In which I pull myself back

It is so much nicer to look back and see the things I have done to change rather than still be thinking about all the ways I am going to change. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and got serious. All those days I spent in the gym and around the lakes last summer/fall thinking why can’t I be faster? Why can’t I be stronger? It took this whole month (or more) of nothing, and significant loss of fitness to realize just what I had. In order for me to be stronger and faster I would have had to push myself a lot harder over that plateau. I was in pretty good shape, maintaining what I had, and unbeknownst to me at the time, I was reaping the benefits of being in that condition. My New Years resolution then is to be aware of what I have. Be aware of how hard I am working and enjoy it. Be mindful of how far I have come. It was ridiculous of me to be surprised at how I had improved as a runner and the clothes I was fitting into and then ask “Wow, where did that come from?” Duh. I worked for it. Well, if it took me losing some form to come to this conclusion I think it was worth it. You have to go through the valleys to recognize the peaks.

Back to what I have been doing then. I started back at Weight Watchers seriously again. I never stopped going completely, but my heart hasn’t been in it for a long time. I lost 3 pounds last week and am on my way to more loss this week. Since Jan 1 I have been to the gym every day but one. That’s not the point, but it’s just significant that I have been going. By golly, that wedding dress is going to fit again by alteration time in mid-February. No doubt.

I recently read this and found it very obvious, but refreshing and sensible.

“Motivation is not going to strike you like lightening. And motivation is not something that someone else - nurse, doctor, family member – can bestow or force on you. The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test you blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.”

“…you’re more likely to act yourself into feeling that feel yourself into action. So act!”