Run for your Sanity

This semester is by far a 100% improvement from the craziness from last semester.  With the bits of extra time, I decided to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) to keep myself a little more physically fit than I did last semester.  The fall grind was not conducive to anything but studying books and bodies.  Therefore I've been training with 5 of my class mates for a marathon in Nashville in mid-March.  We run about 4 days a week, 3 of those 4 days we typically run individually and then on Saturdays we do a long run together.  This Saturday we are going to try to run ~10.5 or 11 miles.  We ran 9.5 miles last week and it was great.  Mississippi winters are typically friendly for outdoor running.  Mississippi summers are little less friendly.  I tried running outdoors last summer in MS and found myself running through sprinklers systems in people's yards. I suspect I'll find a different form of stress relief for the summertime!

I find working out 3-5 days a week a fantastic mental stress reliever.  I sleep better at night and my nighttime study routine seems to be more productive as well if I have gone for a run that day. It seems that running is as good for my mental well-being as it is for my physical well-being.

As far as medical school studies are concerned-I spend most of my days and nights studying medical physiology.  We spent January studying cardiovascular physiology and we're spending most of February studying the kidneys and endocrine systems. I have to admit the most resounding life lesson I have taken away from the last 6-7 weeks of medical physiology is that if Americans were to lose weight and stop smoking--- A LOT of physicians would be out of work...my peers and I joke all the time about how they should rename medical physiology-"don't get fat/don't smoke 101"

Keep your heart + mind healthy and try to go for a run today! Tt helps you think clearly, relieves tension, and might help you look good for bikini season (if you do know me you know I won't be wearing a bikini I'm way too self-conscious for that LOL) but maybe you can.

Happy Running

Salt and Light,

Kelly

LOVE IS A DRUG

I've heard and I'm sure many of you have seen, read, or heard movies, news clips, films, and even songs saying "LOVE IS A DRUG" Some even say its like morphine or another potent pain killer.  But the funny thing is if love is like morphine, I don't think I want it...morphine makes you sleepy, drowsy, confused, and if given at high doses makes you itch because morphine causes the release of histamines which are the things that make you itch when you have an allergic reaction--- (p.s.love and itching its a totally different subject).  Nonetheless, we continue to describe love as a "drug" or pain killer.  Puzzling I think.

CNN posted the following article (see link) saying "love may be as good as morphine"

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/love-may-be-as-good-as-morphine/

I've seen some people on morphine and in my personal opinion, truly loving someone far surpasses any man made concoction that can be made in a laboratory.  True unconditional love from Christ will cure any heart, heal any wound, renew any brokeness, and can even give life eternally.

Love could never be a drug and thank goodness it's not.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.

Salt and Light,

Kelly