Discipline

I've never been very good at discipline in my life.  I can stay on top of things typically in one, maybe two areas of my life, but never all of them at the same time.  For this past year, I have been disciplined in my teaching at work and in my school work.  Keeping up with our house has been off and on, being good to my husband has been off and on, and focusing on my health and my relationship with God have been near non-existent.  Sure, they have been bursts of "stick with it" attitude, but they would last a week at most.

I used to think that discipline was always being on top of things, never giving up, working through the hardest times no matter what.  And while I still believe it is all of those things, I also think that true discipline leaves room for error.  Those who are truly disciplined know that they will have their bad days, their lazy days, their "I just can't possibly make it to the gym today" days, but they don't let those kinds of days stop them.  Even when those days come, they will still pick everything back up and keep going on the course that they set out on.  The bad days don't mean everything is ruined, everything is a waste.  It's just a bad day.  It happens to everyone.  But I can't let that get me thinking that I can't do it at all.  I start back up right where I left off and keep eating the right things, keep going to the gym.  Sure, one day of eating bad isn't something to rejoice in, but the fact that I can pick myself up again and continue eating good the next day, is. 

I've really gone into this with the mindset that this is a lifestyle change.  I am changing the way I live my life.  So, I have to be okay when the pounds on the scale aren't going down as fast as I would like them.  As long as they're still going down, I'm headed in the right direction.  I have to be okay when I do give in to some of my bad cravings.  I've been addicted to that food for 28 years now, I can't expect myself to give it up cold turkey.  I have to be okay when the day just doesn't lend any time to work out.  There will always be days like that because that's just how life is.  To make this a lifestyle change, it has to be part of life.  This is not just a quick, lose 10 pounds before swimsuit season diet.  I am changing my life.  

Results for this week were not what I hoped for, but they are still going the right direction.

Weight: 245.4 pounds

Loss: 1.6 pounds

I was looking for more like a 3 pound loss, but I started looking back on my week and I really did a lot more strength training this week than I have in the past and so I'm sure part of that small number is gaining muscle.  And that I'm okay with.  I already feel stronger and have more endurance on the treadmill.  All good things. :) Here's to looking forward to an even better week.