Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Do You Believe Things Happen for a Reason?

Weight Watchers: a lifestyle adjustment plan that works when you follow it - I know because in the past I have been a WW success.......at the end of March 2005, I joint WW online and lost 28 lbs in five months - and I kept it off for 2 years.......then I allowed life to happen (well, it does happen!) but didn't take any responsibility for the consequences of not taking care of myself. Fast forward another couple of years, I've recommitted, half-heartedly at best, and after losing maybe 5-8 lbs, I've continue to not commit fully and continued to fail to achieve.

I use the word fail - I'm not seeing myself as a failure, I'm just frustrated because I am a high achiever in my work life, I have a successful business on the farm with my partner and love of my life, but I just never seem to get the putting myself first part right!

As I posted the other day, I will be turning 50 in November this year. My new drive is a question: "Why can't I be fit, fabulous at fifty?" The answer is simple.....there is only ME standing in my own way. Our kids are all older now - one finishes her undergrad this year and has one year of grad school and she's off - she'll be working away from home most of the summer agian this year.......the second one is finishing up her firstyear in university and will be moving back home in a month - she has two jobs this summer and will likely be working 6-7 days a week - so she too won't be demanding too much time from us....my youngest daughter will be turning 16 shortly - she works on the farm in July and August pretty much every day, so she too will be busy......and this year, finally, my young stepson who just turned 14, has been working side by side with his dad in the greenhouses and I know he'll be asked to do a lot of the work that I have usually taken care of with his dad (I used to get home from the office, change clothes and go to work on the farm!). Sounds like NOW IS THE TIME FOR ME, doesn' t it?

So yesterday, was an interesting day....indeed, interesting. I had already made a commitment to myself to get back to the gym and stop making excuses about going. I have a girlfriend who I used to work with who has agreed to meet me there twice each week, so there's a great opportunity to get in a great workout while spending time catching up with each other. Yesterday we went for the first time in months......and I told her that I was going to kick her @ss and mine back into shape - and I told her the first two weeks were going to be about cardio and nothing else when we're at the gym and that she needed to get in a core/arm/leg workout on her own time in between. Yesterday, we did 30 minutes on the bike, and 25 minutes on the treadmill and I was in the "zone" for most of the 55 minutes (yes I did warm up and cool down)......it felt FABULOUS to be back......and the realization that I hadn't lost the touch, and wasn't in as bad a shape as I thought I was was incredibly motivating. Tonight when I get home from work, I have a date with my elliptical trainer at home, and Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. Gym again tomorrow night, etc. I've even re-revamped my old workout calendar and have started using it again. Enough about that......

Yesterday, something else also happened. Last summer, while at the gym, I noticed that they had a WW meeting right next door, so after my workouts, I joined meetings. Unfortunately, I stopped going to the gym, which made it easy for me to stop going to meetings. The incredibly thing about the meetings is that the leader they had there was so motivating.......seriously the best leader I have ever had (I've been a WW-meeting-goer for years in Montreal, Brockville and close to home in London various times over the years). So yesterday, I tripped over a booking in a conference calendar that said there were WW meetings in my building at the university (HUGE campus) on Tuesdays at lunchtime. So I said to myself....hmmmmm.....in order to succeed I need motivation - so I e-mailed the person who booked the room - she forwarded me on to someone else, and ultimately I ended up being connected to the leader......the leader is my favourite leader from the other location from last summer! Coincidence - maybe, but inspiring enough for me that I'm joining next Tuesday.

I'm embracing the opportunities that have been laid out in front of me and I'm going to take responsibility for my actions (good and bad) and take ownership of self-care and going for broke with my new "Fit, Fabulous and Fifty!" goal.

boy that was a long post, but I just needed to put it out there.......!

1 comment:

  1. Sometimes it take being at the right place in your life to suddenly notice the opportunites that are all around you. You are at that place, which is huge...and the next step now is to just go for it...yes, you can look fabulous at 50...I totally intend to.

    November is plenty of time to reach your goals, and it looks like there are few "helps" along the way that will help you reach it.

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