Keeping it going

I haven’t written in a long time for many reasons.  None of my distractions taken alone should amount to much but all together they’ve kept me busy: vacations, illnesses, work, exercise and just life.

To be honest, I haven’t felt like I writing.  I guess I’ve been in a bit of a funk.  March 24th was the two year anniversary of my lifestyle change - from super-unhealthy to mindful healthfulness.  At times it seems that I should be further along than I am.  Simply put, I should be thinner.

For something different, I tried not weighing myself everyday.  My husband put the scale in the car.  I tracked my food.  I changed my exercise routine.  I read exercise and wellness blogs.  After two weeks of this, my husband brought back the scale.  And guess what?  I weighed the same.

To my surprise I was relieved rather than disappointed.   For nearly two weeks without a scale I had managed to maintain my weight, continue to exercise and eat well.  

In no particular order, here are my thoughts on all of the above:

1. I have made tremendous progress with regard to my health and I should feel proud of my accomplishments.
2. I need to make peace with where my body it is now in order to move forward.
3. I must stop being self-conscious about my weight as a personal trainer.  Instead, I should focus on the positive image I put forward as a healthy, active woman.  Women come in all sizes but what matters most is keeping your body active as well as nourishing yourself nutritionally and emotionally.
4. My body is strong - it has birthed a baby and helped others birth babies too. Midwifery is hard physical work!
5. I feel good.  I no longer dread getting dressed in the morning.  In fact, it’s kinda fun.  I may not the perfect size 8 (or 10 or 12 for the matter) but my clothes fit better and I feel confident in them.  I tuck my shirts in and wear belts!
6. Instead of focusing on pounds lost and calories consumed, I plan to shift my focus to eating a well balanced diet full of fruits, vegetable, proteins and fiber-rich carbohydrates.  Time to start eating oatmeal with flax seeds or egg whites with vegetables in the morning!
7. I am doing this for the rest of my life, not as a quick fix. I want to maintain the strength that I’ve gained and continue to increase my endurance.

As I think about it now, I didn’t want to write earlier unless I had some profound insight or new exercise to offer instead of just writing about trying to figure out how to take care of myself and keep my life balanced.  But I should be able to do that here.  After all, it’s my personal fitness journey.

Be well.