One of my favorite ways to stay in shape is to run. There are so many places your feet can take you. Running in Okinawa is much different from the US because of the humidity and the hills.
One of my biggest motivators for running is good workout attire. Nike is my favorite brand to run in. I love to run in shirts with motivating sayings. One of my favorites is a shirt that says "Just Do It". It's one of the most recognized brand slogans there are, but have you ever stopped to think about how powerful those 3 little words are? What if you applied them to everything in your life? ... "I don't want to work out." Just Do It. "I don't want to apologize to my husband." Just Do It. "I don't want to clean the house." Just Do It. You get the picture. Maybe the government needs a little Nike motivation. "I don't want to get out of debt." Just Do It.
I also have a few others. Another favorite of mine is a shirt that says "Try 2 Keep Up." I only wear this on rare occasions when I know I will have a fast workout. I do live on a military base, so you can imagine what a 20 year old male, active duty service member would think if I was wearing that shirt and running like I was about to pass out and die.Another motivator for running is music. My husband often laughs at the play list on my ipod because it is completely random and will go from a christian song praising God to a rap song talking about beer and partying. I just go with the beat. Two of my favorite songs on my play list right now are Stronger by Mandisa and Party Rock by LMFAO .
Saturday morning we took a run to the sea wall. It was 7 miles in total, but of course I was stopping frequently to take pictures. We started off on base. This is a photo of one of the hills I run.
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| Taken mid-hill |
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| Over halfway down already |
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| From the bottom of the hill, looking up. This is 1/2 of it, the other 1/2 you can't see. |
The start of this hill is 1/4 a mile from my house. The hill itself is about 1/2 mile long. The ocean in the back is where we are headed. We have to go off base to get there. And of course...what goes down...must go back up.
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Out the gate... |
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| And onto the streets of Okinawa |
We head straight for the sea wall and we are able to capture a little Japanese beauty in our scenic run.
OK, I totally agree with what you're saying about good workout clothes making a workout way better. I hate running, especially outside, so most of my working out is in a gym, surrounded by huge mirrors. If I catch a glimpse of myself and I'm looking cute...I'm much more likely to keep going, haha. I guess I'm too vain. Anyway, Okinawa looks beautiful!!! Perhaps if Georgia was that pretty I would run here...but then again, probably not. I would take a drive. :)
ReplyDeleteDear Devin, I just love your new blog, "Beautifully Strong." You are an excellent writer and I really enjoy reading your commentaries. I'm so glad that you are enjoying Okinawa and exploring the local culture. As you know, this is one of the greatest aspects of military life, to live in different places and meet new people. I am so proud of you and your beautiful family. You and Guy have worked hard and sacrificed much to achieve your goals. You have accomplished so much in your young lives, making the most of your time, talents, and energy. This shows great wisdom and maturity, which will take you very far in this life. I give thanks to God continually for blessing you with such beauty and grace, and for blessing me with a daughter who is beautifully strong. Loving you as only a father can, Dad <><
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