Starting to exercise is hard, starting over is even harder
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
I've seen so many blogs where a person is talking about their return to SparkPeople and how they are starting over for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time. I kept saying that I wouldn't be one of those people. Well guess what? I am back after a 2 month break.
It all started when I got the flu in October and went downhill from there. It got to the point where I could barely peel myself off the couch for anything. I guess you could say I got in rut or routine that was not healthy for me.
It so easy to make excuses for myself. Each day I would say that I will exercise tonight, tonight comes then I get online read all these articles that get me pumped up and I tell myself that it's okay that I didn't exercise today and I try not to beat myself up. After all, there's always tomorrow right? This has become a pattern in my life and with my children that I am also trying to motivate to exercise.
So about two weeks ago I took a good look in the mirror and decided I wanted a change. For me that change started with a new hairstyle. This new hairstyle consisted of getting 6 inches cut off and a very up to date professional look. After I left the hair salon, I went to a local store and decided that I was going to color my hair (which this part is so me - I love to experiment with color and styles). So I run into a friend who is all too willing to help me pick out a color. My husband was also with me encouraged me to try this color which I did. Went home colored it went out the next day and discovered my red hair had a very purple tint to it out in the sunlight. I wanted a change but this was too drastic so I went back to the store and bought a toned down color and recolored it. (I don't recommend this as it is hard on your hair). It turned out to be exactly the color I wanted but I still had to get used to it.
Changing my hairstyle (cut and color) for me is like a new beginning. It was a bold move on my part but it also shows me that I can adapt to change and when I look at my hair I like what I accomplished by just doing it. My point in all of this is that if I can trust myself to make little changes like a new hair style then I can have faith in myself to make the big changes too. I love my new hair and I want to love my body too. I want to look in the mirror and see someone who not only takes care of her hair but also takes care of her body and cares enough about herself to get healthy.
Starting to exercise is hard, starting over is even harder but such is life. There are no guarantees about any of this. I know what I want to do now I just have to do it. I am two weeks in and feeling pretty good about it.