Good afternoon and Happy Monday! This past week flew by, it had its ups and downs and in-betweens. I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on areas of my life that could use some improvement. I don't know about you but I tend to tackle one thing at a time- get one moving in a better direction and then start on the next. Diving in all at once tends to overwhelm me mentally. That is why I find journaling so incredibly helpful- it helps me sort out my thoughts and prioritize what I want to work on next! I have been so focused on healthy eating and rebuilding my spiritual strength that I had kind of let my goals for fitness fall by the wayside, and I had it all in black and white to prove it.
As the season is changing my energy is coming back, I have more of a productive vibe going, spring cleaning in full swing, and new challenges are begging to be created! Of course this time of year magazine racks, news stories, blogs, and everything in between are all about getting that 'bikini' bod and finding that 'slimmer thinner you'. These always get me thinking about my own state of being. Fitness comes and goes in my life- from the days of feigning illness to get out of P.E.- my parents are nurses so I came up with some pretty fancy ones! To times of insane commitment (7 days of activity, the one time my thighs didn't touch!) and times where my only activity was the meandering walks with Stella (she is pretty lazy) but what I would really like in life is a workout routine that I love enough to do consistently throughout the week, a routine that falls somewhere in the middle of a crazy gym rat and couch potato :)
I have been slowly integrating several different activities into my workout week- no cries of boredom from me! Yoga has been amazing for me since starting it in November. My initial goal was to practice 6 days a week but realistically I get 5- 6 days is a good week! I have been participating in the Backbend Madness challenge for the month of March on Instagram and it has definitely been a challenge. Sometimes too much of one. The thing with Yoga is to accept where you are in the present and just let it flow. I have let a few poses get the better of me and one ended in a not so pretty pout party. Its definitely a lesson in humility and mindfulness. I can't deny myself though that my flexibility, strength, and comfort in my own skin has improved since starting this journey!
Now that the weather is better Nate and I have started running again. We do the C25K app and practice different intervals about 3 times a week- we are not training for a 5k. I thought we may develop a passion to, but by week 4 we realized we didn't really care to 'train' we simply wanted the joy of running in a way that made us happy!
So with these two under my belt I was feeling pretty good. But I am not quite where I want to be. I know that over the years that I was stressing over work, emotionally eating, sleeping away unhappiness, and not taking care of myself physically, I was allowing pounds to creep on slowly but surely. The number on the scale does not define us but feeling fit and healthy is priceless and a large part of how we convey our self worth. Now that I am in a place of loving myself more and enjoying life more fully- and actually not taking naps everyday! I am in the place where I am ready to shed those extra pounds. Yoga and running have been great, I am excited about my flexibility and I love getting my heart pumping but I felt like there was another element missing. So this weekend I finally committed to doing a month of Cassey Ho's POP Pilates too! Hello toned bod- I'm coming for you!
For 30 days I will be doing some sort of physical activity, monitoring my calories with My Fitness Pal, and tracking my progress in my planner. I am excited! I am excited to see change. More than anything I want to feel strong- for the first time in my life I would take stronger over thinner (funny how that changes, huh?) Why I am sharing this here is for accountability. I have a tendency to have 'secret' projects of self improvement that don't pan out and a large part of that is I keep it to myself. Telling all of you is an ultimate motivator. We all have struggles in our growth, be it fitness or otherwise and I hope that by sharing my ups and downs of this challenge will help motivate you towards your goals! Even if you were the kid who sat out in P.E. today is a new day and you are a new person, just as I am- and it excites me everyday to think about the growth potential of myself in any given 24 hours!
Do you have big goals you are thinking about tackling or have already started working towards? ♥
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