life lesson #10,364.... or something like that

I have been going through a.... shall we say, "motivationally-challenged" phase of life. Being one that has always tried hard to stay on top of my fitness and healthy eating, this has been very hard for me. I've been dealing with this for about four months now. I have no explanation for why, except that perhaps age has something to do with it. Perhaps. That could just be an excuse.... and I have many more where that came from. Regardless, it has been an issue for me. Also, the crappy weather and lack of clean air to breath has only added to my current state. Needless to say, my clothes are fitting me a little differently these days, which does not sit well with me. But, apparently it sits well enough that it hasn't motivated me to change. Yet.

A couple of weeks ago, my good friend (thanks Lori:) brought over a few photos from a recent trip we took together. In some of them, I was wearing a swimsuit. I don't think I need to waste your time talking about my private reaction to those photos. Let's just say that I now have possession of some amazing "before" pictures that have helped me to locate my long, lost motivation. With this new found attitude, I have been hard at work preparing myself for the long road back.

The other day, I ran across the quote above on Pinterest. You can imagine my horror. I was devastated at the thought that it would take me forty months (almost four years) to undo the damage from the last 4 months. FORTY MONTHS!! I was in a mild state of panic. No, it was a serious state of panic. And, I was furious!! Who put the internet in charge anyway?? Who were they to tell me how long it would take me to get back on track. I was determined to prove whoever this person was wrong. And then, I notice that the quote was from a fictional character, and laughed out loud to myself. The pressure was off. I had nothing to prove. I could go about the business of losing that "little extra somethin'" at my own pace. I have since come up with my own quote. One that I believe in wholeheartedly.

Okay, it's not MY quote, but it was a sign on a tree (that I may have added another sign to, in photoshop:) But, it's my plan and I'm sticking to it. In all my years of experience, it's the best way. No matter what. Going slow and steady. Doing what you know works for YOU. That is all I need to worry about. No matter who tells me differently. I don't believe it will take ten times longer to get back to a comfortable state of fitness. It will take a while, but not four years!! Lessons learned? Don't believe everything you read, consistency is the answer to almost everything, it takes hard work to accomplish anything worthwhile, the internet should be taken with a grain of salt, the Hunger Games series is really good, Photoshop rocks and even pictures of signs nailed to trees can be used in a blog post:) Happy Wednesday!