I invested in running with time, training, group running commitments and prayers. How I prayed for God's grace, for health, and for those running alongside me. God answered my prayers. I have 7 marathon medals as answers to some of those prayers.
3 months ago we moved to Georgia. Moving is one of the number one stressors in the first world. It is "good stress" but it is still stress.
I decided not to let my health goals go down the drain because of the move. I enjoyed my last months and weeks in Texas. I got in line in the cold and I bought a plate of award-winning Texas barbecue. I enjoyed CrossFit workouts and running with friends. I thought about the good. I had dinner with neighbors and enjoyed their food and friendship.
I planned for the trip to Georgia. I made healthy choices for food on the go and we had plenty of healthy snacks available. When we arrived, we were showered with the generosity of so many new friends and neighbors.
We were delighted with the meals we received. Goodness, Georgia cooks are something else! As soon as the pressure of those first few weeks died down, we started to cook our own familiar foods.
I told myself I'd make my rounds and visit as many boxes as possible before deciding on where I'd make myself at home. Well, there are so many boxes in this area. I made my rounds. I paid attention to the culture. I decided BGB was the box for me. Then, Zeke joined to make matters better. We have never been in better shape. Our coaches are dedicated to seeing us succeed. Our fellow CrossFit athletes are so welcoming and encouraging.
I decided not to take a break from healthy habits just because I was moving. It paid off big time. How so?
I decided to aim for something.
I will confess, during the past 3 months I should have been easier on myself at times. Still, I'm glad I had an aim.
Let me make this more practical by showing you how exactly I set my aim.
1 • I planned my food and exercise for the week • each week was different. Some were more challenging than others. We had to jump through a couple of hurdles a lot of times. Still, knowing what I was eating and how much exercising I was doing was very important.
2 • I analyzed each week by writing down 3 things that made me successful and 3 things that needed improvement • I would write these things in my journal every Saturday. If I don't stop to analyze the week, I won't be effective in the progress I planned. Once I have this complete view of my week, I plan my menu for the week and I plan how many days I will workout.
Simple. Plan and analyze. Rinse and repeat.
My plan 3 months ago was to lose weight. I was so close to reaching my WW goal. Life happened. I gained a little bit and I lost a little bit. Stress happened. I gained a little bit again. I encouraged myself by attending my WW virtual meetings. I spoke with my CrossFit coaches. I relied on my husband's encouragement too.
The past 2 weeks have been stressful. I decided not to weigh myself compulsively. I knew that approach of being scale-focused backfires. Instead, I relied on giving myself to CrossFit. We were at the end of a 12-week cycle. I followed the coach's advice. I put in the work. I got stronger. I needed to give myself a chance to see how far all the training and nutrition was going to take me.
I went from a 195-pound deadlift to a 210-pound deadlift. My back squat and shoulder press numbers were crazy to me. I was so happy and thankful to God for the improvement.
I asked myself, "where do I go from here?" The natural answer was: back to your original health goal. You will see a normal BMI number. Just keep rinsing and repeating.
This morning, after a joyful CrossFit workout, I decided to see where I was as far as the scale. During my most stressful times these past 3 months, my weight went all the way up pass what I'm comfortable with. Today, I'm 8 lbs lighter than that highest weight.
I am 6 lbs away from reaching my WW goal weight.
While there is some work to be done, I can rejoice in the fact that I did not give up. I faced stress, rejection, and other problems with the courage God granted me. I felt my feelings, I didn't feed them. I decided to melt them during CrossFit in the form of sweat.
It all started with the decision to aim for something. I'm proof that Zig Ziglar was right. If you aim for nothing, you will hit it every time. So let's aim for something specific.
