Hi All,
It’s June of 2008. Seems the last few years have flown by and now it’s seven years (!) since I felt good about my physical self. How does that happen? I suppose is different for each person. For me it has been a journey of the mind with too little focus on the body that carries it around. First it was applying to law school then it was working full time during the day while attending law school full time in the evenings for four years. Eating became the break, the pleasure in each day. Far too many nights of studying ended with a pint of ice cream. Then when law school was done it was study for the bar exam and then the great new job opportunity that called for working late nights and weekends. And the hard work led to a plum job assignment that had me living in a hotel for three weeks at a time in a foreign country and still working the crazy hours. I was away from home three months in 2007 and every night of that three months was full of rich foods and cocktails with co-workers. Now I’m in a different role and don’t have to travel anymore. Still long nights and weekends now and then but not all the time. And I realize that the years fly by and no one is going to fix this for me - the only way to improve my health and well being is to prioritize time for healthful activities and eating. No great job is going to compensate for a body that breaks down from poor care.
I’ve always been curvy and probably a bit overweight since college but now my 5’4” frame is carrying 200 pounds. I miss feeling energetic. I miss feeling attractive. I’ve had some health issues that I am sure are aggravated by the extra weight.
Last September I bought an iPhone with a bonus from work. With it I discovered podcasts and one of the first was The Daily Boost. At first Scott’s voice annoyed me - seemed to ‘sales-y’. Being a contracts lawyer I have to work with Salespeople all the time and their smooth tone usually means they are trying to slip something by me, sell me on doing what they want, for their benefit.
But I noticed that when I listened I felt better. Sure there were times the tone seemed patronizing or a bit sexist to my ears, but still it was a nice bite-size message of encouragement and I found myself downloading more of the free iTunes posts. I started taking walks at lunch and listening. Then in December I started going back to the gym and working out, doing an hour of cardio every day for 40 days and the weight circuit twice a week. I’ve been a fairly healthy eater for some time but started really working on portion size and more raw vegetables. And what happened? nothing. Mentally I was in a better place, but I did not lose a pound. This of course was discouraging.
So I went looking for more information. And that is when I decided to become a premium member. I have a lot of work to do and I’ll need lots of podcasts to listen to as I embark on a renewed effort (this time with a lot more weight training and an eye to keeping my heart rate in the right zone.) Although carrying too many pounds I have lots of stamina and I was pushing myself too hard during the cardio. I’ve got a heart rate monitor now and a few good guides for weight training and the next two months should be less busy at work so it’s a great time to set new patterns, develop new habits and complete the 28 day program. I am hopeful and so glad to have the resources here at Motivation to Move to keep me going and remind me that I can do this. I don’t need to feel old at 37. Scott is an inspiration and I’ve come to find that there is method in his presentation. It is great to have a voice in my ear that is positive, upbeat and unfailingly optimistic.
Here’s to a great rest of the year!
