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Posts tagged ‘Fresh Start’

Jul 11

One year later…

It’s been months since I wrote my last post. It also happens to be past my bedtime – and yet here I am, sitting on the couch, watching Julie & Julia – the movie about Julia Child and some blogger named Julie.

Now, I watched this movie several years ago, when it first came out. I’m pretty sure I liked it, but I don’t recall feeling strongly about it in any way. Today though, it’s like I’m watching a whole different movie.

In one of the first few scenes, Julia asks her husband what she should do; she doesn’t want to go back to government work. Her husband, ever so supportive, asks her, “What is it that you really like to do?” Her response? “Eat.”

“Eat.” That’s all it took. With just that one word, I was instantly flooded with memories of a very similar conversation I’d had with my own husband – not just once, but numerous times since we’d moved to Japan. And it was in that moment that I felt it: Julia (the movie’s version of her at the very least) was my soulmate. She and I were basically the same person.

But, a second later, it hit me… yes, I love to eat (God, do I love to eat!), but thanks to celiac disease and lactose intolerance, I’ve been sentenced to a life of deprivation of all that brings joy to my life.

Ok, so I’m being a tad dramatic, but hear me out. This post isn’t meant to devolve into a woe is me, full-blown pity party. Surprisingly, it’s meant to be a work of self inspiration (if that’s a real term?) because, as I sat there watching the movie, two thoughts jumped out at me:

  1. I can still enjoy food.
  2. I need to refocus on my health.

I really can still enjoy food and I really do need to refocus on my health, but In order to do those things, I need accountability. If you hadn’t already noticed by reading through my previous posts, I have two settings: “all in” and “fuck this.” I need this blog for the times when I’m not exactly “all in,” and I’m dangerously close to “fuck this,” sort of like where I’ve been for the last, oh I don’t know, two or three weeks (maybe months?). I need something to keep me on track, and although I’ve failed at this 15,000 steps challenge over and over again, writing these posts has helped me tough it out way longer than I would have in the past. That’s something.

So, yeah, what I’m trying to say here is that I’m back. I’m going to give it another try – I’m going to walk 15,000 steps a day, every day, for a full year, and I’m going to make some changes. But first, a drink.

Cheers!

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Feb 12

Day 1: Third time’s a charm

We’re back in Japan after two weeks in the U.S. visiting family. It was a nice trip, but not devoid of stress. Families can be messy and traveling 18+ hours each way with two small children can make even the most simplest of tasks just a bit more complicated. Now that it’s over though, it’s time to get back to our daily routine.

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been trying to get into the habit of using my bullet journal every day to keep track of my daily tasks, goals, and projects. If you’ve never heard of a bullet journal, it’s basically just a notebook you use to keep track of everything. You can read more about it and the method behind it here. As I pulled opened my bullet journal this morning to make a quick list of my day’s to dos, I found myself thinking about this blog and the challenge that inspired it.

It isn’t the first time I’ve thought about those things since last December – they’ve been haunting me since I wrote my last post. My abandoned challenge has been a source of low-key guilt and fleeting motivation over the past two months. There have been moments where I’ve thought of giving it another go, but I just haven’t been able to get past that hurdle between wanting to do it and actually doing it.

There have been a lot obstacles. Emotionally, I’ve felt burdened by the idea of forcing myself to write almost daily posts again. Physically, I underwent an emergency surgery at the beginning of the year that kept me from doing much of anything for several weeks. Toss in a long trip back to the U.S., and well, the excuses have been plentiful.

Today though, I feel like it’s time to give them up – the excuses I mean. I want to complete this challenge. Actually, I need to complete this challenge. There were so many positive changes that came from it the first time around. I could really use some of those right now.

I’ve read that the best time to create new habits or to change old ones is when there’s been a change in your routine. After being away for a couple of weeks, coming back home is that best time for me.

As I did previously, I’m going to start with one goal: walk 15,000 steps a day. That’s it.

I have other goals I’m working on (I always have new goals I’m trying to accomplish, it’s just who I am as a person), but my steps will by primary focus; and I’m starting today, right now, not tomorrow.

For those of you who’ve followed me so far, and for anyone who stumbles across this post in the future, I’d like to say thank you for reading my posts. I’d also like to ask you for a favor: can you help hold my feet to the fire? It was the occasional notification of a new follower, or of a comment on an old post, that reminded me of this blog and challenge whenever it was starting to fade from my thoughts and memory. Without them, I’m not sure I would be sitting here writing this post today. The thought that there might be someone out there reading this became a significant source of accountability for me in the past and I think it can continue to be that way going forward this time around.

With that said, wish me luck! I’ve got another 365 days to go!

 

Nov 25

Day 0: A fresh start

It’s the Sunday night of Thanksgiving Day weekend. I’ve spent the last three days eating and sitting around. I feel heavy, bloated, and basically all-around gross.

Tomorrow was supposed to be my next Bod Pod appointment. It’s been over four weeks since my last one, and almost just as long as since I’ve written a post for this blog. Unfortunately, there was a fire at the wellness center building and my appointment was cancelled. I was advised that they’d contact me to reschedule once they figure out if the equipment still works. That hasn’t happened just yet.

I’ve been “off the wagon” now since my last post. I’d like to say that I’ve been trying to climb back on it all this time, but that would be a lie. The thing is, sometimes, the things that motivate me the most, are also the things that make me want to quit. Writing these posts, which for almost 90 days pushed me to get my steps in even when I didn’t want to, were exactly the thing that made me want to walk away from it all – and walk away I did, for a few weeks at least.

But, there’s nothing like that bloated, too-lazy feeling to make me want to get back on track. I’ve felt pretty awful these past few weeks. I’ve felt stressed, moody, lethargic, lazy, and heavy. I’ve been disorganized and unproductive. All of the positive changes I’d seen in myself since I started this challenge, seemed to go away once I gave it up. So here I am, ready to give it another try.

I’m not going to set myself up for failure by starting “right now.” It’s late in the evening, and I’m barely at 5,000 steps. I’m also going to avoid looking back at my Garmin logs for the past few weeks to see what my step average has been. I won’t beat myself up over things I can’t change. They don’t matter.

What I am going to do is start fresh tomorrow. I’m going to start back at Day 1. My goal: walk 15,000 steps a day for the next 365 days. Granted, similar to last time, I’ll likely add other goals later on, but for now, I’m focusing solely on hitting my daily step goal. Baby steps.

Wish me luck!

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