It's a beautiful day. (Bono reference not intended, but welcome.)

I felt better just having had a paleo lunch (turkey burger salad with roasted red pepper) today...meaning tomorrow will be even better. There are a couple grain/dairy things I would like to use up or save for less-strict paleo periods that I will leave interspersed in the next two weeks, and I'm okay with that. I think it'll help me not feel completely deprived later and stick with the Whole30 for the whole 30 days (well...31).

Went to a new church this morning, which I liked the people at, but the service itself was just okay. It was interesting, and I was glad to be there, but because the service was an hour and 40 minutes, my mind wandered more than I like. Sooooo, I might give this one a couple more chances while I'm living here (there are only like 2 more weekends I'll be available Sunday morning while living in this apt) and then try Rebecca's church again, once I move closer to there.

Not too much else going on here today... Tired from staying up a little late and then getting up early for church. Took a nap between WODs, which felt great. (And very primal...so thanks, Mark Sisson.) All-in-all, today was not only a beautiful day but a great head start to a better routine.


**WOD 1**
-- 2.5 miles @ about 10 min/mile pace, including sprints and walks
-- 11 shuttle runs with everything that's left

**WOD 2**
A) Warm-up
-- Bike 5 min (recumbent, light-to-mod)
-- Stretch
B) Build-up (5 rounds; start with just #1 in round 1, then add 1 new exercise each round)
-- KB high pull (10 each arm @ 10 lb; work up to KB snatch)
-- 10 sumo lateral shoulder raises (5 lb ea.)
-- 20 dropsies, with weights (15 lb ea.)
-- 50 mountain climbers (100 halves)
-- 25 med-grip underhand pulldowns (70 lb)
Completed for time: 10:01
C) Cool-down: Light jog around building (400m, 2:33)

Never going back.

In a bit of a reflective mindset today, I think mostly related to the fact that two of my best friends (and baby and teenage son) are moving down to Georgia today. It's not so much about the distance because I don't see them often, what with my being in DC and all; rather, I think it's just that they won't be in Wisco anymore. It's kind of sad for me but is also a blessing.

As far as "never going back" goes, though, it's not about that. (After all, we're only a plane ride away.)

No..."never going back" is fitness-based for me. 49 weeks ago, I moved to DC and started a new life with a new lifestyle. I love it and how things have progressed for me, but I have been reminded recently that there will always be change to endure. We can't ever settle but must always strive to be just a little better than we are now. There's a quote on my bedroom wall: "Be realistic. And don't try to be perfect." True: I don't need to be perfect. But I can try to be just a little better. And that's why I want to get back to paleo...and quickly. It's HARD to use up all this crap without feeling, well...CRAPPY!! (Does this mean I might give in to the trashbag before 8/1? Quite possibly...)


**WOD**
3 rounds for time (stupid timer stopped, but I'm probably just under 15:00):
-- Incline bicep curl (20 reps @ 15-10-10)
-- Dropsy w/ weights (16 reps @ 30#)
-- Med-grip underhand lat pulldown (20-12-8 reps @ 70-60-60)
-- Single leg pelvic thrust (40 reps)
-- Crossover lunge w/ hammer curl (20 reps @ 10)
-- DB row (15 reps @ 10)
-- Oblique plank twists (20 reps)

Decision Time.

Alright, so I'm bad at making decisions. I'm into my second year of grad school and pretty much figure that when I get done, I will have another degree I'm not sure what I want to do with. It takes me over an hour to grocery shop, every time...even when I have an explicit list organized by department. And I can't book a flight without calling my mom first. But I digress...

I've decided I want to go paleo, full-time. I've been thinking about it for a while, and I'm in love with the idea. I can even do it for a couple weeks at a time, but I can't seem to just throw out the non-paleo food and go for it. I just feel like cleaning out the pantry and throwing stuff out is so...wasteful! I could donate it and all, and I probably will do that with some things, but I just can't see throwing out a shitton (yes, it's a word...ask my WI friends) of food that I bought with my hard-earned (and scarce!) money. I just can't.

Soooooooooo... I'm deciding now that I am going to bite the bullet for like the next two weeks (max) and eat that food, then donate what is left. I know I'll feel less-than-ideal, but I bought it with the intention of eating healthy, and I lost over 75 lbs eating it, so clearly it's not toooooo terrible...there are just better (paleo) things I'd rather eat now. So that's that. I'll be working out with some two-a-days to try and "offset" the effects of the "crap food," and then I'm going to do a Whole30 starting August 1 (coincidentally the day I get back from a vacation, 1st of the month, a Monday, and first day of my 3rd summer class, a "week-long intensive, M-F 9:30-5:30") and eat "rough paleo" for the forseeable future. (More about what I consider "rough paleo" to come...basically it includes rare dairy (just cheese) and whole grain, so I don't feel deprived and can stick with it long-term.

So that's the decision and the plan... Hoping to stand by it (and book a flight tomorrow, when Mom calls me back, lol)!

Activity, 7/11:
1) Walking from Ballston to VA Square for errands, then around Clarendon, Court House
2) Insanity Cardio Recovery (With my legs still sore, I'm not sure why I chose this today...thanks, Keith.)

Blog: Reinvented.

So, I decided I want to start blogging again but chose to rework my old one instead of starting anew. I'm not sure why, but I think I wanted to focus on my life now...only, my life isn't brand new, just different from what it used to be. I want this blog to reflect the change in my life, so maybe continuing on the old blog will show the change I'm proud to have made.

