10 Years and Still Going!

[PSA: "like" my blog's Facebook page to get tips as well as updates on my blog posts in your news feed.]

Yes, I'm still here. On March 25, 2017 my blog celebrated its 10-year anniversary. And I'm still here. Still fighting the good fight, as I sometimes call it. It's funny, despite thinking about my blog quite a lot, I haven't been writing. Mostly I think about the blog when I have a positive moment, or when I'm struggling, or when I do something ah-mazing and feel kick-ass afterwards and want to share my joy. So yeah, that means a lot of thought. It hasn't translated into writing but it affirms my idea that the blog has been an anchor for me in this journey. To think that I've had 10 years of living a fuller, more satisfying life because I got off the couch and made a change. I still get emotional thinking about it. 

I guess I should do a quick update as to my weight/exercise stuff. Last autumn I wrote about being back on the wagon. Well, it didn't entirely stick. I stayed the course until late October and then fell back into a state I'll call all is not lost. To be more positive, maybe I should call it a state of something is still found. Anyway, it's a state where I sort of eat ok and kind of exercise. I stayed in that place for a few months, gaining back the 5 pounds pounds I'd lost and maybe a couple more.  

But all the while, I kept on living. We had a birthday party for Ms. Myra, who turned 6 last September.

Happy Birthday Myra Lynn!!

Mr. M and I did more Tahoe hikes.

I enjoyed a dance night out with the moms.

We got to celebrate Myra being selected as the Player of the Week in her soccer league.

Went cycle wine tasting with some friends...

 

Dressed up like Sandra Dee for a grown-up Halloween and a witch for the kidfest. Myra was a police officer and Marek was Harry Potter.

Took the kids ziplining, a first for all of us.

Marek was nervous at first but found his courage and crushed it all day.

Myra's courage ebbed and flowed but she never gave up. Our family motto!

Went on a field trip with Marek.

Took the kids to see Snoopy and friends at the SF Symphony.

Went on several more snow days with friends, including ski/snowboard lessons for the kids, which they loved.

I'm realizing this could go on forever. During that time I also celebrated the holidays with family and friends and made an effort to not throw in the towel altogether on my healthy lifestyle. There were some gym visits here, healthy salads there, and the more-often-than-not scale queries. In other words, despite not being entirely on the wagon, I kept paying attention. Not slipping into denial is huge.

Finally, in late January, the embers of motivation sparked into a flame and I got myself back into an exercise routine. Looking back, I think the autumn effort was driven more by fear than by a natural desire to change. I had gained enough weight that I was downright scared, and I was seeing things get hard again, my energy was dipping and it all made me very nervous. Fear is a fine motivator to get you started, but it won't sustain you.

I think the motivation I found in late January was different. It feels different. It's now mid-April and I'm still at it. I've lost those 5 pounds, plus the few extra. I'm back around 157 right now. My clothes are mostly a size 8, some smaller. I have no idea what my maintenance weight will be but for now, I'd like to get to 150 and see. Other than my midsection, I actually really like the curves of my body at my current weight. So I'll lose a few more pounds, maybe, and see if I can find the balance of a smaller stomach but still some curves. But I'm not that focused on all that. Mostly I'm focused on the payoffs of feeling good and more energy, on the overall mojo to get out there and take on adventures. That makes life better for me and everyone around me. That's the biggest payoff. The size on my clothes, the numbers on the scale, they aren't as important as that.

Here are some pictures from last month that I think explain it all. Marek turned 8 and we had a birthday party, complete with a dunk tank and pinata. 

Happy 8th Birthday Marek!!

As you can see I contributed to cracking open the pinata and also took my chances in the dunk tank. Despite my pleas for mercy, Marek hit the target and dunked me. It was a beautiful day. And because I'd started taking better care of myself, I enjoyed it all the more. And that's what this is really about.

So there's my update. More changes are afoot in my life but I can't update you on everything in one post so more to come later. Thank you for checking in.