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Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Wearing Shorts and other Mini Motivators

Celebrate the small victories because the big ones are few and far between. I'm on a VERY LONG journey to a healthy weight, if I didn't take time to recognize my small steps of progress I would quit.  Who's making 2017 a journey to fitness year and what are your victories?  These are mine:

Mini-Motivator #1: White Shorts
I’m sitting here comfortably wearing a pair of white shorts that last summer were impossible to zip up and the summer before (when I bought them) were “stuffed sausage” tight. The scale didn’t bring me a broken plateau yet but I know the inches are decreasing.  Everyone said to measure my inches when I began, I didn’t – did NOT want to know how high that tape measure would go.  Kind of wish I did, but I can tell by the way my clothing feels.

Mini-Motivator #2: Five Minute Pause
Today, once again, I found myself gladly making that turn into the gym parking lot, but then just sitting in my vehicle.  I pulled my phone out and took my first look of the day at email and Facebook.  Once I saw a post from the #GoRedGetFit group I clicked on the group and read lots of motivation.  Then I proceeded into the gym wondering if it was wrong that I took a few minutes in the car.  I’ve actually noticed other people in the gym parking lot that seem to do the same.  I concluded that as long as my pause doesn’t last more than 5 minutes, reading motivation helps me continue and it would be an OK habit to continue.


Mini-Motivator #3: Rediscovered Abs
For those reading who haven’t tipped the scales as much as I have, let me inform you that there comes a time when you can no longer “hold in” your stomach.  You make the crunch motion but nothing really changes externally or internally.  And the middle & upper abs?  I’m not sure how long its been since I felt those babies.  In the past few months I noticed while running that I could effectively contract my stomach (lower abs)! That was enlightening for me.  This week I’ve located my middle & upper abs!  I can feel all 3 sections contract as I work them.  It’s thrilling!  Feeling that really motivates me to continue ab work, which luckily I can do every day at the gym!


Today I completed my arms/hips workout + 20 mins on the Elliptical. Between sets I did various ab work on the exercise ball or floor.  Thanks to the other lady in the room doing her routine, she gave me lots of ideas. 
Later I took Otis on a 2 mile walk.  

P.S. yesterday I DID take the walk (it was drizzly but I took these nice photos)  and ended the day with over 18,000 steps!

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