Back to Basics

I joined a gym. I like the gym in the winter time, it's too cold to walk out doors in January. I tried barre classes. I have gone to a few yoga classes (and attempted at home, but an audience consisting of a 10 year old boy isn't conducive to that sort of activity at home!). I have tried Keto. I've tried to mix things up a bit to kick start my weight loss and it's all been done with little success.

I've enjoyed trying new things and I will keep trying different things. But I learned something today. I went for a walk in the park around the track, the same park where my journey to health started almost 2 years ago. This is my happy place. I get to walk and smell the flowers. I get to walk along the river and listen to it run (if I decided to take my headphones off). I get to see kids playing on the playground when I go by. I see other people doing the same thing I am, walking that track, with whatever goal they have set for them. I get more out of walking outdoors, being in that setting. It's also in this place that my greatest success with weight loss and health took place. When I first decided a lifestyle change was in order I didn't make drastic changes. Well, maybe a few, but I started small. I walked every day and each day I got out there I pushed myself to go just a little bit further than I did the day before. I ate the same things I made the family for dinner, just maybe skipped the less healthy options and substituted something for myself only.

I tracked my food intake with My Fitness Pal, I tracked my steps with a Pedometer. I ate 3 meals a day and some small snacks in between. I ate a fudge pop  after dinner most nights. The weight still started coming off! I had focus and dedication that I have been lacking. I realized on that track today it's time to go back to this, to what was working all along.

I started to feel like walking wasn't enough, so I added in the elliptical or some weights. I decided that eating "regular" foods wasn't putting my full effort forth, so I tried to adopt different habits. I got it in my mind that if I changed the way I was doing things then maybe I would see different results, faster results. I kept telling myself if I committed myself to this exercise or that eating program then it would all start to fall in place again. I'm not sure why I felt this way, probably because this is what I do.

I have a history of telling myself that whatever I'm doing isn't good enough. It might be different than what someone else is doing, someone might make a suggestion to try something, or I read about something new, and I decide that the way I've been going up to that point isn't the right thing. I do this is pretty much all aspects of my life. I've talked myself out of wearing something, going somewhere, or starting a conversation with someone. Something kind of clicked in me again while I was out there walking. I had to talk myself into going, but like always, once I got out there I was glad that I did.

It took me 47 minutes to walk just under 2 miles. It was hard. I wasn't even halfway through my first lap when I wanted to quit. But I did this once before. I know I can do it again. I slowed my pace. It's not about how fast you finish, it's just about finishing. I kept telling myself that. Over and over. Tomorrow is another day. It will be a little easier each time. It will be better this time. Because I have realized I am doing what is right for me, what works for me. Not for anyone else.