The Decision to Try

One of the hardest things I find myself doing is trying something new. It is not so much that I hate change but the fact that it takes forever to either get used to it be patient enough to wait for the results. There is the factor of the unknown for the future. What will happen down the road if I begin and continue that something new. For me, it is weight lifting. 

Between last night and today today while waiting for the blizzard Nemo (which will be hitting the Northeast tonight) to start weight lifting early. I was planning on waiting until Lent, Wednesday to begin with the task of weight lifting. Last night I went to Zumba and was looking at myself in the mirror. I could not believe I was looking at myself because I looked so different. My hair was curly, I had a cute pink top on that showed off my curves and black pants. In my honest opinion I looked absolutely amazing. I feel even better than that, I felt fantastic! It was one of those many realizations I have which come and go that I am such a different person than I was when I started this journey. My body has changed a lot to which I almost do not recognize myself at times. 

I am still wrapping my brain around the possibility of A. not seeing results quickly and B. the chance of gaining weight temporarily. I feel like I am at such a fragile state right now with my weight that I am constantly worried about doing something different in my routine to cause me to start gaining the weight back. That would be totally overwhelming and not to mention cause me anxiety. I have worked so hard to get where I am and to see the number on the scale to creep up would be devastating. 

You know what though? Today I made a tough decision, to try weight lifting. I am giving myself the opportunity to see what my body is capable of doing and to push myself to evolve and change into a physically fit person. That is not an easy or small task. This is going to require a lot of motivation on my part to take the time to weight lift without seeing results right away. I am half way to my weight loss goal and it is my time, my opportunity to mix things up and to really push. 

Guess what? I am going to go for it. Not because it is the right thing to do but because I need to try. I need to try for my health and for my future. I will hate it at times but I need to keep my mind focused that this is what I need to do for me. Plus we all have little hiccups in our roads and if I gain a bit of weight back, it is minor and I just have to keep at it. The weight cannot stay on forever, especially when you are eating well and exercising.

I decided to give everyone some current stats and updated pictures. Who does not love a progress photo?

Beginning weight: 258 lbs

Current weight: 213 lbs

Target weight: 158 lbs

Beginning BMI: 41.6

Current BMI: 34.4

Target BMI: 25.5

There you have it. I could stand to bump my target weight down a bit so it may happen when I get closer. However, I am happy right now with shooting for a nice number like 100 lbs as my target weight to lose. What a difference shedding those 100 lbs will be in the long run.

What are you holding back on trying in your life? Maybe it is something silly but you give yourself all the reasons in the world NOT to try. You have an opportunity each and every morning to change your life in sometimes small and big ways. Making the decision to try is the first step in accomplishing more than you can imagine.

☺Ashley☺