To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really want to run today.  My dog has been waking me up ungodly early lately because she rises with the sun and thinks when it is awake, we should all be awake.  So, after taking her for a little walk around my apartment complex, I laced up my shoes and hit the gym.  I stood on the treadmill staring at my feet for a solid three minutes telling myself I only had to run a mile and that was it.  Just one.  Just 7 minutes of my day.

Well.  I may have over done it.  That one mile run turned into a 4 mile run with a half mile cooldown tacked on as well.  I kept entertained by watching the local news and blasting some Nicki Minaj, but I couldn’t help but think that some of my best runs happen on the days when I really don’t want to do it.  The days I tell myself, “Just run one. That’s all you need is one mile”.  I think it’s the fact that I am tricking myself into setting a low expectation so when I accomplish my goal, I feel like a rockstar.  I do the same thing when I run outdoors.  “Oh, I just have to run until that tree”.  When I reach that tree, you and I both know that I’m probably not stopping.  Running is so mental.  Chances are, your legs are not just going to give way from under you mid-stride, no matter how tired you are.  So, give it a shot next time you hit the road/treadmill/trail.  Set small goals for your brain and tackle them one by one.  Go just a half a mile.  Go just a little bit faster until you hit the sign.  Go just one more loop around the track.  You can do it.  Your body knows you can, it’s just your mind that needs convincing.

In other news, I’ve started re-visiting my old favorite grocery store lately.  The produce there is 1 million times fresher and they have tons of health food items I just can’t find at the one that’s closer.  Today as I was perusing the aisles, I came across something called a chia pod.

I, like the rest of America, have heard so much about chia seeds lately.  They’re so good for you, the Aztecs cultivated them, they have insane superfood qualities, they are magic yadayadayada.  But, I had never tried them.  The chia pod is essentially supposed to be like rice pudding but instead of rice, it’s chia seeds.  I figured I’d give it a shot because the only ingredients were chia seeds, coconut milk and vanilla bean.  It contains 160 cal, 11g of fat, 15g of carbs and 4g of protein.  So, I peeled back the plastic sheet and dug in with the handy pre-packaged spoon they provided.

Nope.  Nope.  Nope.  Not for me.  It’s really watery and slimy and has the consistency of what I would call death mixed with jello and, sure, I guess in some way rice pudding.  If you’re into that, more power to you.  If you’re not, welcome to the club.  It’s just not a thing I think I ever want to eat again.  Cheers to all you chia seed loving fools.  Enjoy your numerous health benefits and probably out living me because you can stomach this stuff.

Finally, an obligatory picture of Boo lazing away.

-sj