Off the Wagon and Back On
So I considered yesterday to be a major victory for my lifestyle change goal. I had barely exercised for the past 10 or so days. It was one thing or another (rain, kids, etc.). But instead of continuing down that path, I manned the fuck up and pulled myself together and hit the track mid-afternoon for a 4mi session.
I owe this to my personal strength, but also to my beautiful, sexy, super cute wife @erikarunsforherlife for taking on something that I needed to do in order for me to go and get what I needed.
Unplanned, I was out driving around last night and I went back to the track and got another mile in. It would have been more, but I had flip-flops on and well yeah.
I stayed pretty close to my new normal in terms of dietary things over this time, but it was the lack of exercise that caused me to lose my way. I have lost 49lbs in 72 days. That is fucking amazing and I am proud of myself and well yeah...it’s safe to say that I’m in this for the long haul.
I also am extremely appreciative of the support that I have received in various forms from family and friends. It’s extremely underrated to have a buddy (close friend/spouse/co-worker) to be doing it at the same time. Also, just as underrated is the motivation that you get from a strong support system.
Some days will have you feeling like this:
Others will have you feelings like this:
The most important things to keep in mind are
#1: It is a marathon and not a sprint.
#2 It is a lifestyle change. If you do not condition yourself for change in the long run, you will eventually relapse and relapse hard.
#3: A bad day, or two days or even two weeks or a bad meal or several should not deter you from reaching your goal. No one person is perfect and to expect perfection is a recipe for disaster/failure.
#4: Set goals and make them attainable, but not unrealistic. You don’t want something so easy that you aren’t pushing yourself, but you don’t want to push yourself too hard into something that is not likely to happen.
#5: Hold yourself accountable. Life happens. But if you are on a weight loss journey, it’s extremely likely that it was you that put you there and it needs to be you that pulls you out of there. Not being accountable was a reason that you needed to embark on this journey in the first place, so make sure to hold yourself to it.
#6: Find your motivation(s) and use them as fuel. If you are even in a rut, think to yourself about what made you want to make this change in the first place. Make a physical or digital collage of motivation if you need to. But find yours.