On January 3 I will be 26.5 years old. I will be 25 pounds lighter than I was June 30, four days before my 26th birthday and the day I joined sparkpeople.com. I will have NOT gained the 5-10 pounds I have gained every year since I graduated from high school in 2001 and I will be six months away from my 27th birthday, the day I have set to meet my goal weight of 155 lbs.
I am overweight, but no longer obese. I am still heavy, but I no longer feel fat. I can't run 13.1 miles yet, but I aim to be there for the Des Moines half marathon THIS year.
I feel fitter. I feel healthier. I feel sexier. Most importantly, I feel happier.
Six months, that is all it has taken so far. I've gone at it slowly. I actually took about a month off and gained a few pounds back and now have taken them off again. Did it make me happy? no. Did it derail me? NO.
At the beginning of a new year people set resolutions for the next. They want to meet goals, they want to complete projects and they want to better themselves in some way. I think it's incredibly important to look at the last year while planning for the year ahead. You need to know where you've been and where you've come from to show you where you're going. You know where I've been but where I'm going, especially in 2010, is amazing.
I'm going to run a half marathon in Des Moines. I'm going to meet goal by my birthday. I'm going to 'Keep on swimming' in the wonderful words of Dory and my life is going to be better. Is it going to be better because I lost weight? Well, yes. I can't say it won't, but losing weight does not automatically qualify you for a better life. My life is going to BE better because it already IS better. I am getting healthy, one literal step at a time. I'm preparing my mind, body and spirit for a future. I am taking care of these three very important aspects of my life so my life will be better. I have changed my life. I didn't like where I was and so I set a new path out for myself.
I've met goals and I have made new goals, but you know what setting and meeting goals teaches us the most? That we do not have to be slaves to a way of life we do not enjoy and that does not better us. We can change. We can change our minds. We can change our eating habits, our exercise habits, our way of thinking and so many other things. In this new year and in this new decade remember that. We are capable of doing incredible amazing things. We only have to tap into one of our greatest resourses: Ourselves.
Listen to yourself today. What will ten minutes walking in place do for you every day? How will doing your best to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your diet change your life? If you park your car at the end of the parking lot or take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, how many more steps can you work into your day? These simple changes can lead to a better life, a longer life and a happier you. So why not give yourself the chance to change?
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