thanks for the friendly reminder as always.

I was sick off and on, different things, throughout November and the first couple weeks of December. Every time I'd go out for a run, especially the big long runs, it was raining. I did ok, and then it was cold and rainy AND I was sick and mentally it was just GAME OVER. We took a vacation over Christmas. I was able to rack up some miles early in the week, but things didn't go QUITE the way I expected at the end of the week when I do my hardest runs.

So before it was all over with I went to Fleet Feet and did some shopping. I now have a light jacket that holds up well in the rain and a hat to keep it out of my face. The shell helps make my base layer much more effective and keeps cold, rainy weather much less mentally taxing. For a few weeks there I was ready to quit. Just give up, try again next year.

Another problem is I've been using the Runkeeper app to track my stats. During the absolute worst of these rainy-day, cold runs, I'd running a lap around a 1/3 mile track when it told me I'd run a mile. Not willing to risk exposing my iPhone to rain, and really struggling to maintain my concentration through bad weather on top of all of that, I decided to quit for the night. It's not the first time I've caught Runkeeper acting crazy. It's often inaccurate even in the best weather, my phone overheats in hot weather, and it crashes, losing data I need to keep track of the miles. Yesterday I was running along the Natchez Trace (there's a multi-use trail in the Ridgeland area). Everything was going unusually well 10 miles into my run. Runkeeper crashed somewhere around mile 12 or 13. Since I'd already made it to my halfway point, I wasn't terribly worried, but it wasn't fun losing all that pace info, even for the 2/3 mile that was missing when I restarted the app. I was just happy that I'd gone the full 20 miles for the first time in a few weeks.

So...time to ditch the iPhone and get a Garmin. Hopefully it will be in by next weekend.

Point being the worst part of staying consistent in any workout routine is when distractions cut into your consistency. I'd been lifting weights for a while and had really built up my reps on squats. I'd done EVERYTHING right. And then I started dealing with fasciitis, knee pain, and shin splints. As much as I hated to do it, I was forced to quit lifting weights because it was hurting my running instead of helping. I'll eventually go back to it, but I'll never be able to finish marathon training as long as I'm lifting, at least for right now. So...cutting out necessary or counterproductive workouts, adjusting my diet, adding variety to my long run routes, buying new clothes and shoes, and investing in tools that work RELIABLY can be a huge help in reaching your goals.

Less than a month to go...

I've been smoking weed, drinking beer, and eating pancakes (albeit, gluten free & high protein and fibre) this Winter a fair bit more than running or working out. I've probably put on about 5lbs or so of fat. It's enough to make me go "Nah, don't like this.." and start getting back into a better routine of keeping moving & following it up with a proper diet. I've been to the beach a few times in the last week - so at least I've done the ~480 stairs a few times. I really should make a point of getting outside for a run soon.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Healthy diet & exercise to achieve an attractive body composition is a given. Still, it can't be stressed enough how huge this is.

Anyways, figured I'd comment on some other things. The one I'll stick to with this post is personal grooming - as in hair. If you're going to be OCD and meticulous about something, this should be it - especially if you're trying to appear more attractive to others.

I shave pretty regularly and like to keep my hair looking crisp. However, I don't like spending $$ on haircuts very often, so, to keep my haircut looking fresh I have a pair of hair cutting scissors ($5-10) that I use to clip any unruly straggly hairs, but mostly to trim the hair above my ears to prevent it from ever growing over my ears. This keeps my haircut looking fresh WAY WAY longer. I also paid attention to how one of my stylists trimmed my eyebrows to prevent them from being bushy & then use the scissors to do that, too. I pluck out any super stray eyebrow hairs, too. I trim/pluck any nose/ear hairs, too. I don't "shape," my eyebrows and have them looking feminine or even "metro," I just keep them looking.. clean. IMO, spending a minute or so per day doing these things goes a long way in looking presentable - even when I'm wearing old worn work clothes to work; at least I myself am presentable vs. "letting myself go," bit by bit.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.