All the single ladies...

It's been a while, hasn't it? I was out of the country doing an internship for six weeks, which wasn't conducive to blogging (to the left is a picture of me in Germany!). I got back home about three weeks ago, and have since been sleeping, getting ready for school & a new on-campus apartment, and...going through a breakup.

The story of the breakup itself isn't one that I really feel the need to tell, because the how of it isn't so important anymore, I'd say. What's important is that it did happen, and that that was a good thing. You see, the no-longer-boyfriend and I had been doing a lot of fighting for the last few months. A LOT. It was time for me to be single again, too, and I've been pretty content with that for the last few weeks.

That's not to say that I'm not sad it's over--I am. But I'm sad because of could-have-been's and lost possibilities, not because of him or the reality of the relationship. And I think that says something.

So, for the last couple weeks I've been single for the first time in well over a year. And I like it. I've been cooking, seeing friends, going apartment-kitchen-shopping, and just being really content overall. And I've maintained--maybe even increased--my higher self-confidence and self-love.

Fitness Means More Than Thinness

Someone asked me if I'd lost weight yesterday. Although I haven't, it was really nice to hear that I'm looking good. My theory is that she thought I looked nice because of the confidence & self-acceptance I've been gaining. You know what they say: "confidence is sexy" (or something like that).

I've lost my obsession with weight loss, lately. Yeah, I'm a size 16/18. Yeah, I'd rather be a 12 or 14, but I can be happy as I am, too. That being said, I'd really like to get in better cardiovascular shape (increase my endurance). Partially this is to do with the fact that I'm headed to Germany in a little under a month, and, when I spoke with a member of my host family yesterday, she mentioned that some members of her family are pretty sporty.

A picture I took of Castle Neuschwanstein the last time I was in Germany. Gorgeous!

 To say the least, I'm anything but athletic. I'm not coordinated, nor do I have much endurance right now. I've never been much of a runner, but I don't think I could jog for more than a few minutes right now if I tried. I'd love to increase my fitness in that sense, both to keep up in Germany, and to enjoy being more active. (Also for my health, of course!)     

So, I think I'll start off by trying some fast walking, maybe around 3.5 to 4.0 mph, and maybe get on the elliptical/cross-country ski machine sometimes. I'll try for 4-5 days a week. I think that Germany will be great motivation for this.

And if I lose weight? Cool! If not? I can be beautiful just like I am now, and I'll increase my fitness.