You are not the boss of me!

Two days ago I stepped on the scale and I was a half pound heavier than when I weighed myself the day before.  I know that a half a pound is nothing - it's like a big glass of water, but still that number just knocked me down.  It was the first time since I started my fitness program in September that the number wasn't the same or lower than the last time I checked.  And to add some context to how absolutely ridiculous this moment of disappointment was, I had just looked in the mirror and thought that my face looked thinner and that my upper arms looked a bit less "meaty".  Then, 45 seconds later I was deflated and filled with self doubt that the process was failing me!  Why does that stupid piece of plastic and metal have this much power over me?

The one other time in my life when I lost a significant amount of weight was when I was 21 years old.   (I think I will give its own post later)  At that time, I was an absolute slave to the scale, to the point of weighing myself up to 5 times every day!   My mind was so focused on that number and making it go down that I really lost sight of my health and fitness.  Before that I absolutely hated the scale and avoided it like the plague.  I went through phases when I blatantly lied to myself and others about what I weighed.  I don't know how or why this number became so important to me but it was.  As I moved through my 20's and 30's and gained and lost 50 pounds a couple of times (babies #1 and #2) the number itself became less important.  I weighed myself occasionally and I wasn't ever really pleased with that number but it didn't take up a lot of space in my brain.  So now how have I gotten back to the place where those three digits have the power to make or break my day?

Since that sad little bathroom encounter, I have had a chance to reflect and think about why it hit me so hard.  It's about control.  But that number on the scale has so many factors that aren't all 100% within my control.  What I can control is getting up everyday motivated to make good choices.  I can continue to press play on my workouts everyday.  I can take the time to prepare and pack good food to fuel my days.

I want so desperately for this to be the time that it all clicks and I make this grand turn-around in my life.  And I honestly feel like that is where I am headed.  Every day I feel like I have more energy.   I am fueling my body with the right foods and plenty of water.  My clothes are fitting better and I am all around just happier.  And when I put all of those things up compared to what the Earth's gravitational pull on me is in any given moment, it is easy to see which things matter more.  I am going to put the scale away for a few weeks.  I have my starting weight for this round of 21 day Fix and I will wait to weigh again until day 21.  I will let you know how it goes.

Oh, and by the way I did look it up to verify - weight is actually a measure of the Earth's gravitational pull on a body's mass.  And then I thought, "Maybe that extra half pound was just the Earth holding onto me a little bit tighter - like a gravity hug!"  That could be a thing, right?

Welcome to Real Life Wellness

Welcome to my Blog!  This is scary and a lot more "out there" than I have ever been. Bear with me...

I have started this Blog because I want to document my recent jump back in to health and fitness.  I personally love reading and being inspired by other people's stories and I thought that this could be a good way not only to keep myself accountable but to connect with other people looking to make positive changes in their lives.  I decided on the name Real Life Wellness because while I used to be able to spend two hours at the gym everyday, those days are long gone!  I am a full time teacher and a busy swim/football/volleyball/lacrosse mom.  "There's never enough time!!!!" is like, my battle cry.  I need simple, healthy solutions that work - in real life.

So where am I starting from?  I just had my third baby in May 2015.  I was already about 30 pounds overweight when I got pregnant so I knew I was fighting an uphill battle.  I gained about 30 pounds while pregnant (which was a pretty big win since I gained more than 50 both other times I was pregnant!)  My big wakeup call was when baby C turned 3 months old and the scale said I weighed exactly what I did the day I gave birth!!  Um...once the baby is out I should be at least a little lighter right?  I had to face the uncomfortable truth that I was not eating well and that my half-hearted walks around the block and 10 minutes of sit-ups here and there were not going to get me where I wanted to be and worse, these choices were causing me to gain weight.   I had to face the fact that losing pregnancy weight at 34 is a lot harder than at 22!  And I realized that I was going to need some help.

This was a big decision for me.  I have always thought of myself as a pretty healthy person.  Even when I am carrying a few extra pounds I have always been active and felt like I knew what to do to eat healthy and work out.  This time I just felt lost.  Being much heavier than I have ever been I felt like I didn't know where to start.  So I turned to social media!  I follow lots of health and fitness accounts on Instagram including several Beachbody coaches.  I picked the one that I felt like I related to the most and I bit the bullet - getting into a 21 day challenge group and starting to drink Shakeology everyday.  I absolutely LOVED the support I got from my coach and fellow challengers. I needed the daily checkins and accountability to keep me engaged.  I stuck like glue to the eating plan (and about 90% to the workout plan) and in just 3 weeks I lost 11 pounds and 9 inches all over!  I was (and am) hooked.  

So that's me today.  Hopefully me tomorrow will be a little bit stronger, a little bit smarter and a little bit lighter!  I hope you will join me on my quest to make wellness a part of my real life everyday.