No Room for Regrets

Hey There D-Viners!

How's life treating you? Better yet, how are you treating life?

If you're struggling to get over guilt, shame, or even finding it hard to let go of a good memory to make room for a better one, let these wise words inspire you. No regrets. You've got better waiting for you!

P. S. I've been in the throws of getting our college freshman situated at her new school, so travel plus other miscellaneous mommy duties have taken priority lately. However, I am happy to report that I stayed true to my exercise regimen, even while I was out of town. That's a milestone I'm very pleased about! Stay tuned. I'll be updating you on my latest health & fitness victories next week.

Stay Blessed!

Staying the Course

Okay. So last week, I let you in on my non-scale victories. I still feel very accomplished about those. One reason is because I'm seeing the results of consistency in the area of exercise. I'm almost at three full weeks of five 30-minute workouts/week. That's huge for me!

Now my weight... That's another matter.

I'm at 259.8 lbs and have been holding there for about two weeks. I haven't decreased, but more importantly, I haven't increased. I know that my commitment to working out consistently is to be credited for me not actually gaining more weight.

I have to admit, when I peered down at the number on my scale, I was tempted to beat myself up about it. But then I remembered that it's not about perfection, it's about progress. The path I've chosen is to master one fitness area at a time. So once I'm satisfied that my exercise is steady, then I'll focus more on my eating habits.

Because I'm doing it this way, the extra pounds won't fade as quickly, but that's okay. I feel better just knowing that I'm building better habits by taking it one step at a time. Plus, I'm feeling stronger and sleeping better than I have in months and I'm very happy about that!

Here's my encouragement to you this week:

If you're getting discouraged because either you don't see any progress at all or just not enough, don't check out! Staying the course can sometimes seem fruitless while you're doing it, but one thing is for sure. If you stick to the plan God has given you, YOU WILL WIN! Remember, the blessing is not in the steps you take; it's in your obedience to keep taking them.

"And I'm sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Philippians 1:6 ESV 

Until next week, stay on the path, my victorious sisters!

Milestones of My Month

Hey Ladies!

Here's the update on my fitness journey so far. In this week's post, I decided to share my "non-scale" progress. Don't worry. I will get back to the numbers next month. But as I thought about how often we strain so much at the details that we miss the beauty of the big picture along the way, I feel like this is right on time.

So here goes...

Milestone #1 - Returned to Self-Care

Check out that eyebrow action!

Keeping the promise of accountability that I made in my previous post, Making Yourself Matter, I'm posting this pic as a means of sharing a simple but meaningful personal milestone. I've returned to what used to be a regular practice of self-care for me: getting my eyebrows waxed. I went to the salon on a day that I would have normally found excuses as to why I was too busy to stop by. I not only got my eyebrows done, but I treated myself to a lip wax too. It took just a few minutes of my time, but boy did I feel exquisite after it was done!

Milestone #2 - Consistency

This is one of the images I have on my Spark People goal vision board. I'm celebrating the milestone of 1 1/2 weeks of 5 day/30 minute workouts. One day at a time, I'm reaching my goal of forming a solid habit of consistent exercise and I couldn't be happier with my progress! I'm getting up an hour earlier and getting it in BEFORE I start my day. This way, I don't get sidetracked from my plan. It's working like a charm! I'm feeling stronger and more confident than I have in a while. My hubby says he's super proud of me too! :)

Milestone #3 - Release

I've made a conscious choice not to sweat the small stuff. The more I let go of the inconsequential things (i.e., what I look like in the mirror, other people's opinions, etc.), the lighter and brighter I've become, and not just physically either. I've changed my perspective about myself and my potential by framing my mind around what God has said about me. 

"Body and soul, I am marvelously made!" 

Psalm 139:14 (MSG)

This has made a world of difference. Now I simply use the scale as a way of staying on track, not as a way of keeping score. Yay, me!!!

I hope my sharing encourages you to look outside the normal scope of what you view as progress and start measuring more milestones than mistakes. Take it one day at a time and inch by inch, you'll thrive.

Share the milestones you've made so far in my comment section. (Does NOT have to be fitness-related). I'd love to celebrate with you!