Oh no! It's the D word....

I am not one of these women who resents those of our gender who can eat whatever they want without putting weight on. Oh no. I am far to well balanced for such juvenile antics. And if you believe THAT, I've got some GREAT beachfront land in Kalgoorlie for sale...

I confess to occasionally wanting to poke one of these stick ladies in the eye as they sashay past me. I confess that from time to time, I have petitioned the almighty as to WHY He chose to give my Mother's ballet dancer DNA to my BROTHER rather than to me. But here's the thing. I have come full circle in this issue I really have.

Like most in our profession, I've watched and taken part in the great body image debate. But here's the thing. I have a pretty simple view of things.

That is, the most sensible, and really, the only answer can be found in one word. Health. You can NOT argue that carrying extra body fat, particularly around the belly (my personal nemesis) is healthy. You can't argue that doing no physical exercise is okay. And so help me God, someone please explain how any highly processed food can be good for our bodies. I could rant all day...

So yesterday, I tweeted and FB'd about the fact that I'd asked my running coach to put me on a diet. There was a mixed reaction. Some encouraging, some aghast...but you need to understand the context.

As I write this blog, I am at a healthy body weight, but to do the races I want to do this year, I need to lose between 5 and 7kgs. It's a simple fact. But I have been in a different place.

I was, at one (unhappy) stage in my life, 14 kgs heavier than I am. That's fullness of that yarn is a story for another day and if anyone is interested enough I'll tell it. But the short story is that in MY life, I wasn't happy. I was tired, I was grumpy all of the time, I had no energy, my self esteem was in the toilet and I was looking around for everyone to blame. The food I ate was mostly junk. Processed and fatty, lots of empty calories and stuff that basically was no good for my body. Oh and I generally ate tonnes of it.

Which leads me to this - my favorite - cause for which to crusade. Personal responsibility.

No-one held a gun to my head as I shoveled food into my mouth. No one held my pony hostage and threatened Buddy's life unless I downed a monster bag of chips. It was my choice. I did it. Me. And nothing changed in my life until I stopped playing the victim, and started doing something about it. (Just an aside, read Michelle Bridges' book Crunch Time - it talks a LOT about this subject www.michellebridges.com.au)

Not saying it was easy. It wasn't. It took a lot of discipline and determination, and if I can be cheeky enough to say, courage. I think the ladies will understand when I say I needed to slap my emotions around a bit, and stop being ruled by them (can I get a witness??). And of course it came down to that simple, yet magical combination of diet and exercise. Less in, more out.

So now I run as a matter of course. I eat clean as a matter of course. They are non-negotiable parts of my daily routine. It doesn't cost anything to wake up, put your runners on and head out the door.

And here's something that made me laugh. Recently, I was talking about this very subject with a friend who I've known for about a year and she said "It's okay for YOU, you were born slim."

Firstly, I nearly collapsed with delight. But then I gave her a snapshot of what I'm writing about now. It was hard to convince her, but I promise you this...I KNOW how hard it is. There are no secrets and no short cuts. It's all about consistency.

So here's the thing folks. It's a no brainer. Cupcakes and chips are treat foods not every day foods. Gin and Tonic is a weekend drink, not an every day, after work relaxant.

I'm not proclaiming to be a guru. If that's your take out from this, then you've haven't heard my heart. I'm just someone who has been there, done that. I've walked the road so I can talk from experience.

So yes, I'm on a training diet ahead of Darlington.. Yes, it's a little more strict than normal. No, it's not gonna starve me, it will nourish my body and help me gain strength.

And when I run that race, I'll be in the best condition I can be in.

GT