Use It or Lose It

Don’t ask me why – but that thought occurred to me on the drive into work this morning.  It made me think about how I sugarcoated the truth about my health and fitness levels.  Especially my fitness.

I used to be very active – spending weekends and some week nights out at the clubs dancing like there was no tomorrow.  I worked at a job with timed breaks – it was a factory job (ugh) with a lot of moving around.   Lunch came in a paper bag and wasn’t a huge production.  I didn’t eat a lot and when I did, I really didn’t think much about what choices I was making.

I could eat anything.  The factory job gave way to an office job.  I became a mother and dancing the weekend away became sitting around folding laundry.

Still, I was active – chasing after a toddler, lugging baskets of laundry around.  I played on various leagues for softball and volleyball.

Even back then, I remember going to jazzercise or some other type of class that was held at various venues – I would watch the instructor do a stretch and think “oh that’s easy, I used to be able to do that…” only to find out that my flexibility wasn’t what it used to be.

I guess I thought of this because at the end of the Monday class, I discovered that I was able to bend farther – that my body seemed more fluid.   I wasn’t hobbling up the stairs .. I wasn’t graceful.. but I wasn’t lurching like I used to.

When I stopped caring, gave up, changed my priorities to anything else but me – I stopped using it.  My heath suffered.  My mind suffered.  So did my heart and soul.

So while I may complain about the aches and pains of exercising.  Or lament the time it takes to make the good food I eat during the week – I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I keep reminding myself that it took over 11 years to get as big as I got.  It didn’t happen over night – though my mind may erroneously tell me such things when I’m feeling sorry for myself.  But I know it didn’t happen overnight and the hike back to getting into shape won’t happen overnight either.

Though, it would be very nice if it could happen that way 🙂

Week 5 – and I have seen positive results from my change in eating and exercise.  My skin is smoother and clearer.  The strange flaky skin is gone as well as the various rough patches (except my feet – I’m not sure if it’s my shoes or what, but damn, I need a pedicure!).

I sleep better at night.  I have been trying to get to bed earlier as my internal clock seems to like waking up around 5:30 am.  And I’m not dragging or nearly napping at my desk in the afternoon.  And my clothes are feeling a bit looser.  I am noticing it in my sleeves and pants.

And my shoes.  What the heck!  My feet?  Really?  This is where I’m going to lose inches first?  Oh and the girls.  Great.  I lose weight in the one place that helped disguise my gut.  Fortunately that appears to be shrinking as well (though at a MUCH slower rate).

I’m a work in progress, one that understands the meaning of the cliche “move it or lose it”

Peace