It Gets in the Way.

I have to be in the right mental space to make exercise a priority.  There are so many other things I'd rather do with my time.  Unlike in high school, at 38, I don't mind my curves, but "the pooch" gets in the way.  Maybe it should be called a pouch.  It looks like I'm saving space for my baby kangaroo to come back.

After a LONG time of not exercising, last Fall, my cute 7 year old asked if we could go jogging before school.  Jogging? This body hasn't done more than a hustled supermarket sweep before school pick up.  But we went and we punctuated our walk with 10 second bursts of labored "jogging".

Afterwards I was doing some "sit ups" (Malorie's doing the modified) because I'm sick of this pooch getting in the way.  

It gets in the way of wearing my favorite pants and skirts.  It makes bending down difficult.  I don't mind the reminder that my body carried and birthed 6 beautiful human beings.  I just don't want to wear spanx or look like I have a pouch.

Anyhoo.

It got me thinking, what ALSO gets in the way?  

my suppressed anxiety and anger

stuffing and eating my feelings

pushing my authentic self down for so long

putting the peace around me as priority over the peace within me

Those are the things that have also taken up space and gotten in the way.

SO...

I'm working on my mental health.

I'm trying to identify sources of anxiety and eliminate unnecessary things.

I am making efforts to reach for healthier snacks AND to turn to God in my moment of need instead of simply eating something sweet.

I have been working on giving a voice to my feelings.

I have gotten braver with being my authentic self.

I am striving to choose peace within my heart and my home rather than pleasing others.

Those things are no longer taking up as much space in my soul and it is liberating!

Back to the beloved pouch pooch. It grew again to accommodate the miracle of another baby this last year--a darling sweet little boy.  **It needs to be noted that I would take my sweet baby over a tight stomach  ANY day.**

My exercise buddy

He is about 3 months old, the older 4 kids are back in school, and I'm starting to feel more able to be intentional about a few healthy additions to my routine.

Thankfully, last weekend I listened to an excellent address, "One Percent Better".  Here are some portions that inspired me to put forth even a SMALL effort.

•     Well, acclaimed author James Clear says this strategy puts the math squarely in our favor. He maintains that “habits are the ‘compound interest of self-improvement.’ If you can get just one percent better at something each day, by the end of a year … you will be 37 times better.”
•     This process is not always accomplished in a linear fashion. Even among the most determined there may be setbacks. Having experienced the frustration of this in my own life, I know that it can sometimes feel like 1 percent forward and 2 percent back. Yet if we remain undaunted in our determination to consistently eke out those 1 percent gains, He who has “carried our sorrows” will surely carry us.
• It is He who knows when a sparrow falls that is likewise focused on the minute as well as the momentous moments in our lives and who is ready right now to assist you in whatever your 1 percent quest is coming out of this conference. Because every effort to change we make—no matter how tiny it seems to us—just might make the biggest difference in our lives.

In the past I've waited for the perfect weather to get outside and exercise.  This time I decided that I'm going to incorporate some exercises that I can do inside.

I made a chart where I can mark give credit for any exercise I choose to do that day.

I am not currently locking myself in to a certain time of day.  Any time works.

So far I'm 3/4 and am proud of my small yet consistent efforts.

Little by little we do big things!

Is there something getting in your way?

Is there a 1% change you could make in your daily routine to work toward bigger results?

Maybe charts for our mental health would be useful too!