Westside junior’s healthy lifestyle is influenced by older sister

Having a healthy lifestyle is something that many strive for, but cannot achieve. Sarah Harrison, junior at Westside and varsity cross country runner feels she has recently made these healthy practices a part of her everyday life.

“My dad runs and my sister did cross-country from 7th grade to senior year, so in 7th grade I did both cross country and track. My sister was what influenced me,” Harrison said.

In past years, Harrison did not take cross-country running very seriously. However this year she decided to change that. By putting more effort in, her time significantly improved.

“One of my times from last year was 29:30, this year my best time was 21:31,” Harrison said. Past seasons I have not taken cross-country seriously at all, I didn’t care about improvements or how I did at races.”

By previously being a junior varsity runner, Harrison’s time did not count towards the team’s overall score, so there wasn’t a true motivation to improve.

“This season actually scoring points for the team [being on varsity] is a ton different,” Harrison said.

Initially being influenced by her sister to run, Harrison has also been influenced by her sister to improve her running times. Her sister waited until after her senior year cross-country season to better herself as a runner. As this being a regret she had, Harrison did not want to make the same mistake.

“I know she regrets not putting more effort into cross-country in high school once she saw what she was capable of. I wanted to be good at something and have something to be proud of in high school,” Harrison said. “I didn’t want to regret not trying like my sister does.”

Outside of being inspired by her sister to improve her high school cross-country experience, Harrison was also inspired by her sister to improve her diet.

“I look up to my sister a lot, so once she decided to eat healthy I naturally followed her suit,” Harrison said.

Harrison eats as whole as possible. 80% of her diet consists of fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and meat.

“The other 20% [of my diet] is quick release carbs such as oatmeal, bread and pasta, and treats. My favorite treat is ice cream,” Harrison said.

These types of foods have a high glycemic index and smaller carbohydrate molecules, so they can be broken down quickly. These carbs can cause weight gain and other health issues if consumed too much, however they are still needed to be consumed at times, as Harrison says “balance is important”. These carbs are even more so beneficial when eaten after exercise as the quick rise in blood sugar restores the glycogen.

Compared to having to take multivitamins to now eating an incredibly well-rounded diet, Harrison has found the enjoyment in cooking and preparing her own meals.

“I like to make things like vegetable soup, chicken tacos, zucchini lasagna, and tofu stir fry,” Harrison said. “I feel a ton better when I eat healthy, I have more energy and I’m less sluggish. I sleep better.”

Although this year’s cross-country season is now over for Harrison, she will continue running and training for next year.

“Outside of cross-country I typically just run. I do core and stretching after my runs. I would like to start incorporating weight training into my workouts,” Harrison said.

With a goal of running under 21:30 for next year’s cross-country season, Harrison plans to run in the Lincoln Half Marathon this spring with her sister, and participate in 2017 summer running with the cross-country team.