Finale

TGIF and happy weigh-in day. I have to tell you I was mighty proud of myself when I stepped on the scale this morning. I saw a number I haven’t seen in about six years. I’m still not where I want to be yet. The Levis’ are still in the closet. But every step counts. The hard work and diligence pays off. Continue on your journey. Do not give up.

This brings us to the end of our nine week road to fitness. My goal was to prep myself for the upcoming month. I did more than I hoped. I’m going to take a few days off and get geared up for the next blog challenge. Feel free to continue following at my other site.

Joe and I will not be taking any days off from the road to fitness. We still are going to persevere. We hope you do too. Our next journey will be the adventures in landscaping. Doesn’t that sound fun?

Until next time…keep on keeping on.

Mundane Performance

Just like every other day we tie up our sneakers and take a bottle of water out the door with us to get in that morning walk. Sometimes I just want to have another cup of coffee and stay snuggled on the couch with my fleece blankie writing in my journal. I even tried this morning by edging Joe to sleep in because it was raining out. There would be none of that.

Have you ever thought about it? Routine behaviors are what we spend sixty percent of our life doing. Going to work, doing grocery shopping, folding laundry, putting dishes away, or taking out the trash. Sometimes we lose our spirit when the everyday tedious routines give us no uplift, when there seems there is no vision. Sometimes we forget what we’re doing it for.

Today I did not want to go. It had been raining and everything was wet. First thing I did was step in a puddle. One wet foot. I bitched about it and then it wasn’t long after I stepped my other foot in another puddle. That sucked. Walking with wet feet sucks. It was a quiet walk for the most part.

On the way back there were a lot of frog sightings. Even saw a crawdad(?). They love the wet road. Their presence enlightened me. They were living in the moment, even though a car could have come along and squished the life out of them. The only way to keep life un-crushed is to live today to the fullest for the Lord, in all things we do. Every day is an important, ordinary day.

Until next time,

Weakness

What’s your weakness? We all have one. Some of us have more than one. For example I start one thing, and before I complete it, I’ve started three more projects. Joe tells me all the time that I cannot multitask and complete a project to the best of my ability. Simply said, if I am focusing on three projects at a time, one is not getting my full, undivided attention. Makes sense, however try explaining that concept to my boss.

Can you believe we are into our ninth week? That was the commitment. Nine weeks and I promised you would feel better and that you would even lose a few pounds. I bet you did. It’s a struggle every day. When you think it gets easy, you are not pushing yourself hard enough and that means it’s time to step up the walk. Go a little faster, maybe another minute, or another mile.

For the rest of this week, we are going to focus on one of our weaknesses. Maybe it’s picking all of the cashews out of the trail mix and having a little feast. Maybe it’s stopping for a latte every day on your way to work. Maybe it’s the late night snack. Maybe it’s not trying hard enough.

Mine is keeping up with Joe. He has longer legs than me, and trust me, I have to pump those puppies hard to keep up with him. On a good note, all of my miles are coming in under sixteen minutes. I know that might not sound like much, but nine weeks ago my average mile was 19:07. Today it was 15:50. Little things make big changes. Doing things on a consistent basis is key to meeting goals. It is not going to happen overnight. We are not going to really notice it until we look back through our notes and journals.

Take a look at yours. Congratulations! You’ve come a long way. Don’t give up now. Keep moving forward. Persevere.

Until next time,

Comfort Zone

Recently my position at work changed. These past three weeks have been extremely difficult. Not only did my schedule change, but my responsibilities changed. Programs and tools changed. I went from being a tenured know-it-all to an inexperienced newbie. Every day at the end of my shift I’ve left with a powerful headache and I’ve questioned myself whether I’m up for the challenge. A couple days I’ve even left crying to Joe telling him I’m not good enough.

Joe is so awesome. He reminds me that if we are not challenging ourselves we are not living life to the full potential. I used to go to work every day, handle every issue, instinctively knowing what the solution was. We get comfortable in our everyday lives. This new position has challenged me to use my brain. I have to research to answer every call. The solution does not come easy.

This is ironic because in our road to fitness the same is principles apply. Once we start to get comfortable with the routine our bodies will adjust to it. If we are not energizing our muscles they go dormant. Like our brains, muscles need to be stimulated. That being said, if you are getting comfortable in your fitness routine, it’s time to make a change. Step it up, go the extra mile. Muscles should feel a strain. If it’s easy, work harder.

Have a great day. See ya next time.

Fictional or Freaky Friday

 

Freaky Friday! Freaky may not even be the word for it. Remember when authors took real life incidents and turned them into novels? I don’t know about you, but it feels like Stephen King’s novel The Stand turned real.

I haven’t been out in public all week. When we take our walk it is practically in the middle of the night so no one is around. I work from home so I talk to people all day long. Other than the weather, this virus dominates the conversation.

I am wondering what it will be like tomorrow when we go out for supplies. I’m scared because I think eventually this virus is going to get someone I know and care about and that is going to suck. I am trying to deal with the anxiety that I’m feeling. The early morning walks help. Joe is encouraging me and very supportive, but I can tell he has some apprehension about the whole thing as well. He’s very good at covering it up, but I know when something is bothering him.

I wish I had some great solutions to make you all feel better. If anything stepping on the scale today might bring a smile to your face. I know I was surprised to see the missing pounds. All I can say is try to stay positive. Do what you know is the right thing to do. Don’t give up on your lifestyle change. This won’t last forever. Once this is determined it is no longer a pandemic, we’ll be ready to take on the next challenge.

See ya on the flip side,