New Motivations

Ok, so I have been serious about this walking thing. Did I tell y'all I was a nerd? I'm a nerd. I read about everything. Anything that I'm remotely interested in, I read about. So you can imagine that I've read all kinds of stuff about weight loss. That's another post. It'll be titled KNOW-IT-ALLS WHO DON'T KNOW NOTHIN'. Stay tuned. Anyway, one of the books I'd gotten (Dr. Gavin's Health Guide for African Americans: How to Keep Yourself and Your Children Well) was talking about exercise and the excuses people make for not doing it. One of them was not having time or something like that. It talked about how much time people spend in front of the TV. Then it gave a great idea: instead of spending that time in front of the TV, you could walk and listen to a book on tape. Oh my goodness, what a great idea!!! So while I was at my favorite place yesterday (the library) I look thru the books on CD and decide on one. I'm not sure how I'm gonna feel about this; I've never listened to a book on tape before. Well, in order to listen while I walked, I needed new headphones. So I decided to walk to the dollar store. I figured it'd take me about 30 mins to get there. I never anticipate the hills; they make me take longer, and I'm a pretty fast walker. I talked on the phone on the way there (which is not easy when you are walking, but I was hoping that by hearing me huffing and puffing, my best friend would be motivated to exercise, too). I'd say it took me about 35-40 minutes to get there. It only took 30-32 minutes to get back home; I listened to 1/2 of the first CD. The book is pretty good. What's tripped out is that I can't WAIT to walk today so that I can hear what happens next! This is how I figure it: most books have about 6 discs. I made it thru half of one disc on the walk back home. I should be able to listen to one full CD each time I walk. And if I commit to walking 6 days a week, I can finish one book each week!!!!! THAT'S AWESOME!!! I love to read, it's my most favorite pasttime. I read every day anyway (hence why I'm at the library so much), but this allows me extra "reading" and what could be better than that??? AND you can get NON-FICTION books on CD, too!!!! WOO-WHOOOOO!!!!! So, I can even LEARN while I'm walking!!!!! Expand knowledge and get fit at the same time. WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS EARLIER?!?!?

The other day I was reading thru my weight loss journal and I thought to myself, "what's gonna be different this time?" I know the answer to that. I'M different this time. I'm not the same person I was last year or even last month. My desire to do this and do it for real is greater than it's ever been. I am making lists of changes I want to see (yet another post, stay tuned). I've never visualized the end before. And that's all I keep in my mind, what the end will be like. I imagine how I will respond in my WW meeting when I reach my goals (small and ultimate). I think of how I want to LOOK. I think of the compliments people will give me and the shocked looks on their faces. I think of all the people who are sooo pessimistic about this and even though they don't say it, I know they're thinking I won't last, and how it will feel to tell them I DID IT!!! I think of how I want to FEEL. Cuz that's another thing. This can help me FEEL better. As someone who suffers from depression, this is important to me. I also have some anger/rage issues, and this should help with that, too. I keep all of this in my mind. And as SOON as I begin to think about what I DON'T want to do, I think about how I DO want to look and feel. I am constantly reminding myself that this is a journey; I didn't gain the weight overnight and I won't lose it overnight.

What used to happen was I would get discouraged without seeing results fast enough. This time, I'm looking for different results. One is that I'm looking for me to become more disciplined with my eating habits and with my exercise. Yes, the ultimate goal is to lose weight and tone up, but that's not the only goal. Losing weight without creating and maintaining habits is useless and not even an efficient use of my time. Now, I have to give myself props. I act like I've not been successful at anything. I'm going to end this entry and start another one titled CHEERS!!

Anyway, I wanted to share what my most current motivator is: books.

What's yours?