The Best Things: Realizations

This morning I did the Jingle Bell Run 4 mile race and made and set a goal for myself that I actually beat. It was my first 4 mile race and so I didn't really know how fast I could do it. I used my last race time to set my goal of 50 minutes. However, I was able to beat that, by a little bit, finishing in 49:38! I'm really excited about this time and what I was able to accomplish, but I can't use race day as one of my "Best Things" because I've already written that one. So now I had to think. What should I write about today? And my brain couldn't help but focus on what my friend Nicci said to me this morning before the race. She told me how proud she was of me and what I had accomplished in less than a year. She asked me if last December I would have believed that I would be doing a race, let alone another race. That got me thinking.

I realized that I really have accomplished a lot. I made the decision to live a healthier life on April 26th. That's a little over seven months ago. Let's go on a journey in the not so way back machine to look at my life before April 26th.

Vince and I ate fast food two to three times every week. This only exercise I ever got was walking up and down the steps at work. I wore my capri pants all year round because they fit me more comfortably than any of my other pants. I bought new tunic style shirts because I didn't have to get larger sizes to have that style fit and it covered a lot of me, which was always a good thing. I drank Pepsi almost every day and sometimes more than one can or bottle. I wished that I could lose weight, but it didn't go any further than that. I paid for a YMCA membership that was gathering dust and hadn't been utilized in months. I used to reset my Wii Fit character so I wouldn't have to see the weight go up. I dreaded the idea of weighing 300 pounds but didn't do anything about stopping my weight from getting there. I used to chuckle at people who would get up early to run or workout because that wasn't something I was ever going to do. Eating donuts or bagel for breakfast on the weekends was a regular occurence and it wasn't usually just one. Wow...thinking about it now, I realize that it really wasn't a pretty picture.

Now back to today. I work out no less than three times a week. We eat fast food very rarely...though we do occasionally still do Chick-Fil-A, but only once in a while. I have been a part of six races: five 5Ks and one four mile. My Y membership has gotten quite a workout, though lately I've been working out at home as much as at the Y. I had to buy new jeans because my others were falling off of me. I have had one Pepsi in the past seven months and actually walked by a table of free Pepsi this morning and didn't even think about having one. I eat much healthier and cook a lot more. I look gleefully towards weighing less than 200 pounds and am doing something about getting there. My days of using the Wii Fit has gone up to 200 some days because I don't reset it anymore. I've had two bagels in the past seven months and now wish longingly that they were better for me, because Panera Asiago cheese bagels are AMAZING!! And last, but definitely not least, I've lost 75.4 pounds!!

My life is so different from what it used to be. And all of this has happened in seven months! I forget that sometimes. I forget that I've changed my life so much and have done it in only seven months. That's a realization that I need to keep in mind. Sometimes I get frustrated that I'm not where I want to be with my weight or my fitness. I hate to admit it but sometimes I'm jealous when I see the times of people in my age group who are finishing in the top three. I need to remember that I have only been working out for seven months. I've only been doing races since August and have cut almost nine minutes off of my 5K time. In fact, today it took me only one minute long to complete four miles than it did to do a 5K in my first race. :)

So there are my realizations. I know they aren't technically in the same spirit as my other "Best Things," but I think they are pretty awesome and wanted to share them! I'm in a good place right now and am excited about where I'm going. So I'll just keep on moving on my journey and will keep these realizations in mind.