Day 425 - Open the Door

I always appreciate the comments that you all post on my blog posts. I am happy to share them with you, and want you to gain some benefit from my words of "wisdom". However, I write these posts for myself more than anything. I need to hear these words of encouragement. I need to remember where I was a year ago, and how I struggled to reach that initial goal weight and start feeling really good about myself.

I love this journey. I have most certainly closed the door to the past. I haven't forgotten it, but I am not going back there, not now, not ever. That means that I have to be continually vigilant and be serious about my eating and my weigh-ins.

I'm up a couple pounds this week. Nothing to be concerned about - I'm still below my goal weight of 168. But the fact that I'm up in weight means that I have to pay better attention to what I'm eating. My new exercise routine (Insanity Max 30) is extremely intense, and there's no doubt that it is changing my body, because many of the exercises are calisthenic (using muscles to move my bodyweight) and plyometric (a lot of jumping and bouncing). It's a great feeling to get through the entire routine without having to pause more than a second or two. (Shaun T wants you to record the minute when you "max out" and can't go on; but then he wants you to get right back in it.)

So my weight gain could be the result of the new exercises, because my muscles are more sore than they've been in a long time. I probably needed to change my exercise a month ago, because I feel more rejuvenated than I have in a long time. I didn't realize I was just coasting until I switched it up.

Part of what makes this journey so special, and so amazing, is that it forces us to look inward and see ourselves for who we truly are. We learn where we struggle the most, and we see the pathways to achieving our goals. SparkPeople does more to open the door to our future than any other health/wellness/fitness website I've ever encountered.

So start a new chapter. Open the door to your future. Close the door to the past. You have what it takes to step on through and reach your goals. Inspire yourself while you inspire others. Write a blog that keeps you going, and maybe it will keep someone else going too.

Keep Sparking, friends! XOX