Ouch!

I opened my eyes this morning, and looked over at the 4 am time glowing on my alarm clock, then I did what I usually do and rolled over to one side to attempt a little fake-sleep until a reasonable waking hour.  Actually that’s what my mind told my body to do, but in reality when I attempted to rollover, every single muscle in my body came to a screeching painful halt.  My shoulders, my arms, my legs, my core and every little muscle in between just fused together into one big blob of aching muscles.  I could feel their rebellious protest at the slightest attempt to move, and for a moment I considered surrendering and seriously contemplated the idea of skipping the gym today…

A few weeks ago, I probably would have been sympathetic to my muscles’ plight, but not today!  I cast the idea from my mind, slowly eased myself out of bed, and reached for my yoga mat which has never felt heavier.  Then I gently started to stretch, working through the pain of my unwilling muscles, and eventually switched to rolling out the aches and knots.  Even after all that I was still one big pile of ouch!  As I lay there in child’s pose for the longest time, I realized that unlike my old self, this new one moving my body was enjoying the burn…

I’m not sure when this crazy switch turned on, but I’ve actually started looking forward to my workouts, and I now think of the post-workout aches as validation that I actually trained hard.  I know that I still have a long road ahead of me, but now that my attitude towards training has shifted to something more positive, I embrace the happy pain and know that the path I’m on will get me where I want to be, one pound at a time.

Today’s Game Plan:

• Drink plenty of water
• Go to Zumba class

Note to Self:

• Tomorrow is Rest Day, enjoy it!
• Get plenty of rest

Note to You:

Change is not easy, but once you start seeing positive results you‘ll realize that it was necessary.  Don’t dwell on the past because it’s gone and done.  Learn from your past mistakes, and keep moving forward, focus on right now and do what you can to make yourself better today.  We always want the very best for those we love, so love yourself and remind yourself that you too deserve better and don’t give up till you get it!  If that voice in your head keeps saying “you can’t” then put some music on, crank it up till you drown it out!  Because YOU CAN!

Don’t let your fear of failing or falling get the best of you. Yes, some days you will fall but you’ll get back up, and some days you will fail, but you’ll try again until you succeed, so go do it and don’t let YOU hold YOU back any longer!  It won’t be easy, it will be tough, this path will push you beyond your comfort zone, and some days you’ll want to cry, you’ll curse and you’ll sweat and hurt more than you ever have, but if you stick to it and give it time, it will all be worth it!!!

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and dig deep until you find that strength you were born with buried beneath that huge pile of excuses you’ve made-up for yourself over time.  Trust me, it’s there, it’s been there all along.  We are born fighters. We come out kicking and screaming, but as we grow-up some of us lose that fight, and if you’ve lost it and are not happy with where you are right now, then it’s time to get your Nikes on and go get it back!  This is your moment, this is your time, so don’t let it slip away, seize it, live it and love it!