The First Mile Is Always the Hardest

I ran a slow mile today, while my phone dictated again that I was Superwoman Fast.  I was not.  Something is wrong with my GPS--I'm sure.  I came home, and I downloaded MapMyRun to replace Endomondo, and I mapped out what I ran.  I did a lovely 2.13 miles in 25 minutes.  That's pretty darn slow! 

The first mile is always the hardest though.  The first few minutes with your feet hitting the pavement.  During that period of time, you tell yourself you want to quit.  It's the same with Spin.  It's the same with writing.  Heck, sometimes, it's the same with anything new you're trying.  That's why I like running--it's such a challenge. It makes me realize I can do something I never thought I'd be able to do.  I feel so good once I get through the first mile, and I know at that point I can make it to the second mile and so on.  But sometimes, I just stop.  I stop when I'm ahead, or when I don't think I can move another muscle. I stop when I'm behind or because I'm telling myself I can't keep going. Sometimes I stop, because I have a defeatist attitude. 

I've defeated myself so many times in my life.  I stopped writing for years, because I thought no one would like what I wrote.  I stopped exercising, because it got hard.  I basically stopped trying.  I want my kids to see my try and succeed.  I want to be a healthy influence on them, and I want to stop defeating myself. 

I want to tell myself these things: I can run a mile.  I can run 2 miles. I can run a 5K.  I can write a book.  I can get a book published.  I can do anything I want to do if I just round the corner and get past the first mile.  The first mile is always the hardest.  That's where your legs tweak, your breath catches, and you run into little roadblocks that can stop you if you let them.  I'm going to run around the roadblocks from now on.  I'm going to reach my goals: exercise, career, and life.  I'm not going to let the little things stop me from achieving what I want to do in life and from winning the race. 

If you quit in the middle, you never know how far you could have gone. 

 

 

 

 

 

Weight Loss Tips #1: Starting Out

Weight Loss Tips #1

 

Sometimes the hardest part of losing weight is starting out.  We, as humans, have ways to justify everything.  If I eat three candy bars at midnight, there's no way I'll gain weight.  Or, I have been the same weight for years, even if in reality you've been gaining fifteen pounds every year for the last ten years! 

 

So, here are some tips to get yourself motivated to lose weight. I am not a weight loss expert, but this is what I did, and I've lost over fifty pounds now, so it may work for you, as well.

• Start telling yourself you CAN lose the weight.  Believing you can do something is half the battle.  I think we tend to be our worse critic, and sometimes as women (and men), we look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "I've gained too much weight. There's no way I can lose this."  But, that's the wrong mentality.  If you tell yourself you CAN, then you'll start doing something about it, and you'll be surprised at how a simple change in mentality can help you motivate yourself.
• Start with one diet change.  If you're drinking 5 sodas a day, then start by cutting it down to 3 sodas a day (or even better, no sodas per day).  If you start making one change at a time, then the whole process is less overwhelming.  I started by cutting my portion sizes down to a salad plate, and then allowing myself to have limited seconds if I wanted.  This helped me cut my portion size drastically, and it also made me realize how much I was really overeating.
• Have a long term goal, but enact it with short term goals.  My long term goal is to be a size 8 and to lose 65 pounds.  A short term goal would be something that helps you achieve your long term goal, i.e, lose one pound this week or exercise two days this week.

Check out my before and after post, so you can see the results!