Although we plan our New Year’s resolution at the end of December with the hopes of starting on January 1st, it seems that we don’t actually push the reset button until the end of January, mid February, and sometimes even early March just in time for a little Spring Cleaning. So, since I started in early March, am just going to say it's Spring Cleaning time. To start this process I need to reset some of my priorities.

As I, begin to think about pushing the “reset” button my mind focuses on my nutrition and running goals.

Nutrition: Cookies vs. Fruit

Let’s start with nutrition. For those of you who follow me on instagram @ontherunwithkrista, you may notice that I occasionally use the hashtag #poweredbyveggies this is because I am a pecesaterian (not a presbyterian, that’s the joke that’s always made) meaning that I don’t eat any land animals, I only eat out of the water with the exception of frog and alligator because I’m not sure if its a water or land animal. To answer the question in your mind no I don’t eat chicken. Now it’s challenging enough to be a pecesaterian but I’m always trying the get my abs to be ripped so I also eat according to my blood type which is O positive, and this further restricts my diet. I’m still waiting on those washboard abs by the way. So why do I need to press the reset button? Because I have been overloading on sweets and chips, and not consuming my normal morning smoothies. I think I will join the annual 30 day green smoothie challenge hosted by FitXBrit that begins April 1st, this would be a great way to get back on track.

So, I did a little research on this sugar issue and found out that eating sweets causes you to be hungrier. Now What? So, not only does it cause me to gain weight, it also causes me to want to eat more and mostly likely I’ll eat more sweets. Why? Overloading on sugar puts your hungry hormone (satiety) into high gear, so it doesn’t properly trigger the brain that you are full. So how can I push the “reset” button. I’m going to do a 3 day detox from added sugar, so when I crave a sweet (which seems to be after every meal), instead of eating a cookie or munching on some chips, I’ll eat a piece of fruit.

Running: "Don't Just Run Your Mouth"

There is a quote that says “ Even A Bad Run Is Better Than No Run At All “, I’ve found that my weekly miles lately have been really low and my pace has decreased. That’s not normal for me but I realize that I have not been getting up to run with my running group because of the cool temperatures. Although I’ve been running of my treadmill it doesn’t compare in my opinion to hitting the pavement.

So what happened? I thought that I could run on the treadmill, incorporate spin class and I would be fine, but I’ve found for me this only helps me to maintain but not get “better.” Setting goals is the KEY. Over the past month I’ve ran a 15K (Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K/5k), a 5K (Dash for the Beads), a 10K (Trinity Levee Run) and a half (Rock‘n’Roll Dallas), my time for these races have provided me with a starting point which I will use to track my progress by the end of June.

How am I going to press the “reset” button? It’s simply “RUN”, but with the use of the Nike running training program because I must have a set plan to be effective, and with the help of my running group and running partner. Running groups are so important because it provides accountability, and new friendships which is always a plus. There is no better feeling than on race day when you see a familiar face in the crowd before, during and after the race. But let’s not neglect the importance of a running partner, over the last months my running partner had a new job schedule which eliminated our standard 4:30a.m. or 5:00a.m. morning miles. ( I like to run before my house wakes up that’s the only time it seems to be all about me.) Now she is back and the running has begun, was it hard for me to get up that early again, since I’ve been sleeping to 6am lately before running, the answer is YES but was it and is it worth it? “YES” The reset button has officially been pressed.

So, let me ask you a simple question, what are the things that you need to press the reset button on, to start your Spring Cleaning? How will you approach the situation and what checkpoints will you establish to ensure that you actually do what you have set out to accomplish?

Sometimes you just need give yourself permission, and let yourself “Reset”