Commitment

So. Confession. In the last month, I have fallen horribly and almost completely off the healthy living bandwagon. In the 8 or so years since I got healthy, this has happened a few times, but I have to admit that it’s never felt as ‘severe’ as this time around.

It started a few weeks ago. I was coming off my Half Marathon success and felt great. But I quickly became super stressed out with deadlines and work commitments. Plus… taxes were looming. Taxes are a very big deal when you own multiple small businesses – we were suddenly playing catch-up with bookkeeping and inventory, trying to reconcile monthly statements and income reports. Also, I seriously hate numbers. So I was knee-deep in all sorts of work stuff, trying to juggle being a mom and running the household… exercise quickly fell by the wayside. I will say that, in general, staying healthy as a mom feels much more challenging than it did pre-child… there’s just so much more to think about and not as much schedule flexibility. Anyway, my exercise faltered, and then – as I’m sure so many of you can relate – healthy eating quickly followed. Lots of coffee to get awake and stay awake. Lots of sugary cookies to jolt my energy up. Excuses, excuses. But I was really stressed out.

And there wasn’t ONE BIG DECISION to fall off the wagon. It was one day of, “Oh, we’re so busy – I’ll take some time off” that turned into another day that turned into another day. I was still making it to the gym, but I was mostly mindlessly spinning around on the indoor bike or the stairclimber while I read a book or texted friends. Sure, there were a few good workouts and a few veggie-rich meals (and those definitely made it onto the blog, so maybe my fall didn’t look as severe to readers!). But if healthy living is a balancing act, my scale was tipped WAY OVER to the “this is not how I want to live my life” side.

And then – I caught myself thinking things like, “Tomorrow, I’ll work out for real” or “Tomorrow, I’ll eat better.” Always tomorrow. Never today. I’ve always told myself that each morning, each meal is an opportunity to honor your body, but I kept putting it off.

So after a few weeks of stress, serious couch time, and way, way too many French fries, I’m finally ready to say – no more tomorrows! I desperately need more balance in my life. More healthy!

Yesterday, I drank 80 ounces of water and ate a great mix of protein and plants. I went to bed EARLY (9:30 – take that!) and woke up feeling great. I had promised myself that I’d run a 5K, but when I peeked out my window, I was so disappointed to see that it was POURING. A river was running down the road! I almost thought, “Nah, tomorrow,” but I stopped the idea before it could even form. TODAY. TODAY. TODAY.

I pulled on a hat and did a 5K on my favorite route in the chilly downpour. I only stopped to walk once up a big hill and during the last few minutes – I was so winded! It’s amazing how fast cardiovascular fitness disappears, isn’t it? But I’ve always liked starting at or near the bottom after a break… It’s a great reminder of how far you can go, as long as you can commit yourself.

Commitment. If “tomorrow” has been my mantra of late, “commitment” is my new one! I really want to get back into running regularly (I’ve got a big race scheduled in June!), and I need to start preparing for late summer triathlon season. The time is NOW – not tomorrow. I’m ready to get back on track today.

So – I’m putting this out there to the universe. This way, I’ll feel accountable to someone besides myself! And maybe – just maybe – there’s someone out there who’s been saying “tomorrow,” too. Maybe you’ve been saying it for a few weeks or a year or even a decade! But there’s a point where you have to decide that tomorrow is today. I’m ready to re-commit. Are you?