Cheerleaders

I’ve been struggling this past week with a lot of things. Mainly keeping myself motivated. I have a little over 1 month to prepare for my first 5K and to be honest the couch to 5k program is a bit more challenging than I thought, and I’ve found myself bogged down by my lack of progress.

I know I won’t be running 5K overnight, and I know I have to stick to the program, I just really wish my lungs and heart would get on-board with the program. Everyone keeps cheering me on and saying that it will get better and easier and I really want to believe it, but my aching body was just not responding to the pep talks.

As much as I don’t want to keep making excuses for myself, there is something to be said about listening to your body, and my body was saying it was tired and needed a break. So for the first time in a long time, I took almost two weeks off from the gym. I gave my body time to recover and my mind time to regroup and think about why this was really important to me.

A few months ago I got rid of all my double digit sized pants, and as I was getting ready for bed the night before a conference this past week I started to wondered if the dress pants to my suit would actually fit. Then I started to panic a little as I wasn’t sure they would fit.  As I lay there in bed wrestling with the idea of not fitting into my pants, it dawned on me that I didn’t like this feeling, and that the extra weight still bothered me and that I didn’t want to go back to buying bigger pants.

So, when I got up Monday morning after being away from the gym for a while, I decided that it was time to get back to the grind. There are a lot of things I can’t control in my life, but there is no reason why my weight should be one of them. My mind was made up and I purposely packed my gym bag and left it ready to head to gym right after work before I had time to think of any more excuses.

My body and mind were rested and as I walked into the gym I realized how great it was to see familiar faces and to hear people welcoming me back. It reminded me of how nice it feels to be a member of a gym with friendly staff and encouraging people all working towards a common goal of fitness. It also made me think of how grateful I am for all the amazing cheerleaders in my life. My friends and family who may not wear uniforms or wave pompoms around, but who are always there with encouraging words, smiles and even a hug when I need one. I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am to have such a support group. But as I’ve said before you’re not alone in this, I’m right here with you, working on fitness.

In this day and age with blogs and social media there is always someone you can reach out to for inspiration and motivation when you feel your own dwindling. So if you ever feel like you can’t make it and you need a break. Take a break. Listen to your body, and think about what you want and why you started this pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. If the important people in your life don’t support your healthy choices, it’s ok, they are entitled to their opinion, but don’t let their opinion stop you from making better choices for yourself. If the people you chose to surround yourself with are dragging you down, then reconsider how much time you spend around them. Remember that you don’t get to chose your family, but you do get to chose your friends. So surround yourself with positive people who bring out the best in you. If that’s not enough then follow fit and motivational people on Instagram or Facebook or whatever social media you’re on. Inspiration is everywhere.

Remember to cheer for yourself as much as you would for others on this fit quest.  Most importantly don’t give up on yourself. Believe that no matter how slow the process or progress you can and will get better!  So don’t quit, because like RubySlippers says:  “You’ve got this”!

P.S.

Thanks to all the 195 bloggers who follow my blog and to my 6 email followers!  All 201 of you have made my day!  I really look forward to getting back on track so that I can start publishing more workout posts and maybe sharing a few more interesting and funny things that RubySlippers says…Until then have a wonderful week and don’t forget to remind yourself of how awesome you are 🙂