When my daughters were six and seven, I realized something shameful.
I had a tummy paunch and was telling myself it was post-pregnancy fat. Yep, six years after giving birth, I excused and denied my mottled middle.
My moment of reckoning occurred at a Cold Stone Creamery of all places. We were eating our favorites: Ava with her Chocolate Devotion, Josie with her Strawberry Blonde and me with my Coffee Lovers. Boy, were we having a great time!
Before I get further with this story, I want to make something clear: there is nothing wrong with love handles or a bit of pudge. As long as YOU’RE OK with it. I was not OK with my weight. I wore loose clothing and felt badly when I undressed. It’s just me….I feel best about myself when I am fit. I have a small frame and I feel uncomfortable with excess pounds. This is not a judgment about other people. It’s about me confronting something I was unhappy about and how I changed it.
Continuing…We got up from the table when a very fit woman walked past the window.
“Wow, she’s fit,” I said, wistfully.
“Mommy, you look good too, everywhere except your tummy.” Josie said.
As with all children, her words rang true. I had let myself go a bit. I licked the final bits of Coffee Lovers off my upper lip. I fought tears. And I sighed.
I was ready to change.
In the next year, I lost 7 lbs. and got fit again. I had more energy and I was in a better mood much of the time. How did I do this?
I simply changed my habits.
Instead of going out for ice cream, I took the girls out for walks. We didn’t stop going out for treats entirely, we just cut back.
Instead of eating when I felt bored or stressed, I started jogging and doing yoga again. BUT, I made it a habit and I rewarded myself each time. According to Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), this is THE key to success. I woke up an hour early every day. I put on my workout clothes which I laid out the night before. After my workout, I had a glass of water and a cup of coffee. I reveled in feeling the endorphins run through my body and my coffee became my reward. I told myself, “No workout, no coffee.” I like coffee a LOT. That was enough to keep me going.
Honestly, I believe I am in better shape now than I was 25 years ago.
Is there something you want to change? How can you develop habits to make it happen? It’s easier than you think! I highly recommend Charles Duhigg’s book, “The Power of Habit.” It’s very entertaining and informative.
*Photos from unsplash.com
Kismet 
I am late to this post but the book sounds really good! And side note – we just made avacado ice cream
And it tastes really good – used stevia and something that helped me a lot was getting off sugar – it is bad news and I am amazed at biennial much the human body can handle and then we never look for a source of disease when sugar is always a contibruting underlying key player –
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Happy to hear you are actively seeking to decrease sugar intake. Avocado ice cream sounds delicious!
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Well my story involves mandatory get off sugar or not get well (sugar suppresses immune system – as you know – it arrests it – and many folks have weird fungal infections without knowing it – and so sugar does more ban arrest the immune system – it feeds pathogens and inhibits enzyme function and stops nutrient absorption)
But for a little while there – I did not realize sugar was hiding in so many foods – and did not know that crackers and toast were sugar carbs in body!!p
Ahhh – such a learning journey
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Yes, our American diet is really set up to make us sick! When in doubt, I’ve learned that fresh fruit and vegetables are pretty safe (in moderation of course)!
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yes – esp the high-sugars fruits –
and boy did I have a lot to learn….
and still continue
–
wishing you a nice day
🙂
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Inspiring!
Keep progressing!
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Thank you! I am. Some days are more challenging than others. But taking care of myself is a priority.
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Yes it must be. You know if once this world learns how to best take care of themselves, most of the problems will be gone.
I appreciate your attitude.
Stay blessed. 🙂
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You’re awesome no matter what!
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That’s amazing!
I’m having difficulty with the motivation part of it 😔
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That’s OK! You’re not ready yet. You will be when it’s right. Make it easier on yourself with just one change. A small change in habit will ripple out to more. It’s called a Keystone Habit. 🙂
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I’ll start with that, thank you! ☺
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