Two years ago, I weighed my lightest: 137 pounds. I was a healthy 137, too. I ran every morning, lifted light weights at the gym 2 or 3 days a week, and stayed within a moderate calorie range. Six months prior, I was 165 pounds. I had been pretty inactive and had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Although losing weight didn't make the high blood pressure go away (only medicine can keep it under control), I was at my healthiest.
Fast forward to today: 167 pounds. Double chin, puffy face, people asking me how far along I am. Yes, I fell off of the wagon. What happened in these last two years? Well, life happened. Life happened and it came full circle and made me realize some changes that I need to make starting NOW.
Back then, I was working a job that I enjoyed. I didn't LOVE it by any stretch of the imagination. I was working at a retail store for a wireless company. I worked the same hours every week: Tuesday through Saturday, 9:45AM-7:15PM. My work schedule was conducive to wake up at 6:30, get ready for a work out, prep my food for the day, and get my daughter to school by 8:00. The gym was on the way home from school so I just stopped there a few days a week, got on the elliptical and lifted some weights, or came home and enjoyed a nice RUN (not "wog") before coming home, showering, dressing, grabbing my food, and running out the door. It was easy and brainless. Seriously. I could do my daily schedule in my sleep.
I started gaining my weight back when I started working from home. With my refrigerator ten steps away from me, it was easy to forgo the meal planning. Then I started working INSANE hours. My work schedule now is 3AM-2PM, four days a week. On my days off, I usually am sleeping in because my body is desperate for sleep. Then, I started taking a full-time course load at the local community college. My clothes became tighter. I felt gross. I stopped moving because I felt gross. I stopped dressing cute because I felt gross. I felt guilty because I felt gross. I mean, I just didn't feel like ME anymore.
Everything hit a peak a few weeks back. I was visiting my doctor for my blood pressure checkup. She told me, "Summer, you're going to either have to lose some weight or I'm going to have to increase your blood pressure medicine." She didn't say it in a demeaning manner, but the weight of those words were as heavy as the 30 pounds that I've packed on.
Back to this morning during my "wog." I was enjoying the gorgeous view of the Missouri River on the River Walk maintained by the city. It was incredible. Something clicked in me. This right here is exactly why I started running. Not for my daughter or my husband or my health (although those were great benefits). No, it was because it was for ME. Those thirty little minutes every day that I spend on myself has a ripple effect that caused a huge change in my body, my mood, and my outlook.
I'm going to hold myself accountable. I'm going to make sure I get back into my running habit. I'm going to make sure that I'm planning my meals every day. I'm going to make sure that I am not stretching myself thin anymore. Sadly, that means that school is going to have to go on the back burner for a while. Even though I want my education degree more than anything, it's going to have to be at a slower pace. After spending this morning moving and remembering what my body is capable of, I know it's in my best interest to SLOW DOWN in some areas of my life and move forward in other areas. That also includes this blog. Sharing my thoughts and ideas and goals with everyone really helped me stay accountable. With that said, you'll be seeing more of me in a more consistent manner. :)
Have a wonderful week, friends! I hope that you find inspiration somewhere. This was the inspiration that I found this morning. Whoever said that Kansas was flat and boring is WRONG! It's vibrant, bright, and gorgeous, just like you!
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