Worth It

So now that I'm back in the regular world of blogging again (it's wonderful!) let's catch up to where I'm at with the whole weight-loss thing.

Back in August, I stepped on the scales to see my all-time high. I shan't say what it was, but suffice to say it was once again near the 200 pound mark, so close in fact, that it wouldn't take much to push me up and over, something I wasn't too excited to see. I had been working for several months with a health & lifestyle training program that was just about to train their first set of students, and one of the goals was to have regular exercise incorporated into the daily schedule. Students would not only learn how to train others to live healthfully, they would practice the principles themselves. So my friend, my mom, and I decided to join in and exercise as well.

At first I think I didn't think this would last long. I've started countless weight-loss programs in the past, diets, exercise plans, you name it, and while I've seen results just as many times, those results were not permanent. After a week or two, sometimes a month or two if I was feeling particularly diligent, I would get discouraged when I hit a plateau, a friend would come to visit and we'd catch up on old times and favourite snack foods, my work would get stressful, or it would rain two days in a row and I'd stop exercising. I'd find myself throwing everything healthy out the window, retreating into my "who cares" attitude, and soon the pounds would be piling back on.

This time it's been different, though. Somehow it helps to have a support group, and all three of us, while we'd love to quit any given day if we were doing this on our own, somehow have realized that it really is a good idea to be healthy and exercise regularly, and we encourage each other to keep going. And yes, it has rained, but we pulled out sturdy rain gear, zipped up our coats to our chins and pulled the hoods down tight, and sloshed through puddles, braving the torrential downpours in the dark. And yes, it got too dark to walk on the trails, but we amended our route and pounded cement by the light of flickering streetlights, as we joined other devoted exercisers before the sun had thrown back its covers. And yes, there were days we went to bed far too late to be waking up so early, but we stumbled out anyhow, marching our requisite miles before a day filled with challenges.

And there have been amazing benefits. Our clothes fit better, we're losing pounds and inches, and we're feeling better too. Did you know that 10 minutes of exercise will boost your mood for 2 hours? Imagine what a whole hour will do! Our endurance has improved and our speed has increased and we're not quite as out of breath going up those hills as we used to be. I remember the first time I walked the trails, I was right behind my boss and friend for the first 10 minutes, but then I began to lose ground. It didn't help that my boss had super long legs and the energy of an Energizer bunny on caffeine. I was having a hard time breathing by the end of that 3-mile route, and my legs were ready to quit whether I was or not. I was happy to finish it in 54 minutes and pretty convinced there was no way I could improve my time.

Six days ago we walked that same path. I found myself out of breath but in a healthy way, my legs confidently carried me along, even up that steep hill at the end, and I finished the walk in 47 minutes. 47 minutes!!!

So I'm here to tell you it's not going to be easy. You'll probably want to quit 99 out of 100 times. You may wake up and think, "I'm just going to take it easy today, I'll walk tomorrow" and then tomorrow seems to disappear. But it's going to be worth it. Why is it that things which are worth it often require a lot of extra effort? I haven't figured that out yet. But I do know that for me, if I want to realize my goals of becoming a healthier person, I have to keep at it. For the rest of my life. Because I'm worth it.

Oh yes, and as of today I've lost 15 pounds in 12 weeks!!!