Creating a Habit, Or The Last Unconquered Demon

I'm creating a habit. I'm creating a habit. I'm creating a habit. It is said that habits are created through repetition. It is said also that a daily habit is created in 21 days. I'm on day 3. And mile 4. I'm sticking this out. I'm getting up every morning at 6:00 a.m. to work out before getting ready for work, and every evening, after having taken care of the animals, dinner and Lorraine, I'm working out again.

I am bound and determined that I am going to establish daily exercise as another healthy habit, just as I have reclaimed healthy food, limited portions, gallons of water, and an absence of alcohol. I am proud of myself. I have come a long way. I am becoming the person I dreamed of being in those out of control moments.......and I like myself. Exercise is a critical component in this healthy new life of mine. Inactivity is the last unconquered demon. I will be that woman who complains with sincerity that she feels like crap because she didn't have time to work out before work. I will join the vibrant throng of healthy souls throughout my neighborhood, out power walking, jogging, running, and rollerblading on busy paths near passing cars.

I'm on my way. I'm proving to myself daily that I can fulfill my promises to myself....even when it comes to getting off my ass and moving my body. It has gotten easier, now that I am lighter. I don't hurt as much as I did, and I am not so self-conscious. The effort doesn't feel as, well -- heroic. It's a difficult thing to exercise at 284 pounds -- when you're 5' 5 1/2" -- but I did it. Sometimes I even did it a lot. Not every day, but enough to build endurance, and muscle, and cardiovascular health. And I lost a lot of fat.

I'm on my way. I've made it a priority, relegating it to the non-negotiable pile of valued behaviors. I have already proven to myself that I am capable of great resolve and commitment. I will no longer allow myself an "out" when it comes to exercise....even in the morning. Especially in the morning.

I'm on my way. I am now solidly in Phase Two of my weight loss. During Phase One, I completely licked the food thing.....I know what, when, how, why, where, and how often to eat. I know my body's responses to various foods, and my psychological responses as well. I know how to recoup after a slip-up; I know how to avoid a slip-up. I know it's all going to be ok on the food front. Exercise, now -- that has been a struggle. I've done it, don't get me wrong. I've lifted weights, worked out on the CrossBow, done my HIIT biking, walked on the treadmill, and walked around the block. But consistently? As in, like, a routine? Um.....no.

Enter Phase Two. Daily. Daily. Daily. That is my mantra, and I will post my results here daily. Did I say daily?

Daily. 21 days to creat a habit. Day 3. Mile 4. I feel good.