Holy cheese whiz (🧀), you guys. I haven't written for a little while. Finals week killed me and I found that I didn't have a lot of time to write non-academically. But I survived and I managed to make Dean's List for the semester and now...

To the girl looking to get back in shape (a.k.a ME) --

It's not going to be easy. There are going to be days when you don't want to run. You won't want to go to the gym. There are going to be days that you want to give up. You're going to want to give in and buy mozzarella sticks from Rutter's (because those are your absolute favorites). Sometimes you're going to feel like total shit when you go to the gym because you're so out of shape. But you made a promise. Remember?

You promised yourself that you'd do something to make yourself feel better. You told yourself that you were tired of hating yourself and you wanted to make a change. You promised yourself that you wanted to whip yourself into shape so you don't feel so winded every time you come up the stairs at work. You promised yourself that you wanted to make a change. And you are. You've made a plan. You've done some research. You're taking steps in the right direction. You ran a 5k for goodness sake! A freaking 5k!

Your first 5k and you felt absolutely amazing when you were finished. Remember? The only way to get that feeling again is to keep going. Get up and go to the gym. Go for a walk around town or go for a run. Just get up and do something.

I know your schedule is busy. You're a full-time graduate student working on your coursework and your master's production. You have a family, and you have children who have extra-curricular activities. You have a job. But if you truly want this -- and I know you do -- you have to work for it. You have to make time for it. Don't forget, you can study at the gym. People read while they're on the treadmill all the time, and if they can do it, you can, too.

Just promise me one thing, okay? Don't give up. It's going to be tough, and you might feel discouraged when you first walk into the gym. You've never gone to the gym before! But it's important to remember that the other people in that room are working toward the same results as you; they probably won't even notice you're there. You are fully capable of attaining your goals. All you have to do it get up and go get 'em!