hello world!
I haven't posted since March?! So much for posting more often. I am trying to reorganize my life/career, but keep getting distracted by shiny things. However, I can say this. I celebrated another birthday recently, and that got me thinking about, you know, stuff. Especially healthy stuff.
I haven't been as diligent with the weight loss efforts the past couple months as I was during 2010, which basically means I haven't been losing anything recently. However, I can say I pretty much have this maintenance thing down pretty well! ;-) More to the point, though, I got to thinking about where I am, where I was, and where I plan to be.
I don't feel much different now than I did when the number in my age was one digit less. That's always the way it works, isn't it? How does it feel to be 11, Billy? Same as 10. How does it feel to be 22, Billy? Same as 21. How does it feel to be 47, Billy? Same as 46.
Yet somehow, in between 11 and 47, Billy does change. He grows, he learns, he lives life. And suddenly one day he'll realize he can't vault onto the kitchen counter to reach things off of the upper shelves in the cupboards anymore. No, like me, he'll have to actually pull the stepstool out and climb up safely. And then we realize that the knees don't have quite the same staying power that they used to. Or that I really do need more sleep to make it through the week.
Even so, I can really look back over the past year with some pride of accomplishment that helps to offset some of the annoyance of growing a little bit older. A year ago, I weighed a hefty amount over 200 pounds, and wore size 20W pants. In June, I bought myself a new(er) pair of shorts for my birthday which were a size 14. All of my size L shirts fit again, and I have a large pile of clothes waiting to be donated.
I'm eating better, or at least less, most of the time. Not enough less to lose weight recently, but enough less to stay where I am, and that's a good thing. I need to work more on eating less on a consistent basis, so I can start moving towards my weight goal again. That's on the agenda.
But I think the thing that blows me away most about the past year is exercise. I recently realized that exercise no longer sucks. I have gotten past the point where getting up and moving no longer sucks so much that I would rather do anything besides exercise.
Don't get me wrong. Exercise still isn't my favorite thing in the world. There are a LOT of other things I'd rather do with my time. I'm not yet at the point of craving exercise if I don't get enough, of feeling antsy without it if I skip a day or two. BUT, I am at the point where I don't mind exercising, and dare I say, it feels good to exercise! I might even admit to enjoying it. Maybe I don't enjoy the actual exercise itself, but I enjoy enjoying it, if that makes sense. I enjoy the fact that I can do it. I enjoy the fact that I can do so much more now than I could a year ago. I enjoy that I can see myself as a runner now, if I just stick with it. I enjoy being active.
So, happy birthday to me. A little bit older, a little bit healthier.
I haven't been as diligent with the weight loss efforts the past couple months as I was during 2010, which basically means I haven't been losing anything recently. However, I can say I pretty much have this maintenance thing down pretty well! ;-) More to the point, though, I got to thinking about where I am, where I was, and where I plan to be.
I don't feel much different now than I did when the number in my age was one digit less. That's always the way it works, isn't it? How does it feel to be 11, Billy? Same as 10. How does it feel to be 22, Billy? Same as 21. How does it feel to be 47, Billy? Same as 46.
Yet somehow, in between 11 and 47, Billy does change. He grows, he learns, he lives life. And suddenly one day he'll realize he can't vault onto the kitchen counter to reach things off of the upper shelves in the cupboards anymore. No, like me, he'll have to actually pull the stepstool out and climb up safely. And then we realize that the knees don't have quite the same staying power that they used to. Or that I really do need more sleep to make it through the week.
Even so, I can really look back over the past year with some pride of accomplishment that helps to offset some of the annoyance of growing a little bit older. A year ago, I weighed a hefty amount over 200 pounds, and wore size 20W pants. In June, I bought myself a new(er) pair of shorts for my birthday which were a size 14. All of my size L shirts fit again, and I have a large pile of clothes waiting to be donated.
I'm eating better, or at least less, most of the time. Not enough less to lose weight recently, but enough less to stay where I am, and that's a good thing. I need to work more on eating less on a consistent basis, so I can start moving towards my weight goal again. That's on the agenda.
But I think the thing that blows me away most about the past year is exercise. I recently realized that exercise no longer sucks. I have gotten past the point where getting up and moving no longer sucks so much that I would rather do anything besides exercise.
Don't get me wrong. Exercise still isn't my favorite thing in the world. There are a LOT of other things I'd rather do with my time. I'm not yet at the point of craving exercise if I don't get enough, of feeling antsy without it if I skip a day or two. BUT, I am at the point where I don't mind exercising, and dare I say, it feels good to exercise! I might even admit to enjoying it. Maybe I don't enjoy the actual exercise itself, but I enjoy enjoying it, if that makes sense. I enjoy the fact that I can do it. I enjoy the fact that I can do so much more now than I could a year ago. I enjoy that I can see myself as a runner now, if I just stick with it. I enjoy being active.
So, happy birthday to me. A little bit older, a little bit healthier.