I don't usually enjoy January. It's cold, and all the holiday spirit has been packed away. This year is different though. My mind is clear and focused on what I want to accomplish this year, and hey, there is always something to look forward to.
On area that I have been working on is my fitness. I'm looking at my broken ankle and achilles tendonitis not as a blessing, but after healing, I now have a true clean slate to get my body back. Mike got me a bike trainer for Christmas, I set it up in the basement next to my treadmill, and moved some weights there too. Now I have my very own pain cave! I was good about going to PT, and was cleared for activity last week. As long as I stay on top of keeping the achillies healthy, I can start running.
Starting from the beginning again is hard, but I've done it before. Instead of weighing myself, I've decided to just put my head down and soldier through. When I get back into my favorite size 8 jeans I will then weigh myself so that I have a number that I need to hover around to stay healthy. I will say that I do need to lose 30 pounds. Ugh. It's one thing to know it in your brain, it's another to see it in print.
Instead of following a specific diet, I am going to make smarter choices. By now I know what I need to eat to lose weight, my problem is that I'm not disciplined. I need to be aware of what I'm putting in my mouth. I've realized that I eat mindlessly. At work I walk by the snack table and reach out to grab an m&m. It happened the other day, and I pulled my arm back when I realized what I was doing. As I talk to Mike in our kitchen after work, I watch myself turn from him, open the cabinet, then the bag of chips. Again, I stopped myself. It's little things like that. Taking a few bites of the kid's leftovers. Having just a couple of Mike's fries at lunch. A little bit of this and a bit of that adds up. To a lot!!
It feels really good to move again. In this area I have to keep focusing on cross training. Today I got on the treadmill and slowly ran two miles! I felt good, I kept my pace around 11 minute miles, but I have to be cautious until I get my ankle sleeve. After that I rode the bike for 20 minutes, which is going to be key, if I have only ten minutes I'm still going to use the bike to complement my running.
I'm hoping to go to the pool as well, when my schedule allows it. Finally, every day I need to do the exercises my PT gave me for my injuries, and I've added planks to my sessions as well.
So that's my plan. I'm looking at it as a lifestyle change, that I will stick to long term, not a diet that will have an end point. I want long term success, not a short term fix.
Okay, here I go!