it's about discipline ....

It's Monday and Barry is taking a few days off. Makes it REALLY hard to get out of bed, especially at 4:30. Plus he still gets up around 5:30 or so since he drives me to the GO train. What a guy!

So I got up and did my circuit training, did my preparations (it takes time to put this gorgeous woman together LOL LOL LOL). Yes, I'm in a silly mood. I think I'm tired. Anyway, went to work, went to Nutrition House at lunch for some Vitamin C and met a very friendly salesman. He certainly didn't have any trouble with "personal space". As big a flirt as I am. But I was telling him about my journey and about the 4:30 a.m. workouts. He was impressed. Most people just think I'm crazy. To be honest, I'm not sure how I do it. But it just goes to show that you can get used to just about anything.

I hope you know this is not just about my journey and my accomplishments. I'm hoping that I can be a source of encouragement, an example to others. Because believe me, I have started and stopped a journey to fitness more times than I can remember. Barry knows. He's been there for the journey. The ups and downs (my weight mostly). I've been consistently working out since March 22, 2009. Four months might not seem like a lot, but a month was good before. But I've learned to work through not feeling well, being slightly injured, and then there's the whole mental aspect. And of course getting used to going to bed no later than 10 pm (yeah, right) and going on 6 - 6 1/2 hours consistently Sun-Fri ... I actually get about 8-9 Friday and Saturday nights. I'm just such a partier ... I'm generally asleep by 11 pm.

But this is really important to me. It seemed to take my mom dying for me to get my act together. The pressure was off me and I was able to take care of me first. I don't know how many times I told Barry I was going to get the weight off and then I'd get lazy and the next thing I knew I was another 5 or 10 pounds heavier. I really don't know what my top weight was. I was 221 lbs. Apparently I'm not much less than that now but my body is very different. Weight training does wonderful things. So the scale doesn't really mean that much.

There were times that despite the fact I told Barry I would do it this time, I knew he didn't believe me and he really didn't do much to help me. Probably because if he did what I asked, I'd get mad at him so he stopped supporting me. I tried getting up at 4:30 for workouts before and all I got from him was "then it wakes me up too and I can't get back to sleep" so of course I put him before me. Bad habit. Husband, father, mother, brother, manager ... Ii was tiptoeing around everyone and I kinda felt like I came last in my life.

But no more. I think I was trying so hard not to be self-centered or selfish (which I was in my teens and twenties ... but really, aren't most people?) that I kinda lost myself. Well ... I'm back. And my health and fitness come before everything else. Once I started getting up at 4:30 EVERY morning and following through on my workouts, eating healthy and getting generally more active, Barry was really supportive. And I started to have more faith in myself.

So to anyone who is struggling, who wants to get control of their lives (regardless of what aspect), just remember ... it's about discipline .. it's about faith (in yourself and anything else you believe in) and it's about consistency. Even if you can't do a full workout, do something ... anything. Go for a walk. Do some yoga...

Well folks, it's almost my bedtime so I shall bid you adieu. Thanks for "listening".