Still Learning

I hope your Thursday is off to a great start!

I am coming to the end of my third week of my new and improved routine - going to bed earlier (at least most nights!), getting up earlier, and getting to the health club three times a week (and getting in exercise on most other days). They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit or break an old habit, and I'm definitely getting there. I'm hesitate to declare victory yet, because I know it will be a while before this new routine is really an established habit. Still, it feels good to be into a healthier routine.

The good feeling, I think, comes from more than the exercise itself. I'm not discounting that, of course, and I am feeling GREAT (and thankful to no longer be sore the day after exercising). My energy level is up and I'll be anxious to retake my measurements in another couple of weeks, because I know I'll see a loss. There is also a good feeling mentally and emotionally from knowing that I'm doing the right thing for my body. Pushing through all of the barriers I can throw up is very empowering, and making myself do something that I'm not naturally inclined to do is good for me :-).

I am realizing more and more every day that reaching my weight loss goal wasn't the end of my journey, but just the beginning of the rest of my healthy life. I'm still learning and still fine-tuning things, trying to make healthy choices the vast majority of the time. I know that the longer I make healthy choices, the more they will become hard-wired into my brain, and I look forward to the day they are second nature to me.

Right now, practicing some of these habits is akin to learning a foreign language. I'm getting more adept as time goes on, but healthy habits aren't yet part of my "native tongue." But I'm committed to staying with them and I refuse to give up the ground I've gained. Making healthy food choices and making myself get to the health club isn't always what I feel like doing, but I love how I feel - physically and mentally - when I do it. So I do it!

Are the healthy habits you're developing starting to feel more natural yet? If not, that's OK - they will in time! Just hang in there and keep practicing, one committed day at a time :-)