A Pep Talk to Me

Last night on my walk, I ended up giving myself somewhat of a pep-talk and an encouragement. The gist was this: whatever I accomplish is always worth celebration, and every step forward is progress.

I've had the generic goal of being in the best shape of my life so far by the time I'm 30, so a year and a half from now. And as I was walking I was trying to break down my weight loss into small manageable chunks of time, rather than looking at this huge mountain of 18 months. This is close to what I came up with:

Now: 207 from 215 (all time highest)

•Wedding in mid-September- below 200

•Kenny's 30th birthday end of October- low 190s

•My 29th birthday mid-December- low 180s

•Valentines day- low 170s

•3rd Anniversary early March- under 170

•C's 2nd birthday end of April- low 160s

•July 4th weekend- under 150

•Labor Day weekend- mid 130s

•Kenny's 31st birthday- under 130

•My 30th birthday- low to mid 120s

Now that's if everything goes exactly how I want it to, with no major set backs or fails or injury, etc etc. I know how life works, I know that in all reality I won't see 125 at my 30th birthday. I also know that any movement toward that goal is positive and something to be proud of. 130, 140, 150- those are all a hell of a lot closer to a healthier lifestyle than 215 and junk food non-stop. Regardless of my weight on the scale on my 30th birthday, if I continue on this path, I will have been making mindful health choices for myself and moving my body more for 18 months by the time the day comes and that is something to celebrate. 

130 by 30 was the mantra that popped into my head last night and while it's a nice mile marker to set my sights on, I'm not going to let myself be mad or disappointed if I don't hit that specific goal. This journey is about learning to love myself again, loving who I am at every stage, in every season. Making forward strides is amazing, and no number on the scale will ever truly depict the strength and determination it took me to get to the finish line.

In addition to that, just because I hit 30 does not mean that I've come to the end of the road. That's just the beginning. I want to start my 30th year in the best shape I've ever been in, but that doesn't mean there won't still be room to grow, and room for new and improved goals. I want to be in great shape in my 30s so I can climb mountains and hike long trails and play with my friend's kids and renovate a house and have a big garden and dance all night at my wedding. My 30th is just the beginning of the next phase of my life, and that's what I'm striving toward now.