I am SO tired. With the time change, juggling kids & school, insomnia, my husband working from home, and feeling the end of winter blues, motivation is at an all time low. The last few weeks of March are going to be a doozy too, school-wise, and so being lazy or napping are not options. Our math teacher, Pam, has us take a stretch break half way through class, and I admit I would often just grab another coffee or stay sitting and knock off something on my list that can be done quickly instead of actually stretching. But the last few classes, I have gone outside, closed my eyes, and breathed. The first time I did it, I just wanted to lie down and take a nap instead of going back to class, but as I did it more often I found that I started to get energy from the quiet and the cold air.

All I need is a bit of energy to make more. I can go for a walk or do some yoga with just a little bit of energy. And when I can do that, then I can do an actual work out. And when I can do that, then energy just more readily available. When energy is available, then I make healthier choices in general because I have the brain power to make sound decisions. I guess that’s what “putting one foot in front of the other” means.

My sister, Claire, gifted me her treadmill! I am very excited. Claire is a cervical cancer survivor and has spent the last 3 years losing the weight that her cancer treatment caused her to gain. When I think about my own weight gain, I make sure to reframe it because no one is telling me that I can eat fruit or veg because there is too much fiber in them etc., as she was. I am not on powerful chemo meds that she was that caused her to gain 60 lbs in 3 months. So now that she has regained control over her health, she has gifted me the option to do that for myself.

It is an awesome treadmill too (NordicTrack)! It is wifi connected and so when I get supremely bored on it, I can bring up some Netflix while I walk. BUT since I’m working on reframing my attitude toward my lifestyle, I treated myself to a membership to the fitness app FitOn, which offers hundreds of all-level fitness classes that I can do on or off the treadmill. So far I have done 3 classes of the 12 class “couch to 5K” running class. I’ve also done some easy guided walking tours around various geographical locations (Egyptian ruins, English castles). And I did a walking interval hike one (which had a nice view at the top of Mt Hood.) It’s great, I love it!

 

Feature photo by Cafer Mert Ceyhan on Unsplash