I like to move it, move it.

You might think by looking at all the entries here that all I do is eat. This is only partly true. If there is one thing that I could do all the time without consequence, it would be to stuff myself silly. But like any other girl, I am afraid of getting fat. And so sadly, I'm forced to make up for my gluttonous tendencies by exercising.

My choice mode of exercise is running. I used to run a mile here or there and call it "running", but when I started grad school my good friend, Kate, was a legit cross country runner and I started actually trying to run because I wanted to keep up with her. She is still tons faster than I am, but at least I can hang in for the long runs. My first year of grad school was a trying experience (that's the nicest way I can think to say it), and the runs ended up being time where we could vent and get everything out of our systems. Those runs made running an enjoyable activity for me. Kate moved away (:( ), but I kept up with the running for the health benefits more than anything else. It wasn't nearly as fun as it was with someone else to talk to. Last year, another grad school friend, Danielle, prodded me into signing up for the Delaware half marathon, and we both finished! I did it in 2:05:47. Training for that half was great motivation for me to keep running, and so I've been signing up and running half marathons just to make sure that I keep moving. Earlier this month, I did the Broad Street Run and then a couple weeks after that, I did the Delaware half again. Amazingly, the second time around, I finished it 6 seconds faster than the first, but at least I didn't feel like I was going to die like before. I will get to a full marathon some day; it's now on my life list.

The other thing that I like doing is bikram yoga. Some people look at me like I have purple spots on my face when I tell them about this, but this is a yoga class in a hot box. The room is heated to 100+ degrees and like 50 % humidity (I'm not sure if these numbers are totally accurate, but the room gets HOT). I love the heat. I love how my limbs feel ultra limber from it, and I love feeling the sweat pour off me. It's relaxing and difficult at the same time, and stretches my body out thoroughly. If you've never tried it, fair warning. I've heard that it makes some people want to pass out or vomit, so I guess the hot box isn't for everyone.

You might be wondering what Mike's exercise regime is like. Mike is normally a pretty sedentary guy. I can't get Mike to move, but apparently, his co-workers can. They used to play ping pong all the time, but lately, they've been "tossing the bean" which is code for throwing a nerf football around. Apparently, they even run routes sometimes. I, on the other hand, can't get Mike to try running with me. I see all these other couples training for and running races together, but he won't budge. To be fair, he does wake up early and usually stands in the rain for a couple hours to see me run, but he won't actually join me in running. So that is his secret to staying thin: tossing the bean. Not running. Just bean tossing.