Me and George Bailey: Marathon Ready

December is a marathon and Christmas is the finish line. To gear up, I decided that I need a better fuel than Diet Coke. That has been my go to energy source for the past 3 years, and honestly, I think I'm starting to flatline. I guess my body has built up a tolerance, because it doesn't seem to work quite as well as it used to.

One day, three years ago, I was sitting around a conference table at a lunch meeting and I was about to open my mouth to say, "Yawn, I'm soooo tired!" when I stopped myself and instead started a conversation with myself (yes, it was out loud). It went something like this: "Oh, shut up Renee. You're always complaining about how tired you are. " "Yeah...I am! Why is that? I don't hear my coworkers complaining about how tired they are all the time!" Then I looked around the table and realized that everyone at the table had either a Diet Coke or a cup of coffee in front of them. And I had an aha moment! Caffeine is the answer to all my problems!

Before that day I rarely ingested caffeine. I didn't drink soda, had never had a cup of coffee in my life, and only sometimes drank tea. And I was always tired.

So I started drinking Diet Coke and seriously, I felt so much more focused and energized. And then I adopted Rahul and my Diet Coke intake tripled. I know it sounds awful, but I really don't think I could have made it through without it. I'm down to 1-2 cans per day, but I know its evil and rotting my stomach lining and giving me all kinds of diseases. And please don't tell me how horrible it is for me unless you want to hear my rant about all the things I abstain from in life and how this is truly my one and only vice and you're prepared to lay all your vices out on the table, because that's the kind of conversation it would be. I'm very defensive.

Then the other night I was thinking about December. I've got a lot to do this month. Lots of work, lots of holiday stuff. And that on top of an already full life/schedule. And my financial situation is such that one bout of illness could wipe me out completely--I can't miss a day of work. So it occurred to me to get a better plan than Diet Coke. So here's my plan: 1. Go to bed earlier. 2. Get up earlier and work out in the morning (its about time I incorporate that into my routine). 3. Drink lots more water. 4. Eat more fruits and vegetables. 5. Drink less Diet Coke.

Pretty good, right?

I've actually done it for two days now and both days have been insanely full from morning to night. But I've had energy to get through the day and I haven't felt the urge to take a nap while I'm driving or anything. So I guess its working so far!

Wish me luck:)