Friday, January 9, 2015

A Story of Stress and Will Power

I could have made so many excuses why I should NOT start my new program, Insanity MAX:30 or Challenge Group this week! So many reasons! 

*we are just getting back into our routine

*my daughter's birthday will include dessert, and probably a carb filled dinner, since those are her favorites

*my husband was going to do the program with me but injured his knee and was given doctors orders to rest it for 6 weeks

*I'm tired, so very tired

Truth BOMB #1: There is NEVER a good time to start! NEVER! 

Life will continue happening whether you are on a healthy journey or not, so if you keep putting off  your start date, you will never start.

So, I took my own advice and I started on Monday, despite my life getting in the way.

Truth BOMB #2: Once you start don't quit because one thing derails you! Get back on it!

In addition to the list of excuses I already knew about, there was a sudden health issue that came up with my Dad.  Something we thought was under control and on the mend, suddenly took a turn for the worst and he had to have surgery right away. Like, clear the OR tomorrow...he needs this now. This is incredibly stressful for a daughter that LOVES her Daddy and is too far away to be there when he needed me.  I had to rely on phone updates, instead of being there in the waiting room. That is hard. It's so hard. It took every ounce of my self control to not call every 10 minutes or text for updates.  I had to trust that my stepmom would call when she had news (which she did!), but it's so hard to wait.  

Using all my self-control to stay away from my phone made my other weakness even weaker...stress eating.  All I wanted was the comfort of stuffing my face with anything I could find in the pantry.  Thankfully I had already cleaned out the pantry before starting on Monday, so I would have really had to dig to find something.  I kept walking into the kitchen and then talking myself out of eating something, because I wasn't hungry.  I knew that. I knew I was only going to eat because I was stressed out.  I also knew that if I gave in, I would immediately feel guilty. I have goals to reach and this wasn't going to get me there.

I decided to redirect.  I got on my knees and I prayed. I prayed a lot. For my dad mostly, but also for my will power. When I got a chance to talk to my Dad I wanted to be happy and positive, not feeling guilty and down on myself, because it wasn't about me. It was about him. I had not done my workout yet, so I popped Sweat Intervals in and decided to really give it my all.  

It worked! Not only did I get my very best Insanity MAX:30 time, but I felt so much better knowing that I had done something positive during that stressful time.  It's not glamorous, but here I am all sweaty  and hair a mess after my workout...


I was able to talk to my Dad for a just a couple minutes later on after his surgery.  He is doing well and will hopefully be going home soon. 

The moral of this story is: it's not about perfect timing or doing it perfectly, it's about STAYING THE COURSE. It's about starting this journey even when it's imperfect, and learning as you go to do it better. 9 months ago I would have never had the will power or self-control to start unless the timing was perfect. 9 months ago I would never have had the will power or self-control to close the pantry door and work out instead.  But through many, MANY failures I have learned that this is what will get me to my goals; this is what will make me happy.  :) 

I should note: my will power does not always win. But more on that later. Today I want to focus on this success, because it took everything I had to do it and I am proud of my progress.

No comments:

Post a Comment