The saying that 'tough times don't last, but tough people do' is fine and all, but there's a whole lot more to it than that.
Most of us are just trying to find our way, whether we realize it or not. And in my opinion, just the act of trying - in and of itself, in spite of what challenges we're faced with internally and externally - amounts to a degree of toughness.
For that very fact alone, we should always remember to give ourselves some credit.
Week 7 began yesterday with a brisk morning walk, along a route that I haven't traversed by foot in over a decade. Taking in the scenery triggered a series recollections from the past, and I allowed myself a fleeting glimpse back into that rear-view mirror. It was short-lived, though, and when I broke my reverie I was overcome with a great sense of relief; instead of sentimental thoughts about my youthful past as is typically the case when I daydream, I felt empowered by the transformative actions that lay along my current path and future paths, happier by great measure to be here instead, in the here and now.
Because I'm a lot more comfortable with my calculations as it relates to food values and how my body is responding to them, the last week and a half has seen me greatly expand the variety in my diet. I've been buying a much wider selection of produce and meat alternatives, and I've been eating considerably less of my go-to staples, like chicken, broccoli, and salads. It's been a wonderful transition; mealtime has been more of a pleasure than at any point in this process, and it's allowed my wife and I to reconnect over food in a way that we haven't in years.
With a healthy mix of anticipation and anxiety, I'm still looking forward to May 11th; that'll mark exactly three months since I set out again on this path towards ideal fitness, and it's the line in the sand that I drew with regards to my first weigh-in. As much as I don't want to hang my success on the numbers that the scale will display, I'm inherently curious as to what those numbers will actually be.
Based on the increasing looseness in all of my clothes, I know that I'm progressing at a good rate. Family, friends, co-workers and neighbors all remark on how well I'm doing. It's appreciated; and while I can see and be happy with how far I've come, I remain acutely aware of precisely how much more I expect from myself in the coming months and years.
Performance-wise, I tend to focus mainly on the strength and endurance gains that I've made, but my flexibility has increased substantially over the past couple months, too. I didn't really set any goals for this area of fitness when I started, but seeing how much more mobility I have in my shoulders, hips and ankles, I've now set challenges for myself to push through to the next plateau with respect to these measurables, too.
Difficult situations are part of the fabric of our lives, taking different forms, finding different ways to potentially impede our progress. That is an inescapable truth that we must all combat.
Where we stand to differentiate ourselves from the pack comes in how we respond.
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