No rest for the wicked! I just got back last week from my runcation but my next race is 32 days. And then last night my sister asked if I wanted to sign up for the Bronx Zoo 5k with her. I’m really excited about this one because (a) I love the Bronx zoo, and (b) I’m so happy that she felt inspired to sign up for another race after doing the 5k in Disney with me last weekend, with a new goal of hopefully doing a 10k next year! I love that she felt good enough after that race to want to do more. That’s how I feel with runDisney races and it makes me so happy that I’m infecting others with fitness goals, haha! I even met one of my followers while I was at the event, whom I inspired to do races too. It feels really good when you’re able to make an impact on other people’s lives, even if they are small ripples that you’re creating.

Helping people on their way to fitness and better health is a really rewarding way to give back, I feel. And with this Bronx zoo 5k run, we’re doing it twofold. Not only are we working towards a better health, it’s also a fundraiser charity race to help protect endangered species in the world. An animal is picked each year to represent and be the focus of the charity and this year is rhinos! We just saw and learned about rhinos too while we were in Disney, on our Kilimanjaro safari ride. They’re endangered unfortunately due to poachers hunting them for their horns, believing that the horns hold medicinal healing properties. In reality, they’re simply made up of keratin, the same protein that make up our hair and fingernails. So why do saving the rhinos matter? It doesn’t directly affect you and me but they’re part of the circle of life, as cliche and Disney as that sounds. They are a key component in the ecosystem where they are found because they’re major grazers. They help maintain the diverse grasslands they live on, which countless other species depend on, plants and other animals included. The endangerment of rhinos could have a trickle down effect on other species as well if a healthy balance of the ecosystem is not maintained. Other species of animals can be lost too if they don’t have a place to thrive. Rhinos going extinct can have an impact on the population of other animals that depend on rhinos maintaining the environment in which they thrive in, meaning your own favorite animal could be lost too. There have been studies done that show what the lands look like over time due to dwindling rhino populations. Less rhinos results in shorter grass, and less vegetation, and in turn, less growth and natural resources for both animals and the local communities that depend upon the land. I mean, come on, we all saw the Lion King. We saw what happened when Scar took over and disregarded the circle of life and the savanna turned into a shell of what it once was because they over hunted.

Anyways, let’s cut this social studies lesson short. I’m pumped to run this 5k for charity next month and thanks to my friends and followers on Instagram today, I met both my personal and group fundraising goal! My baby sister who also has signed up to run, has also met her personal goal for the run. My sister who started us on this, is still $35 away from her goal. If you’re interested in donating to help us save the animals, please donate in her name to help us reach our goals! Helping her to meet her goal, contributes to the team donations as well so helping her, helps me, which in turn helps our overall teamwork contribution towards protecting the safety of endangered species! You can find our team page here and her name is Trami. If you can spare even $5, it would really mean a lot to us, or anything you’re able to give. And just because we met our group goal, doesn’t mean the fight is over! We are still actively fundraising up until the day of the race next month and accepting donations for anyone else who would love to help, as its all for charity and goes straight to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s efforts for the animals. If you donate, please let me know who you are so I can personally thank you for all your help.💗

Again, I do want to repeat that I’m really humbled by all your big hearts and love today from everyone who took the time out to read, donate, or even share that we’re doing this to help get the word out. Even if you can't donate, letting other people know who can and are interested in helping is a big help to us! My faith in humanity is restored from time to time when I see all you amazing people doing selfless acts of kindness for loved ones and even people you barely know. There are so many good Samaritans left in the world still with such big hearts. It reminds me that I need to sit back once in a while and count my blessings. I need to practice gratitude more. I’m really just in awe of how much love I am fortunate enough to have in my life. Through family, friends, coworkers, strangers, followers, internet friends. And I should be grateful for everything my body does for me, EVERYDAY. Especially after everything I put it through. I GET to wake up, I GET to go work out, I GET to reach all my fitness goals because of it. Even through little sleep and high activity, it was still there for me and pushed me through all 3 days of races. We need to be more grateful of how much our bodies endure and are still there for us when we need it to show up. Don’t ever take your health for granted. Don’t take the love in your life for granted. Don’t ever take any part of what makes you happy for granted.