The Final Stretch

GAME TIME IS ALMOST HERE.

The one month mark has passed.

All I have to say is......

 

I cannot convey how eternally grateful I am to have rugby in my life. In so many ways, it shapes who I am and how I run my life. There is a quote about how rugby requires "focus on and off the field...discipline in every part of your life" (...OKAY OKAY FINE IT'S ANOTHER QUOTE FROM FOREVER STRONG. SUE ME!). But rugby puts meaning into so many different parts of my life that would otherwise seem mundane! Because I have been actively participating in sports since I was able to walk on two feet, I'm not very used to exercising without an end goal and/or without a team. One could argue that weight loss or being generally fit are considered end goals of exercising, but those things don't exactly stick in my head when attempting to motivate myself to go the extra mile in a work out.

"Go the extra mile so you can fit into those jeans!!" ......nah.

But it's literally science that exercise makes you happier, so if rugby motivates me to exercise more then there's no way I can't be happier!!!

And there are VERY few, if little to none, things that can motivate me to give up junky food....primarily Taco Bell. I have been a Taco Bell fiend my entire life. I used to ask for it instead of a birthday cake when I was little! And especially after going to college in Buffalo, NY...BIG BLUE WANT WINGEY (multiple Tommy Boy references, lovin' it!). I used to be notorious on my college team for my nomming.

SOO anyways, maintaining a genuinely healthy diet in order to perform my best for rugby is also quite a feat. I have a major emphasis on healthy because throughout my life I have gone through quite a crazy rollercoaster of negative eating habits....whether I was eating too much or too little.

I have my sister to thank a lot for truly figuring out what exactly the right healthy diet is for a rugby player. It's obviously very unique! My sister is a Public Health major in college, but she has also just become my personal nutritionist. And she puts it in real terms that I can understand, such as:

"EGG WHITES?! YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST EAT SOME AIR INSTEAD."

I'm obviously not against egg whites or anything nor do I think they're necessarily bad, but in terms of getting the nutrition I need in order to fuel my firey passion for rugby (and it's a wildfire, lemme tell yeh) SHE'S RIGHT! Where's da energy?! The introduction of more nuts, beans, hummus, and whole grains has been quite a welcoming one. I really do feel more energetic and generally happier! Although I will obviously NEVAAAAAH be able to give up junky foods (ESPECIALLY Taco Bell), I certainly don't feel like I'll be reaching for them anytime soon.

....easier said than done until Taco Bell is put in front of my face.

But even just looking at some greasier/junkier foods makes me feel lethargic, and evidently makes me wanna run in the opposite direction because lethargy has no place in a rugby agenda!!!

 

Bottom line: rugby makes me feel lighter and happier, in so many ways.