Prior to this morning, I haven't lifted a weight in 3 weeks. I haven't gone for a jog in about 4 months. I haven't done water aerobics or Zumba since leaving Massachusetts. Yesterday, after binging on baked goods at a party, I had a cheeseburger and fries for dinner. I don't think I've regressed in terms of my weight loss goals (though I'm probably not as strong as I was before), but I'm definitely off the wagon.
The thing is, how do I hoist myself back onto the wagon with all my muscles so weak from lack of use? I guess the answer to that is simple determination and unwavering commitment.
I've had quite a 6 months. On November 26th, I moved from Boston to Los Angeles. I piled all my stuff into a spare room at my parents' house and settled in, feeling very temporary and quite uprooted, though also incredibly grateful for having the foundational support from my parents to allow me to make such a drastic life change.
On November 28th, I went on my first date with my boyfriend Joel. We've now been together just over 6 months, and the relationship is thrilling and amazing and beautiful.
Then there was the holiday season - Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hannukah, New Years, Valentine's Day...
And on February 28th, I started a new job. It's a full-time therapy job where I do individual and group therapy, as well as intake assessments, for adults who were just released from prison. It's a really interesting and new population for me, and I'm learning a great deal about people who have had lives dramatically different from my own.
Through all of this, although I was excited to see the growth my direction was taking, although I felt pretty happy and excited (especially once I had the stability of a full-time job) at the way my life was coming together, I felt a bit unstable. I still lived with my parents, and I slept there about half the time and at my boyfriend's the other half.
And so finally, last Saturday, May 24th, I moved into my own apartment. I now live walking distance from work (though I prefer to bike) as well as from my boyfriend's place.
The reason all this is significant to my paleo blog is that I got off track with my health and fitness goals. Not completely off track - it's still all at the forefront of my mind - but I'm not involved in exercise that I enjoy like I was in Massachusetts, and I have not been sticking to the paleo plan.
Well, I'm all out of excuses. The instability of living two places, the feeling of being in transition while I build my new life here... none of that applies anymore. It's time to get back to work - menu planning, exploring different exercise options, weight lifting, blogging about my experiences and my progress.
The photo at the top of this blog entry is me at the fitness center in my new apartment building this morning. The goal is to use that resource and get back on track with exercise and cooking at home more than I go to restaurants. I took a quite understandable break from intensively focusing on this, but all the old excuses are now a thing of the past. It's time to get back on the wagon.
