I'm Still Here, and Still Working Hard

It has been so long since I created a new post, and I apologize. The weight has been coming off slowly, but it has been coming off. I'm not below 300 just yet, but getting oh so close. Lately life has been filled with so many non-scale victories that I had to share them here. My hubby and I spent the day together, and as part of the day we went to the Ross store in Albany. I think it tends to have more plus size clothing than the one here in Corvallis. Everything I tried on fit, and I tried on 3x and some 2x. I actually bought two items that were 2x. I haven't been able to fit a 2x since before I met my hubby over 19 years ago. Wow! It is pretty exciting to be able to walk into a store and find things that fit, I've had to catalog shop, or shop at special plus size stores for years.

Also on the note of sizing, and changes, I had to buy new winter shoes this week. I have always had wide feet, and for many years I've only worn Crocs, Birkenstocks, and Merrell Moccasins, but my feet have really been changing. Last week we had a bit of a cold snap and I decided to wear my Merrell's. After I had them on, I had to admit that my feet had gotten so much narrower that they were slopping around in my shoes. Since the shoes don't tie, they weren't going to work for winter. We were shopping in Albany and I saw these cute Clark shoes. They looked like they would be great for winter and walking around the college I'll be attending this fall, but I also didn't think they would fit. I've worn size 10s for years because I needed the width, but I've always been a size 9 1/2. These shoes were a 9 1/2 and regular width, I almost didn't try them on. My hubby persuaded me, and they fit, beautifully. Since they tie, they should be functional for a while.

Now, some non clothing related victories. This one is about movement. I have had a hard time with stairs for several years, only taking them when I absolutely have to. A couple of days ago we were in Market of Choice and although I rode the elevator up to go to the bathroom, I took the stairs down. Down is the harder for me, and I won't lie, it was still rough but I did it. Mobility is becoming so much less an issue. God is still working on my negative talk and attitudes about mobility.

The negative talk God is helping me overcome lately is the one that involves fitness. I love going to Orange Theory Fitness, something I thought I would never say. Even so, sometimes I find myself working hard to convince myself that I want to go. I always enjoy it once I get there, but I have this old negative thing about going to the gym. I'm realizing it is tied to a deeper lie that I am not athletic. My life choices have not been athleticism, but those were my choices, my body has always been capable of it. I am realizing that saying I'm not an athlete when I have athletic goals is like creating a self fulfilling prophecy. That is no longer how I live. I'm not limited by the past.

Perhaps that is the greatest victory, and one I'm constantly reaffirming, I'm not limited by what I have been. My future is today, this moment, now. I can choose how I want to move forward in this moment, and with the Lord's guidance and transformation my choices are getting better all the time. I'm happy to be moving ahead, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow is, but today I'm going to Orange Theory Fitness, and then maybe the Farmer's Market.

Lifestyle Decisions

Lifestyle, it has to support any pursuit of health. Dictionary.com defines lifestyle as "the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc.,that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group." You must change each of those things if you want to successfully change from a pursuit of dis-ease, to a pursuit of health.

Let me break this down. Habits and attitudes often walk hand in hand. I have a very dear friend who has a habit of dis-ease. He doesn't see it as that, but it is none the less. He likes to go to convenience stores. He has done it for so long that I don't think he can imagine not going to them. My family on the other hand, very rarely goes to one. In this habit, he buys a diet soda. Would he buy that diet soda if he went to a regular grocery? Perhaps, but his trips to the convenience store often cause him to buy 2 for 1, or a bigger size because of the "special". This is not a condemnation of convenience stores, sometimes they are necessary, road trips for example. However this friend doesn't even have a car, so why go there? The decision to walk in the door in the first place comes from a attitude of thinking that convenience stores are, as the name implies, inherently more convenient. When you don't have a car, are they really? If you do have a car, the only time they are really "convenient" is when you have to stop to fuel up. This has become a habit for my friend, and as such it partly defines his lifestyle. Again, this is not a condemnation of convenience stores, but besides a very few items like water, nuts, or fruit, there isn't very much in them that supports a pursuit of health.

For this discussion, I believe I am going to skip over moral standards for today. Morals do play into a pursuit of health, but I do not think they are as key a factor as economic level. I may get some flack for this, because there are many who do not think they can pursue health if they are low income. I myself have at times been a victim of this kind of thinking. Let me tell you though, we are by all standards low income, yet my needs are always met. My family has spent many years on food stamps, and with thoughtful budgeting there is no reason that food stamps are not sufficient to pursue healthy eating goals. There are of course some challenges, but nothing determination and planning cannot overcome. 

Exploring that thought further, for years I told myself I couldn't support going to the gym. It is challenging, even now, but there are many things I can go without so that I can go to the gym. The bottom line is priorities. Are you willing to prioritize your health? Or do you really need the big screen tv? Many times over the years my husband and I have made choices that sacrifice something else so we can pursue our health. When you have your health, you have time to figure out those other things. As for me, I choose to chase after my health with everything I have, while I still have time.

I am blessed. God protected me for so long, until I got the wake up call last year. All these changes I make, they are lifestyle decisions. My husband said that when I joined Orange Theory Fitness he knew that it was just going to become part of our lives. Part of the new norm. What attitudes do you need to rework? What habits need changed? How do you know? Stop, and ask yourself does this support my long term health? If they answer is no, just stop. It is empowering to know that you can stop. If you can't stop, think that through, and decide how you can align it to your long term goals. Now go, run your race!