Slacker

So, what have I been doing for the past month? I've been reveling in the end of summer and the beginning of the cooler fall weather. Being outside is no longer miserable, but is now fantastic. The air is warm, but the breeze is cool. Honestly, most of us have a version of cabin fever by the end of the summer. It's so marvelous to get outside. This is our version of spring.

Mostly, I have been living like a beach bum. I love the beach, especially at this time of year. The water is still warm enough for swimming, the sky is impossibly blue, and the sunsets are stunning. After work and on weekends, the beach is my destination. Unfortunately, instead of eating right and getting regular exercise, I've been grabbing snacks and going to the beach whenever I have free time. I feel like a kid who just finished school and is free for the summer. I have no idea what has come over me, but I've certainly been feeling my oats.

This downward spiral really began at the end of September and has zoomed out of control over the past few weeks. My brain keeps telling me to settle down, but my beach chair calls to me... and it's LOUD. Yes, I have been a slacker for about a month now. I will admit that it's because I lost so much weight. Losing almost sixty pounds made a HUGE change in my life. My pants are three sizes smaller, my shirts all fit loosely, I'm wearing clothes that haven't seen daylight in years, and I have confidence in my stride. What I seem to have forgotten is that this is NOT the end of the road. I have a long way yet to travel. Although many things are possible for me now, there are even more things I cannot yet do. I still need to lose the next fifty, one hundred, and more. I have many miles to go before I reach my goal!

The good news is that I don't just sit at the beach. There's a fair amount of walking that gets done. But, it's nothing like the six hours a week that I used to run in the pool. My closest friend here, the one who encourages all of this beach time, has caught onto the fact that I've been slacking off. She is making me exercise and is making me laugh in the process. "March," she says... so I start off down the beach. "Faster!" she yells. She does not allow me to lounge in my beach chair until after I have taken a walk. I need more friends like her.

I have also begun to march around my neighborhood in earnest. There is a loop that takes me about 45 minutes to complete. This is all well and good for now, but as soon as I can do the loop in 30 minutes I will need to find a new one. 

So, I am embarrassed by my slacking, but I am not paralyzed by my failure. Crawling up out of this rut has been so much more difficult than I could possible have anticipated, but I am making progress.