A Step In The Right Direction, After All

After my little self-pep talk yesterday, I am tickled to say I've since made improvements! I made some returns at Walmart which resulted in a $40 gift card to the store. I have really been wanting a workout system on the Wii. Yes, I DO have a gym membership to 24 Hour Fitness. What of it? I've discovered, especially in the past two months, that I easily make excuses not to go to the gym since it takes about twenty minutes to get there and another twenty back. I wanted some back-up plan to execute here at home in case I feel I have too much to do to sacrifice two hours round-trip, including the workout. So I put that gift card to good use yesterday and bought the new EA Active 2 for the Wii.

The package came with wireless arm and leg bands, as well as a heart-rate monitor. I strapped everything on, set up my fitness profile, and was soon working out with my personal trainer! It was a lot of fun, which is important for me to keep coming back, and I accomplished a lot in the twenty-minute workout. I think after I do some chores this morning, I will do another twenty minutes and get my heart rate going again. I don't want to mention how shaky I feel right now...after finishing my first workout in way too long. I guess around Thanksgiving, I just gave up trying to think healthy. I haven't been on the scale because I'm scared of what it will say...summarizing all the things I've eaten over the holidays without much physical activity to burn it all off. But I feel great about the changes being made! It feels wonderful being back on track and getting back to me. For me personally, when I work out I am much more careful about what I eat. It goes hand-in-hand for me, and I really need both to be successful!

The exertion levels can be changed, and I began on wimpy easy today because I haven't been all that active in the past few months. My customized workout consisted of twenty-six activities, including mountain biking, basketball, running, hammer curls, and squats, just to name a few. I love variety and fun, which helps me want to come back for more. After the twenty-minute workout, I had burned more calories and achieved a higher heart rate than we had originally planned. Success! The game also comes with a USB drive to track all progress, and I can upload this to an online account. I enjoyed the healthy journal where I can record what I eat, drink, and sleep for that day. It's an overall great way to track improvements physically!

I know that I could do so much better in every aspect of my life, including being in shape. I thought I was so fat in high school, but I was working out three hours daily with my (first volleyball, then basketball, then softball) team each day all year long. I ate whatever I wanted because it didn't matter. Everything got burned off right away. Thinking I was fat then just makes me smile now...what I wouldn't give to be that "fat" again! So I'm on my way to working it back down. The goal is to love being me more! To love how I look...love how I feel in my clothes...love how I present myself to the world. I've let some self-confidence trickle away because of the lack of physical exertion, and now I'm on the path to getting it all back! I hate to say my self-worth is related to how I look, but I just want to know I'm working hard at doing better! The results will come, and I will be happier with myself as a person. This, in turn, will no doubt positively impact every other part of my life. I can't wait for the domino effect this time!

How about you? Any changes you've been making as we start this new year? What goals do you have?