I still very much love and care about the things I did before - humanitarian issues, charity, friends, doing good - but I also love and care about myself more now than ever before. I want to get and stay healthy - for my family, my future, and mySELF. Hopefully this blog will be a reflection of those things in my reinvented life that either I think are important enough to share with others or that I just need to get out. I'm taking a hint from Paleo Project Jenna and sharing whatever the eff I want...and not sharing what I don't want to share. Also taking inspiration from my true friend (and role model), Nina, at LiveLegit.

All that said: Stories, rants, recipes, and workouts are all fair game. Prepare thyself.

Dear World...

...You have problems. Yes, I'm just going to come out and say it. World, you have serious problems. I think too many people today are too willing to be passive and ignore this fact. And too many people today are too willing to say those problems are beyond them--that they can do nothing to fix you, World.

Well, I am not one of them. My name is Kimberly and I am 23 years old...and by most standards that makes me young and not-yet-wise in the ways of the world. I beg to differ. I may be from a small, closed-minded neighborhood in little old Wisconsin in the often-selfish United States, but I know a lot of things about this world I live in.

I know that I am a citizen not only of that small, closed-minded neighborhood but also of this world. As such, I refuse to ignore its problems. I know that it is the little things we do for others that can make all the difference. And, I know that what we do today will impact others for many years to come. I also know that what I do can change you--either for better or for worse. So you can call me young and uneducated, but I know better. I know I can make you better, World.

They called me the curious child and the dreamer...and I still proudly claim those labels. I wanted to see things and to talk to all kinds of people and to learn...oh how I wanted to learn about everything. I still do, more than ever. And I will.

World, you have serious problems that may be hard to fix. But I know they are fixable. I have a fire inside of me that in my 23 years here has only grown larger. I have a fire inside that wants to make a difference, and I can feel it raging and trying to spread. I have always said I enjoy doing the little things for others that make them really happy. Now, I choose to do those things for the world. I know that small actions can make a big difference. I also know that a fire this big can yield some pretty big change.

So, World, I may not know exactly what I want to do or even exactly what problem I want to fix...yet. But what I do know is that things need to change. Soldiers need to be appreciated by their country. Children should never be soldiers. Women should be valued and treated as equals. And all people deserve some basic rights.

I may not know yet how these problems can be fixed.
I might not be able to fix all of these problems.
But all of these problems do need to be fixed.
And I--and maybe I alone--will be part of the solution.

Between you and I, World, no one has yet seen what I have to offer. Sure, I might have done a couple good things in the last 23 years, but you haven't seen anything yet. The world is desperate for some change...I can see that. But that isn't going to happen overnight or without some people willing to take action. What the world needs is some whistleblowers. We need some people willing to stop everything and not let action resume without first instituting some serious change. Yes, the world needs to stop turning so its people pay attention. Then, change can and will occur.

World, your people deserve better than this. And I will make that happen. Of that, you can be sure.

With sincerest wishes for peace and love,
Kimberly Susanmarie Meyer

It's hard to write about yourself...

I'm finding it hard to write about myself. I don't like getting the credit for things--I like to keep the focus on what's important. (This brings me to the subject of the recent PR stint by my lovely alma mater...which makes me sick. That was FTK ("for the kids," in IC speak), NOT a good deed meant to make the university look good...but I digress.)

I'm supposed to be writing my personal statement for school, but it's hard. The things I do that are going to be good for grad school are not things I do for that reason. Even more, they're not things I want to use to get myself ahead. I just do them because I love them and want to help in any way I know how. For that reason, this is proving incredibly difficult.

I’m a peacemaker. I’ve got the awards to prove it. But it’s more about walking the walk than the plaques.

About seven years ago, I sat in a high school classroom on my first day of “civics” class wondering what this subject was, completely oblivious to the fact that it would become not only an interest but a passion and career choice. I grew to love studying government, but even more than that, I grew to love participating in it all.

Since that time, I have gotten involved in multiple social justice campaigns and even lobbied my representatives on Capitol Hill. I didn't always want to get involved, though. I always thought I’d be a teacher. What I didn’t realize was that being a “teacher” can mean many different things. When I decided to pursue graduate school, I was student teaching at a high school outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and working to start an Invisible Children club at what would soon be my alma mater. I may have been graduating and taking a major step toward a career, but there was something about inspiring other young people to become activists that pulled me away from said career.

And that brings me to where I am now. That's all I have right now. How do I explain how the people I've met and the things I've done through IC have changed my life? That seeing what young people have done through this organization makes me want to be better? That seeing what a difference can be made makes me want to inspire others to do the same? I don't know how to express that to a committee of graduate school professors and admissions representatives who may or may not have gotten politically involved themselves.

A few months ago, a very close friend of mine started talking about starting a non-profit organization together, though its niche is still unknown. As I think more and more about that, I realize how much I would love to make it a reality. I would love to start an organization that helps the youth of the world get involved, as IC has done for me. Do we need a specific issue? I'm not sure. Can it just be about activism and taking an active role in whatever cause you believe in? But isn't that being overdone right now? I don't know the answer to any of these questions...but what I do know is that I want to do it.

I want to initiate change.
I want to influence the youth of a nation.
I want to make the world a better place.
I want to better myself.

I'm not sure how to do any of it, but I'm sure going to try.