Friday, November 4, 2011

Of scales, beating hearts and wanderlust

Did you notice that I didn't weigh in this week?

Well, I did. Sort of. Three times. I just didn't report it ... until now. Remember back in the spring when I though my at-home scale was broken, because it kept weighing me at 207.4 for weeks on end? Turns out the scale wasn't stuck; I was.

I've been feelin' pretty stellar over the last couple of weeks. After taking a road trip a few weeks back, I've broken out of my routine a bit, and started eating when I was hungry instead of according the the clock. It's kinda cool. And, apparently, it worked - I could totall feel a change in my body this week. So when Monday passed and I wasn't at the gym, I was disappointed that I couldn't weigh. Tuesday came and went, I was at the gym but totally forgot to put my ass on the scale. So when I got home, I got out the scale, got nekkid, and got on. Twice. It said 204; I am not going to own that. But it sure did give me the motivation to hop on when I got to the gym on Thursday.

205.6. That's down about three from the last time I officially weighed, which I think was two weeks ago. I'll take it. I'm actually thrilled with it, considering that I was up at about 213 a month ago. Lots going on with the body, honestly - hormones, aging and stuff - but man does it feel good to take a little off the top.

I'm not going to pretend that I know everything that went into making this happen. I would love to say, "Well, when you stick perfectly to your eating and workout plan, of course you'll take of the weight," blah blah blah. Whatever. What actually happened was, I totally switched up my life. I've run outdoors, I've run hills, I've run alone on a treadmill, I've run with some amazing friends who coached and encouraged along the way. I've connected with people over things that aren't food and I've gotten a little extra sleep. I've felt a lot of love and I've gone with the flow and BAM ... my ass shrinks. It's not a coincidence, but it isn't really by design, either. It's my life aligning a little bit more with my values - health, activity and human connectedness.

So last night as I ran my final two-mile training run before the 15K this weekend (holy crap, I'm going to run 9.3 miles!), I was mindful of the change. I propelled myself forward, thinking about the people in my life who love me, about having a little less weight impact on my poor old knees, and how my heart is healthier now than ever in my adult life. It's not just more full of love and stuff; it's doing it's job more effectively, too. I can feel the difference. Oh, don't get me wrong - I still gasp for air and my lungs still burn, even at the mad pace of 4.2 miles per hour. But feeling any improvement is incredible. The human body's ability to change just fascinates me.

Once the Hot Chocolate 15K is over, I officially begin the Season of Travel. Over the next couple of months, I will be training for the Disney Princess Half Marathon, and running in Tucson, Orlando and San Antonio, and I'm really excited about that! I haven't travelled a whole lot over the past few years, in part because my finances suck, but in part also because fitting my ass into an airplane seat has been a challenge. I am so ready to head out of town and experience travel as someone a little more normal-sized.

It's difficult not to be a little emotional about that. There is so much that will occur between now and the end of the year - to say nothing of my first half marathon in February - that was simply foreign to me even just a year ago. Although I've said it before, I think it bears repeating: If you want something different, change one thing. The difference between Life Then and Life Now is nothing more than a series of small changes, built upon each other over time.

And I'm not done yet.

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