{Progress, Not Perfection}

Making any kind of change isn't easy. Our habits and behaviors are so deeply ingrained that changing them seems nearly impossible. Habits become like involuntary reflexes, like breathing. Yeah, old habits die hard. We try. So hard. Our intentions are good but the passing weeks and months weakens our resolve. We exhaust ourselves striving and pushing, forgetting to rest. We just give out. Then setting our alarm early to work out seems crazy. Saying no to a heaping plate full of pasta and bread seems impossible. Writing out a meal plan and shopping list is boring. We get tired. We may even completely give up. Am I the only one? Please tell me I am not alone!

When I started down this road of cleaning up my health/fitness habits I refused to set myself up for disappointment. I checked my unrealistic expectations at the door. Did I still have accountability? Yes, absolutely. Did I still have goals? Yes, I absolutely did. But, I refused to buy into the lie that the ability to change demands perfection. It doesn't. Cue the Hallelujah chorus in the background! Here's the thing. When we commit to change, we are committing to process, to progress, not perfection. Did you catch that? Progress. Not perfection. 

Here's why that matters.

1. We can relax a bit. We don't have to be so rigid in our expectations. I gave myself permission to be flexible. Missing a morning workout or having an extra dinner roll does not equal failure. Not at all. It doesn't even equal setback. You adjust. Work out in the evening and eat a little less at your next meal. It's ok. Believe that. 
2. We can decide now to say no to setbacks. One misstep doesn't derail the health/fitness train and send us spiraling toward a major setback. Instead, we just keep going. We do the next thing. We make the next choice a good one. We press forward understanding that one missed workout today does not undo all the hard work we've put in. We press forward believing that one extra roll doesn't wreck all the progress we've made. One missed workout can't turn into a week's worth of missed workouts. One extra roll doesn't turn into six. Make that choice now. 

There, now you can breathe a bit easier. I certainly need the reminder today. (I may have had Home Run Burgers for dinner last night. And pizza the night before.) 

Oh, and about those self-imposed expectations. Only one expectation has paid dividends in my journey so far. Here it is: Tomorrow I will be/do/choose better than I did today. That's it. I always know I can do that at the very least. And, it's something, right? And it means I'm always making progress, at least when I'm paying attention. 

{One Step at a Time Gets Me There.}

So, I have a confession. I am an emotional eater. There, I said it. Now, before I go any further, I should explain that I understand there's an underlying spiritual issue -- the emotional eating, that's just a symptom. More on that another time. For now, let it just be enough to get that out there.

So, where was I? Ah, yes -- emotional eater.

I realized there was a problem when I started gaining a reputation for the girl who loved donuts. I do love a good donut, it's true. But is that the thing I want to come to mind when one thinks of me? Um, no. My poor, sweet friends. They really had no choice as much as I raved about donuts. Trust me y'all, it wasbad. One evening I stopped by the Krispy Kreme and bought a dozen hot now glazed donuts. I ate four of them within five minutes -- on my way to a workout session at my church. I saved the other six for my post-workout drive home. That's right. And, I unashamedly boasted about it during the class. What?! Who does that?! {ahem}

Here's the thing: I don't do well with transition and there have been several major (GIANT) transitions in our lives over the past five years. I did have a baby during that time; even still, three years seems a reasonable amount of time to lose the pregnancy weight. The pregnancy weight wasn't the problem, though.

The problem was that food (junk food) became a form of stress management. If I was upset, I'd grab a fruit roll-up or three. If I was sad, I'd grab a dozen donuts. If I was confused, back to the fruit roll-ups. If I was feeling uncertain, I'd eat half a bag of cheese puffs. If overwhelmed, ice cream. You get the idea. No surprise when the scale told me I weighed nearly 200 pounds. (Did I mention all the major transitions?) Yep, almost 200 pounds! Even in my skivvies, even when I shifted around trying to distribute the weight differently, more evenly, even after I inched my feet backwards so my heels hung off the back of the scale. But, the scale wasn't the only issue either.

Poor choices in one area of life affect all other areas of life in some way or other. I was watching that happen right before my eyes. I felt a little hopeless. One morning after tearing off the third blouse as I tried to get ready for church, I lamented that I was tired of being chubby and hated my clothes. There were tears. The big, ugly cry kind of tears. My sweet husband did the only thing he knew to do -- he told me I was beautiful, wiped away my tears and then bought me donuts on the way to church. Really though, this wasn't about being beautiful or weighing less -- it was about being comfortable in my own skin. It was about living well. 

At the end of May, I joined a clean eating group. In June, I signed up for a 21Day Challenge Group and started using Shakeology. After that, I signed on with Team Beachbody as a coach. Sure, the discounted Shakeology and workout packages are great. But, what's even better is having the opportunity to tell someone it's not too late to live well, to live healthy, to be better.  That's why you're seeing more health and fitness posts on my social media lately. If you feel stuck or discouraged in this area of your life, I would love to help you.

I am happy to report that I have not eaten a donut since the end of May! I dropped 13 pounds after my first round of 21Day Fix + Shakeology. But, more importantly, I feel better. Iam better. And stronger. I haven't reached my overall health and fitness goal yet, but I am making progress. One day at a time. One workout at a time. One healthy decision after another. One step at a time. That's what gets me there.

I can. I will.