Sunday, March 31, 2013

finally.

A beautiful thing happened in Ohio this weekend: the sun came out. And not only did the sun make her grand spring appearance, she brought a little warmth too. This weekend gave hope to residents everywhere in the midwest that not all hope is lost - spring really is coming, and we won't be stuck in the black hole that is March much longer. It's a good thing too, because I'm pretty sure that as a general population, we were all one more snow flurry forecast away from flipping our shit. Better late than never, sun.

These past few months have been a struggle for me on all fronts. I've been less than motivated about wedding planning, eating healthy and exercising and the weather has only perpetuated my eternal seasonal affective disorder. To say that this beautiful weekend was a sign of God would probably be appropriate. I know that mentally, I'm able to overcome bad weather, a scale that won't budge and the horrible procrastination habit I picked up in high school, but this beautiful weather just completely changes my perspective on everything. The sun makes the glass half full mentality so much easier.

And that's how I feel as I end out this weekend - glass half full. After I wasn't able to make my 10k race Saturday morning, I still managed to get in a 4 mile run in the sun, and spent the afternoon finalizing invitation designs and helping plan my best friend's shower. And, to top off my afternoon of wedding nonsense, I reluctantly tried on the too-small wedding dress I bought to check my weight loss progress. The last time I tried it on was the beginning of February and the back still wouldn't zip up, not to mention the fact that it hugged parts of my stomach I would prefer to hack off with a sharp knife. As of Saturday...

My dress fits. 

It zips. It hugs the right places. It fits. In all of its wedding dress glory, it fits. And yes, this is probably monumental because it's my wedding dress and I'm marrying my best friend in it, but it's also monumental because in about 8 weeks, I have lost inches. I have shed more of a body that was there before, caging me in. I haven't lost much weight in 8 weeks, but it's proof that my strength training is paying off. In a world where cardio rules all, committing to strength training has been a major struggle for me mentally. Saturday confirmed that whatever I'm doing is working. Working. Paying off. Success. Victory. Aha!!

Of course, there's still more work to be done. But as Rob says, I'm in the "bonus round," meaning anything I lose from here on out is just icing on the cake. Ironic metaphor for a former fat kid, right? Ah, sweet delicious glory. 

I celebrated a fabulous Easter with my family today, and my parents affectionately provided us with an adult version of an Easter egg hunt and enough carbohydrates to fuel six marathons. And don't you worry, I enjoyed every last bite. A walk with our dogs in the afternoon sun let me walk off some of the delicious honey baked ham and soak up a few more rays of sun before the work week starts.

As this upcoming week begins, I fully intend on tackling a new 30 Day Shred challenge on top of my already busy workout schedule. I have meals planned out, alarms set and a heart set on fire. I have a new upper body circuit set to guide me through some new strength training plans and I cannot wait to move forward with all that this life can give me. Damn, look at what beautiful weather does to your state of mind. Thankful for sun, family, friends, Rob, my dogs and a year of determination and commitment to not giving up on my health and wellness.

Happy Easter, friends!

1 comment:

  1. YAY!!!! I am so excited for you! This is AMAZING. You continue to inspire me everyday. Congrats Lauren!

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