Not Waiting for January

So Christmas is over, and moving ahead, we are facing January 1 in less than a week, and of course everyone has things on their mind like, “Well, I’m going to lose weight and eat right in the New Year” and “starting January 1, I am going to keep myself more organized and less stressed out”… right? Wait, I guess those are the things that I am thinking at least.

What about you?

I actually started eating right yesterday. I felt like a big, sugary, lump mess. I have always understood the old adage, “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink”. I understand it because I have lived it, several times. I have often been the one leading the horse, and I have also been the horse. This time, I am my own horse, and I am leading myself. And I’m drinking.

Anyone confused?

It is about change. We don’t change until we finally realize one day that the change is going to be better than the constant state we find ourselves in. For example, smokers don’t quit smoking until they have an “a-ha” moment and realize that they will feel a whole lot better about their entire life when they aren’t addicted to those little cancer sticks. Same thing happened to me. I realized yesterday that I will feel a whole lot better if I just get up off of my butt and move it! Quit thinking about exercise and actually do it! Know what?

I woke up this morning, put on my clothes, and ran outside. Only for 15 minutes, but a gal has to start somewhere. And get this! I felt great afterwards… really great. Well, let’s not go overboard, I couldn’t breathe if you want to know the truth… I am trying to ward off catching my son’s cold, and it froze here last night… so imagine inhaling all of that super cold air into my lungs. Yep, it resulted in quite a coughing fit. But, I am only going to see the positive side of this: I MOVED! I MOVED! I MOVED!

I make it sound like I am obesely overweight and I am not. I am just out of shape. Soft. Lumpy. To most, I won’t be considered overweight, but to me, I am. I am 5’10 and I weigh 160. Okay, since the holidays, I weigh 163. Gosh, this ‘honesty’ stuff is really hard! Anyways, I haven’t weighed this much since… well, when I was pregnant. Remember? I weighed in at 223 the day I gave birth. Yep. THAT was overweight. But, in my defense, I had a baby inside of me! What? What’s that? He only weighed 8 lbs? SHhhhhhhh! I know that! I am trying to act nonchalant that the 87+lbs I gained while pregnant were for a good reason.

They weren’t. I was just addicted to Dove chocolate and birthday cake frosting during my pregnancy.

The other time in my life that I tipped the scales over 160 was when I had my left knee reconstructed after tearing my ACL while playing volleyball at Rice. It was the season opener, and we were playing Sam Houston State University on our home court. I think it is some kind of joke God is playing with me now that I work for that University. Seriously. I love my job, but not a day goes by that I don’t relive that really loud, grisly ‘snap’ that occurred in the first minutes of the game.

Sorry, I guess I am digressing. I didn’t mean to, but that was such a life-changing moment for me that whenever I move in the direction of that bothersome subject, I get kind of swept up in reliving the past. Does that happen to any one else?

In any case, that was the last time I weighed this much. Most of the time, since I was 15 or 16 years old, I have weighed between 140 and 150. That’s a good ‘fighting weight’ for me. Not skinny, not fat, just right. Not too much pressure on my old sports injuries and arthritic joints, and enough meat on my bones to keep me on my toes. Now I find myself more than 10 lbs over ‘my normal’ and desperate to get back.

So I begin.

It isn’t January 1, but it might as well be. What is that old saying, “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today!”

Amen~!