Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Of recovery and little helpers


Today's been one of those days where my body just refused to get going. I headed out for my 3.5 mile walk this morning (having skipped yesterday) and something just didn't feel right. The entire first mile, my body just felt...tired. My calves, quads, and lower back were still achy from Aldridge Butte, and I just felt like I had no energy. The entire first mile felt like a struggle, as if I've never walked so long in my life.

This is where I've noticed a change in my approach to this weight loss. In previous attempts at weight loss, I'd use any excuse to shorten or outright quit an exercise routine. Now, I've been really trying to stay focused on my goals rather than how tired or achy I feel. It's a mindset that he definitely helped me through this weight loss journey. Today, after that first mile I realized that my body actually was waking up. I had energy, I was breaking a sweat, and my achy muscles felt much better. I finished all 3.5 miles and headed home.

I decided to stretch my legs afterwards, so I sat on the floor, put one leg back and one leg forward and tried to reach my toes. I could feel all of those previously achy muscles stretching, and it felt great. When The Boys walked in and saw me, Oldest Boy asked me "whatcha doing, daddy?" I told him I was stretching, and trying to touch my toes. At this point, he grabbed my hand and tried pulling me so I could reach my toes. For the first time in years, I was actually able to touch them while sitting in this position, with the help of The Boys of course! I guess losing weight really is a group effort. :)

As I write this, I can feel energy flowing through my body and it feels great. Before I would have thrown in the towel and beaten myself up over it. Today, I feel like I've accomplished something. Not only did I finish my walk, but I got The Boys involved in my weight loss. While they are only 3 and 4 and don't really understand the reasoning behind what I'm doing, they can obviously tell that it's important to me, and they love to be little helpers. With so much enthusiasm, how can I possibly fail in this weight loss journey?

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