Zombie Apocalypse

I've been getting a little more obsessed with the possibility of the zombie apocalypse. I've always had a thing for zombies thanks to my mom and her love of old school horror movies. Then Shawn of the Dead came out and ever since, I can't get enough. I've always loved the Resident Evil games and movies. It's kind of strange actually, I can't watch horror movies on my own. I'm too much of a wuss and sleeping by myself in a mostly empty house that makes sounds at night...well, not much sleeping will happen if I watch a scary movie. I still see scenes from Arachnophobia when I shower every morning. Sometimes I swear I can see that creepy girl from The Ring crawling around in the dark. But zombie movies have never been a problem for me, though they do usually give me weird dreams. Zombie games are intense but fun.
It's not like I'm the only person that's into zombies and there are people who are way more into them than I am. What's the point of all this zombie rambling? Well, I've decided to start a training program. That I made up in my head. It's the "get fit for the zombie apocalypse" program. See, you have to be able to run to stand any kind of chance at living when the apocalypse comes and in my current state, I wouldn't get very far. You need to be strong to stand a chance at survival, and at this current moment in time, I just don't feel I'm strong enough to make it very long.

Plus, I'm planning on visiting J in Florida this summer and I'd like to feel comfortable in a swimsuit since summer in Florida means long days at the beach.

Why is any of this going into a blog post? I think it will help me stay accountable and maybe motivate some other people to start thinking about how they're going to survive when the first zombie wave hits. Having a short term goal helps motivate me because I know when I'll be able to take a break (summer vacation) and having a long term goal keeps me from falling completely off the health wagon when I reach my short term goal. I remember when we did the Biggest Loser challenge at work last year. I did so well because I knew I only had 3 months to get as much done as I could and at the end of that time I could ease up. I've maintained the weight loss I achieved then (25 pounds!) thanks to better eating habits that stuck with me from that challenge. I try to do something active when I can. At work, I park on the top floor of the parking garage and take the stairs every day. I take the stairs in the office building instead of the elevator. Little things that make me feel like I'm doing something good for myself.

I've had a rough couple of months personally and it put me into a funk I wasn't sure I could come out of. I withdrew from the life I loved and stopped hanging out with my friends as much because it's just been feeling like too much. I haven't been myself lately, and if anyone has felt offended by me being quiet or staying away from social events, I'm sorry. Sometimes people just need a break from life and this has been one of those times for me. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's amazing to finally start feeling like myself again. But, thanks to the rough months, I've returned to some of my not so great habits and have taken to resting when I have free time instead of doing something active. I think training for the zombie apocalypse will be a fun way for me to get back in the game. And if working out is fun, I'm more likely to do it.

So here's my plan so far: I work on the waterfront and have yet to really take advantage of that fact as much as I should. From now on I'll be spending my lunch walking along the waterfront. After work, I'll change into workout gear and take a jog on the waterfront. Since I'm just starting to get back into running for exercise I'll take it easy and work my way up to the point where I can run without having to stop for breath every 10 seconds. By planning on doing both of these things, I don't have as much pressure if something comes up that interferes with my plan. If I miss my lunch walk because I go to lunch with a friend or coworker, that's ok because I know I'll have time to jog after work. If I have something to rush to right after work, that's ok because I know I'm still going on a walk for lunch.
I still have a gym membership at Bally's so I'm going to try to get myself to go there more often. I want to get back to swimming as soon as I can. Since the weather is finally going to start warming up, and it's staying lighter out longer, I feel like my options are unlimited. I live right by the Springwater corridor trail. I love going to Multnomah Falls. I just feel more alive when there is more light. In the winter, I hardly see daylight because by the time I'm off work, it's dark. All this daylight has me motivated and energized!
As far as eating habits go, I'm going to cut back on the sweets. I know from my own personal experience that I don't do well without chocolate so I won't be cutting that out completely. But I am going to only allow myself one chocolate indulgence a day. Whether that be a cookie, a piece of birthday cake, or a truffle, it doesn't matter. I only get one. And "one tub of ice cream" will not count as one indulgence. Yea, maybe I've used that justification before. What? I like ice cream, ok?
I've also been taking a buttload of vitamins for the past few weeks to help with my mood and energy and will continue to do so until the day I die (or something like that). I take a multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D (since we lack sunshine on a regular basis here) and St. Johns Wort. It's best to take vitamins with food so it really helps me eat 3 meals a day. I feel silly admitting it, but I have a bad habit of skipping meals. I tell myself I "make up for it" by consuming loads of calories from late night snacks but we all know that's not healthy. Thanks to the vitamins, that hasn't been much of a problem lately.

With all that said, I encourage you to think about what you can do to get yourself ready for the days of zombies. I also ask that you not feed this chocoholic or purposely taunt chocolate that you eat. If you want to do something active with me, just ask! I may not be able (or want) to do everything, but it never hurts to ask and isn't it always more fun doing things with friends? Come walk with me at lunch, or jog after work. Let's go to the falls or explore a new trail together. Or just sit back and do your own thing. That's totally cool too. Just remember, some day...the zombies will be here.