Starting over for the last time

If you have read my previous posts and your short term memory is fully functional, you may recall that I made a few resolutions to start this fresh new year in my life.  My main one is to exercise.  I make this promise all the time and this time I will stick to it because something horrible, wretched, AWFUL happened last night!

I was trying to decide what to wear for my birthday festivities tonight and thought I would give my good ol' sequined New Years Eve dress a try.  Well, as you could probably guess, it is too small.  I thought maybe, dresses being fairly forgiving, 15 pounds wouldn't be too bad.  But 15 pounds makes a difference, people...a big difference.  So whenever I lack inspiration or I am tempted to shirk my exercise responsibilities, I simply need to remember that feeling.  And if I have trouble remembering it, the dress is hanging in my closet, mocking me as I gently weep into my ice cream bowl.

I made the decision to do a sort of 30-day challenge which means I have to exercise in some form for at least 30 minutes every day for the next 30 days. I'm hoping that, by sticking to this, I can muscle through the lack of motivation and form a gym habit so that exercising can feel fun and necessary again.  I used to be so good and feel bad if I didn't go to the gym.  Then I went through a period where I couldn't go and its been a struggle for a few months. I think I am mostly bored with running but never feel satisfied with other things. I'm also frustrated that I can pound out 4 miles like I used to.  Starting over is a big downer but if I can focus, I should be back on track in no time.

The good news is I am off to a good start.  Well, one day so far.  But that's better than my repeated decisions to "start tomorrow".  I got up at 6:00am yesterday, of my own accord (not even with an alarm!) and went for a 2 mile run.  I was pleasantly surprised because I apparently have not backslid as much as I thought.  I was fully prepared to do the whole walk-a-quarter-mile-then-run-half-a-mile thing but I kept the speed fairly low and ran at a steady pace for a full mile before I needed a break.  Even then, I wasn't out of breath or dying, I just had a stomach cramp.

This morning, I was exhausted, so I slept in.  Which is bad.  I will be more disciplined in the future, I promise.  But the good news is my parents and I rescheduled dinner which frees up time for a run when I get home.