This time, its gonna be different!!!

In September 2009, I completed a 30 day fitness challenge.  I didn't work out for 30 days straight, but I did pretty good and probably only missed a few days.  On the last day I finished the challenge with a rigorous work out with my trainer, in which we did some kick boxing (one of my favourite cardio activities).  Soon after that day, I couldn't walk properly; I had pulled my SI-joint (its hyper-mobile).  I'm still going to physio for it a year and a half later, but have returned to the gym (a few times...) since then.

There seem to be too many of these starts and stops though.  Why do I get all gung-ho about it for a few weeks and then just quit?  Is it all excuses, or are some of these reasons valid?  I feel like I've ALWAYS been like this...is it normal?  How do some people develop great will-power and motivation, and others don't?

This time its different.  This time I feel like I've got not only the physical motivation to get moving, but also the mental and emotional.  I've seen the benefit of exercising regularly and eating well - you start feeling like a super star, you have more energy, you sleep better, your clothes fit better, and ... other aspects seem to improve as well. ;-)

I'm ready to quit being a self-centered, un-motivated brat with no will power, and start being a self-centered, MOTIVATED brat WITH will power!  I work full time and a second job 3 evenings a week, so scheduling is going to be difficult until my body is used to the routine.  Some people are going to try to convince me to go out with them in the middle of the week.  Please don't get me wrong, I love spending time with each and every one of you (and you know who you are), but the lifestyle I am currently living is not conducive to a good and healthy body, outlook, attitude and life.  So until I get my body used to all the changes, I am going to be hiding under a rock for a while, sometimes even on weekends.

Last week I went to bed at 11pm almost every night, which is early in my world.  But I woke up feeling like I actually slept (except for nights where I have sleep-stared, but that's a whole other story, and I'll save that for another post).  I LIKE feeling like that in the morning!!

I'm not completely naive.  I know I'm not going to change all my bad habits overnight.  Baby steps!  But those baby steps are going to start with a couple morning work-outs per week.  My gym is 2 minutes (LITERALLY) from my house, so I can stumble out of bed, brush my teeth, put a hat over my bed head, and get moving!

I want to start running eventually.  I've tried to before, and I got all the way up to running for 5 minutes without stopping (I know, to most of you that doesn't seem like much, but to me, it felt like I had conquered a HUGE hurtle).  I did a 5K walk/run in 45 minutes in December 2009 - that was fun!

This week's plan:

• Walk for 45 minutes on at least 2 of my lunch breaks;
•  Go to the gym before work at least once; and
•  Cut out coffee after 1:00pm.

Three challenges for 1 week, and they seem quite reasonable.  Lets see how many of them I can check off as of next week's post.

This'll be a nice, refreshing, tall glass of lemonade...

We all know the old adage.  When life hands you lemons you look at life, look down at the lemons, look at life again, look down at the lemons and look and life and say "Seriously?!"  Then you pull up your boot straps, take out your juicer and have at 'er!

 The past little bit has been a little rough and tumultuous, but thankfully I have had some really great people by my side through it.  And they remind me every day that I have made the right decision.  I quit one of my jobs.  I don't want to get into details because I am not really a fan of bashing in any form, and especially via the Internet.

 I have been at my new full time position for just over a month now, and its awesome.  The professionalism is by far the best I've encountered.  There are no cliques, everyone does the work they are asked un-begrudgingly.  There has been a little bit of a learning curve, but thankfully (so far) not much of one.  I've been doing this for 10 years so all there is to really learn is just how this business does things versus the way others did it.

And I feel another challenge coming on...