Today’s Weight Watchers meeting topic was a good one. Our leader Sandy was asking us about what are the things we can do now that we weren’t able to do before. It’s been almost a year since I re-joined WW for the LAST time. It has been an up and down ride a few times during this year with 2 ten pound gains (followed by losses again-one at Christmas time and one in the summer around vacations) but I’m alot healthier than I was when I joined last November.
Sometimes when we are on journeys to a goal we forget to take a look back and celebrate our growth, changes or improvements that we have made. It doesn’t have to be about weight loss. It can be about a job, a professional goal, a personal goal-anything. We get so stuck in the day in and day out actions we forget to look backwards. I am terrible at this. I am the one looking forward (sometimes with exasperation) at the 30 pounds I have left to lose, not looking at the 15 I have lost. Today I am going to celebrate and reflect.
- I have been able to actually run, really run, for extended periods of time-miles in fact. I run based on my heart rate which stays lower at higher speeds. Win.
- My blood pressure is the lowest it has ever been. 92/60 Awesome.
- I have clothes that are too big. Those of us that struggle with our weight always have the clothes that are too tight, so to have the clothes that are too big- well, that’s a victory. And I’m giving them away.
- For God sake I drink kale juice. Enough said.
- I will never eat gluten again. The more I read the more I realize I was poisoning my body. I am proud that I haven’t eaten it and won’t. Win.
- My stress level is lower and I’m creating more limits. This is my largest victory.
Another thing to celebrate this week is related to my family. Much of my journey to get healthy was, as you may remember, due to a cancer diagnosis in our family. My Dad was diagnosed in the summer of 2008. He had his CT scan this week to monitor his remission. Every 4 months he gets a scan to see if there are any lymph node growth or any tumors popping up in new places. As anyone who has been through cancer in their family or loved ones, scan day brings a range of emotions and fear. I celebrate my Dad’s amazing courage and the fact that his scan came clean yet again. His scans are now 6 months apart. When he (and our family) was faced with the ultimate fear, he plowed through with courage and determination. I celebrate him and the Dr’s that treated him.
This weekend you should take the time to stop and reflect. What have you accomplished that you haven’t really celebrated? What have you improved upon in the last year that you weren’t able to do before? Take the time to remind yourself that you are pretty damn awesome.
