Oh, donuts – I love you so much. Most of the time. You can tell by the fact that these have been in my apartment for over a week and are still there (as opposed to in my belly) that I have been getting more exercise.
One of my favorite things about running is how easy it makes it for me to eat well.
It’s not that the cravings for all my bad habits magically disappear. It’s that my bad habits make me feel so bad (physically, not emotionally. I don’t do food guilt.) when I run that they’re not even worth the moment of joy they bring.
My food habits tend toward laziness. For most people, this would mean eating emotionally, and I sometimes do that, but for this INTJ, even emotions have reasoning. Decisions about food consumption seem to fall according to a simple benefit/cost ratio. For example, eating more than a tablespoon of cream cheese, even if I take a pill to soothe the lactose intolerance, makes me ill. I have no problem leaving it alone because my hatred of being sick is greater than my love of cream cheese (and oh, how I love it). Losing a little sleep over having coffee too late in the day, though? Totally worth it.
I have a pretty low sugar tolerance most of the time, but when I’m running on a regular basis, I cut way down on sugar because it really messes up…everything. My sleep patterns (which are already not stellar). My focus. My energy level. I’m a mess when I’ve had too much sugar – especially when I add a lot of activity.
I also tend to cut carbonated drinks out, because my body HATES them. I can’t even walk up the minor incline to my car without getting winded when I’ve had soda. Running is already not the easiest thing for me; why would I intentionally make it harder?
Running helps me eat better, and eating better helps me run better. It’s a beautiful cycle.
M. Suzanne Terry 
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