Zain is back in preschool so that means I have a tiny bit more time to actually blog. This summer really flew by. We wrapped up our summer with a trip to St. Thomas. We weren’t planning on going on vacation this summer because it was hard to squeeze one in with my husband’s grad school schedule. We ended up booking our trip 8 days before we left! It was a wonderful and relaxing trip. We spent lots of time on the beach. We even brought along the BOB Duallie so we could run together.
My heart rate training was a huge challenge on vacation because of the heat and humidity. I ended up cheating for the first time because I could not keep my heart rate down on one of our runs so I stopped trying. I was okay on my other runs though. I think my sleep deprivation early in the trip from waking up so early for our flight plus a baby who didn’t want to sleep really affected my heart rate. It was nice coming home to cooler temperatures here in MD. I’m due for my third MAF test but I haven’t had a chance to do it yet. Hopefully I’ll see some progress!
It’s been so long since I’ve blogged that I haven’t mentioned yet that I am going back to school in January. I am currently studying to become a health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I knew going into the program that I was doing it more to gain knowledge for myself than because I want to be a health coach. What I really want to do is become a nutritionist. I’m interested in a holistic approach to studying nutrition which is why I applied to (and was accepted, yay!) the Maryland University for Integrative Health.
I will be studying to get my MS in Nutrition and Integrative Health. I am beyond excited about the program. Not only will I be taking the typical nutrition classes like chemistry, macronutrients, and micronutrients, I will also be taking classes about therapeutic diets and cooking labs. I’ll be taking my classes primarily online so I have more flexibility, but I will also take some courses in person.
Nutrition is something I’ve become more interested in over the past few years and it is something I am really passionate about. More than anything, I want to help people. I want to show people that what they put into their bodies is making a difference in their health – and let me tell you, I have already found that is not an easy thing to convey. There are so many things about nutrition that I want to be a part of - global health and nutrition (I do already have a master’s degree in international relations to help with the global part), educating consumers about GMOs (and getting rid of them {wishful thinking}), ending the obesity epidemic, teaching people how dietary changes can treat different conditions, and so much more.
I don’t know yet what I’ll ultimately do with my nutrition degree (because I obviously cannot single-handedly end the obesity epidemic), but I know I’m excited to learn more and see where this path takes me. In the meantime, my dear hubby thinks that nutritionist = chef so he’s thrilled with this new direction I’m taking. I am very thankful for his support in this endeavor.
Happy running!
