Welcome to Day 76

Wow, the end of November! The month, and year, have really flown by. I'm happy to report I had one of my better months, exercise minutes-wise, even if not a great month on the scale. 856 minutes this month ... only January was higher with 1046. June and August came close with around 800. The rest...eh. I have made my 200 minute goal just 15 weeks this year. However, several weeks were at 170 or more, so it's a start and possibly one of my more active years in the past few.

A nice chunk of that time was the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. I rocked the 10k, in my barefoot shoes. Sure, I had some aches and pains towards the end and for a few days afterwards, but knowing I could go that far, and even shave about a minute off my time from last year (despite heat and humidity) was a great feather in my cap for November. It gave me hope and encouragement that I can get on the healthy track again.

See for me, that's what this whole adventure is about. Trying to take care of my body so it takes care of me. It's not for vanity (though, I would love to look totally hot in a swimsuit for our second honeymoon next summer-who wouldn't??). It's not a diet. It's living my life to the best of my ability. And realizing that eating the right things and making time for exercise can enhance all parts of my life, not just the physical. Even just the past few days, I've noticed a lift in my mood, slightly better nights' sleep, and increased productivity.

So with just 31 days left, I won't make my "70 days off or less" goal. But I can aim for 80. I'm not sure if I will start off 2011 weighing less than 2010 (I'm technically up about .4 right now). But I can workout in a more effective way that if the scale doesn't move, it's because I will have the baby muscles back in 4 weeks. And I'm going to really dedicate myself to tracking what I eat, especially since the new Weight Watchers allows for nearly unlimited fruits and veggies.

I'm already seeing changes. I was hungry before bed last night and ate an apple. I had a banana for breakfast and another apple this afternoon. That may be more pieces of fruit in 2 days than I've gotten in some weeks! See, I'm not as perfect as I may seem ;) I did even eat a cookie at the holiday party tonight (but stopped myself at one!!).

I think the key to a healthy lifestyle is constantly recommitting yourself to the big picture, then figuring out how to make the details work in the execution. And with that, I will also spend the next 31 days dreaming up big goals for 2011.