I want to start this weeks post by saying thank you. Thank you to everyone who’s following and supporting me on this journey. The responses I’ve gotten from friends, family and acquaintances have been glorious. There is no question in my mind that starting this challenge as my New Year’s Resolution was the right thing to do. So, thank you all and keep reading and sharing this with everyone you know.

Lessons Learned

January officially ended the first month of the challenge in great standings. My goal is to continue to do the same for the next 11 months and I think I’ve hit a sustainable stride. It helps to acknowledge that there have been, and will continue to be, ups and downs. That is a major lesson I learned from the last month. Ebbing and flowing is in my nature and to try and fight that would be silly. I’ve seen myself fall and get back up enough in the last month to know I can start fresh everyday. If that doesn’t work then it helps to maintain until weigh-in days and move forward from there.

Move That Body

Exercising has been so much fun. I decided I’m not going to do anything I don’t like or feel like doing and the pattern I’m in seems good. Vinyasa yoga 2x per week, tai chi/Pilates/yoga 1x per week, dance 1x per week and strength training 1x per week. Group classes are working well for me and I’ll continue those for the forseeable future. The vinyasa yoga class I’ve been attending is one of the best yoga classes I’ve ever taken and that’s going to get a whole post in the near future too.

Real Food

On the way home from yoga today I offered Porter his choice of snacks and he turned down the apple/blueberry combo I prepared, so I ate it. The difference in eating this simple snack, from before I started eating right, is that I would have eaten it (or let it go to waste, that’s not frugal!) without thinking. Before, I wouldn’t have considered the flavor or nutrition in those cut up bites, mindless eating as it were. As I was munching I became aware of the sweetness and crunch of the apples and the tender tartness of the berries. I really enjoyed the snack and felt nourished by it. Surely, my cleaner diet has improved my senses and made me appreciate such a treat as this.

What You Really Came Here To Find

Overall Losses: 15 pounds and 14.5 inches