I got an message this morning from someone I think optitimizes what I blogged about when I talk about people who are "not fat"..a genuinely attractive person who is struggling with weight but who is full of life, gives so much to others, is so much of a gift in this world. This person's message really touched me, but it also got me to remind myself of how important the whole "one day at a time" thing is on this journey.
For some folks who may have started to read this lately, they may not be looking at how this began and how committed I have been to taking each day as it comes and making sure that i do not get overwhelmed with trying to make to much change too quickly. That is how I have always set myself up for failure in the past...because I could not make radical changes overnight or because I "fell off the wagon" with food or not exercising on day or even a couple of days, I just gave up (or the big one..because i could not do everything PERFECTLY..I just did not do ANYTHING at all!..nice self-con, right?).
Well, not this time. This time, I was and am going to practice the principals that I learned in other areas of my life in this and truly live one day at time with my changes in diet and exercise...but I had to do diet AND exercise. So, if in those early days, just getting through a day without fast food and showing up to the gym was all I did..well, that was AMAZING....and that night, my prayer was that if i was granted an new day, it be as good as that one....and from there, build. One day led to another and here I am seven months later. Along the way, the training from Adam, the nutritional direction from Heidi have given me the tools to succeed. But none of it would have worked it I did not show up, each day that I was granted and access those tools/gifts.
I remember when I was looking at some pics of my friend Andy H before all this began for me. Andy is someone who had made some major life changes and he said that his transformation had happened in 10 months and he had done it by eating right and exercising...not half measures..no fad diets or crazinesss..just good old fashioned combo! I thought at the time..."damn bo, 10 months!" But then I thought...10 months..if I started today....It would be (then) August..you can do that" I have told Andy repeatedly and my other friend Woody who did something similar how grateful I am for being powers of example to show me the way.
Anyway, it was a gratifying way to start the day to say the least, and ironic because the post that got that and a lot of other feedback was one of the hardest I have done to date! :)
After work it just looked like it was going to pour so I had to put off the bike ride and headed into the gym. I got on the elliptical and set it for level 14! I did my sprints for the first 20 minutes and then the last 10 just at 7.0. But I need to share about tonight.
The elliptical is work. there is no doubt about it. And for someone like me that is all over the place..it is even more so cause I get bored as hell. Music helps a great deal, but there is not a time when my brain is not trying to talk me off of that machine, talk me into stopping before the time, lower the level, lower the speed, whatever can be done to get in my way. It takes concentration to get through. Sounds like torture right? Well, no, not really. See, there is the other side of the feeling of actually getting through and feeling the effects of working out at each new level. There is a real rush of moving through the exercise itself and tonight I tried something that had a tremendous pay off.
We have redone our home and in our main room we have created a mediation gallery for us to sit in and just relax. The cushions from the monastery store came yesterday and we had our first "quiet" meditation on them and it was awesome. One of the books that came with them suggested a meditation of just counting breaths. Tonight as I was getting tired and fatigued (at 20 minutes), I closed my eyes on the machine and a gospel song called "going to the meeting" came on. I began to count my breaths and try and clear my mind with the song going in the back ground. It was INCREDIBLE! I swear I stopped feeling my legs and felt lift off the machine as i kept going. When I opened my eyes again, it was almost 29 minutes! I loved it! I am definitely doing that one again! :)
anyway, it was a good day! Again, I pray that if I am granted tomorrow I continue on this path of growth with my health and wellness!
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