Woke up this morning feeling pretty motivated!

It’s no secret that the last two months have been a bit challenging for me both physically and emotionally. The loss of two grandmother’s in one week, the loss of mental and physical motivation, kidney stones, muscle spasm/pinched nerve in my neck & back, and a recent bought with the plague have all triggered bad habits. OK, it was the flu, but it felt like the plague. Needless to say my various “issues” has cut into my gym time, quality of my workouts, and left me feeling a bit drained. Oh, and I gained a few pounds. BBBOOOO!!!!!! Now, I could have sat around and cried tales of woe and let that icky self-talk get to me…but I didn’t. Instead, I  have been using the physical aches, pains, sneezes and coughs as an opportunity to listen to my body for once and take note of what it needs. I want so badly to progress with my workouts that I sometimes put my physical well-being on the back burner. Isn’t that ironic? If something hurts, I try to push through it. If I’m exhausted, I force myself to run. So, instead of “pushing through the pain” I took it a bit easier or just avoided a particular workout for a day or so. If I was psychically tired, I rested or did a lower impact workout. The only time I avoided the gym all together was on the days where I may have been contagious. While I admire those hard-core gym frequenters that can hit the gym 7 days a week and run 15 miles while wearing a leg cast (slight exaggeration), I have to be honest with myself and stop trying to push myself further than necessary. I’m not the young spring chicken I once was and I’m not as physically strong as the others, but I aspire to be. I’m nowhere near where I would like to be weight wise or strength wise. But I’m not going to risk further injury or illness in order to achieve my fitness goals. I will get there.

As for the emotional struggles, I’m getting through them just fine. 🙂 Life moves forward and you either have to move with it or be left behind! I started to beat myself up a bit over gaining a few extra pounds. But, as I have said in the past, my inner pin-up has a way of reminding me where I am, where I have been, and where I can go. She ALWAYS knows what I need and when I need it! I was walking up the flights of stairs at work carrying my purse and my lunch bag. My lunch bag when full weighs about 10lbs. My purse weighs maybe 5lbs. As I was stomping up the stairs I was reminded by my inner pin-up that the extra weight of both of my bags is just below the weight I have lost. I suddenly felt really empowered. Instead of pouting over a few pounds, I was proud of how far I had come. It hit me that I used to carry that extra weight around because it was physically attached to me. NOW I carry it around voluntarily! How awesome is that?!?!?!

So to the few pounds, the illnesses and injuries, and dramas that have crept up on me the last few months, you will not break me!!! I will shed you and the other 20lbs left to lose and will do so looking ahead. You are merely challenges and tests. I will surpass the challenges and pass the tests. Just try to stop me! I DARE you!

Liz