The Challenge Continues

These past two weeks have been such a whirlwind! My dad has been in the hospital but he is doing better. Thank you all for your prayers and concern. Needless to say, I feel so far off course right now. So it is time to refocus and move forward. It is also time for me to get back to blogging!

So its been almost thirty days since I issued the consistency challenge. If you recall, my goal was to do a 20 minute/1 mile workout six days a week. I am happy to report I was more consistent than I had previously been. However, I was not as consistent as I wanted to be. Nevertheless, the challenge continues!

In trying to be consistent, I learned a lot about myself. I became more aware of what my barriers are, when and why I seem the least motivated, and how much I can do when I really push myself. Most days, I went above and beyond my goal and it felt great! The following are some of the things I have learned during the first thirty days of the consistency challenge.

1. Persistence is better than perfection. I am your typical perfectionist. If I can't do it perfectly, I don't want to do it at all! This outlook has always dictated my efforts to lose weight. I would get so upset or feel so defeated if I didn't stick to the letter of the law. What I have learned during this first thirty days is that it is persistence that matters. Yes, I had days when I did not exercise. But, I didn't let those days dictate my success. I would just work extra hard the next day. I kept pushing towards my goal no matter how many times I fell short!
2. Food is my coping mechanism. I realized that I really need to be more consistent with healthy eating. I have significantly changed my eating habits this past year. I did this by becoming more aware of what I was eating and why I was eating. When I am stressed, frustrated or feeling down, I start craving the big food. I mean I want it all--the burger, the fries, the soda and the ice cream for my sweet tooth! Such a meal seems to put my mind at ease. I have learned to combat these emotionally-driven cravings by having an eating plan.
3. Calorie-counting is difficult, but necessary. While I have changed my eating habits, it is not enough. If I am going to see the weight loss that I really desire, I have to be stricter with my calorie-intake. This is no easy task for a busy, working mother! So I have enlisted the help of Diet-To-Go. (I was introduced to this company several years ago by a former co-worker who was trying to lose weight. And lose weight she did! I have seen her recently and she looks like a model!) Diet-To-Go prepares fresh, gourmet, calorie-controlled meals. You pick them up from a local venue twice a week. My first pick up is on Tuesday so we will see how it goes.

So, I am calling on you to join me once again as we work to be consistent for another thirty days. My goals are to exercise at least 30 minutes/six days a week and to stick to my eating plan. And with that, I will be "on my weigh"!