Last week marks a milestone for me, 5 years since I started
on my wellness journey. I remember that time in my life so clearly, I was tired
of myself, heck I was just plain tired. Tired of the starting and stopping.
Tired of the trying and failing. Tired of the plateaus. Tired of my clothes not
fitting. Tired of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. Tired of the limits I
put on myself because of my weight. Tired of being tired. Shall I go on?
So I went back to Weight Watchers for what seemed like the
millionth time. At the time I was feeling quite hopeless and I had absolutely
no reason to believe I would succeed. Yet here I am, 40+ pounds down and
maintaining. Truthfully sometimes I still can’t believe I’m here.
I had a great visual last week to remind me of how far I’ve
come. I flew out to Arizona for some family fun in the sun and flying out I
traveled by myself. I usually have my husband, who says he is my mule, to
carry everything but this time I was on my own. Boy did I miss my mule. I had
my purse, laptop bag and suitcase. My
suitcase weighed 42 pounds. I had such a hard time lugging that thing around. I
had to schlep it in and out of the airport, on and off the shuttle bus, into
and out of my trunk and up 3 flights of stairs in our rental home. Sheesh! It
was killing my back and my knees. And then it occurred to me, that’s almost
exactly how much weight I lost. How did I carry that around for so many years?
No wonder I was tired.
It was a helpful reminder for my maintenance journey. Let’s
face it, maintaining is hard. I’d argue it’s almost as hard as losing. Aren’t I
a ray of sunshine? Making good choices day after day, being consistent and
persistent- it’s just not easy when you love (and are addicted to) food.
As spring has (thankfully) emerged, we know that summer is
lurking around the corner. And I don’t know about you but I went through many
changes of season when my clothes seemed to shrink in my drawer. What the heck?
There I was ready to spring into something fabulous and nothing fit.
Not.A.Single.Thing. I don’t use the word hate much, but I hated that feeling. The
feeling of shame because I had to go up
another plus size.
Last weeks’ vacation reminded me of how good it feels to be
well. That being well is a choice not a chore. It’s not something I have to do,
it’s something I want to do. It was such a good feeling to pack my suitcase
with clothes that I love that make me feel good. Of course it’s so much more
than the clothes. It was an incredible feeling to be active with my family on
vacation. My goal was to be outside and active every day- walking, biking,
hiking a mountain, horseback riding- and I did just that. To have the energy to
be an active Mom and wife, that’s something I always wanted.
My question to you is- what do you need to unpack from your
suitcase to make room for a healthier you?
If you want to start on or continue with your own wellness
journey- what’s stopping you?
This week I challenge you to take pen to paper
and make an unpacking list-
- Take out fear and replace it with faith.
- Unpack your mistakes and replace them with lessons learned.
- Throw away your excuses and exchange them for plans.
- Take out struggling in silence and fill your bag with supportive friends.
- Unpack negative self-talk and replace it with an attitude of gratitude.
- Throw away the impatience and exchange it for persistence.
Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with
courage.
Hugs and Friendship,
Tara
