The Beginning Begets the End

    This morning I woke up thinking about how the morning always seems to jumpstart my day. I remember as a kid my dad would wake me up by turning on the lights and standing me in the middle of the room. On those days I was not a fun person to be around. I would whine and complain all day. Now that I am an adult and living on my own, I have a little bit more control of the time and the way that I wake up. Even so, if I don't get enough sleep, I seem to revert back to my 6-year old self. I'm a night owl so this is a reoccurring theme in my life.

    Another key thing about the morning is that if I start out healthy, I usually am so proud of my decision that I feel guilty or ashamed if I don't continue with the trend for the day. I am motivated to work out and I am a more positive person, ready to take on the challenges of the day. 

    BUT if I mess up, I have learned to forgive myself, rather than giving up. One of the things I enjoy about living healthy is that I can take it one day at a time. If I eat a Butterfinger bar (which I have been known to do because I LOOOVE them), I know that the day is not shot. On those days I make my goal to stay within my calorie limitations, which I set by my desired weight, exercise, and foods listed for the day at MyFitnessPal.com.  I definitely work out on those days because I want to shed off some of the chocolate. 

    As far as working out, I have really been good about it. I think the key is to not believe you have to spend hours at the gym when you hate it. Since I have started this journey, I have learned about some athletic  indoor and outdoor hobbies that have become a major part of my life. I ride my bike on trails around our area that I didn't even know existed! I download yoga, Pilates, and aerobics videos from YouTube.com and play them on our television using AppleTV. Don't think that you have to do exactly what anyone else does to be healthy. As long as you are getting off of the couch, you are doing something for yourself. My husband really enjoys mountain biking and jogging, neither of which interests me. He gets his exercise in during the day; I do mine after work. If other people tell you that you need to exercise first thing in the morning, that's crap. I have lost 10 lbs. already, and sometimes I don't work out until 9 pm. The point is not the weight, it's that you are doing something for yourself. And while I do want to look sexier and physically fit, that is not the ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is to feel better about myself, one day at a time. 

As Always, 

Skinny Laura