About a year and a half ago, I started on a journey to loose 35 pounds. When I started, like many people, I just had this nagging feeling that I needed to loose some weight and do more for my health. I had no idea how far this would go to changing my life forever. I want to quickly share a few unexpected thing that happened:
1. Everything is more fun. I am way more flexible. Bending down doesn’t bother me anymore. Getting up off the ground is way easier. Walking for an hour in the mall doesn’t hurt my back anymore. Pull-ups are way easier. Squats are easier. When I am snowboarding, it’s so much easier to do jumps, etc. I just have more fun doing anything physical, even workouts.
2. It’s changed my view on aging. I feel younger. I am less scared to try new things. My posture is better. My gait when I walk is better. I look better – and my clothes actually fit me. I noticed that I am more playful during physical activity – watch young people, they trip their friends, they make unnecessary moves when walking, they throw rocks and bang sticks – that’s back. People tell me I look younger. I rather like that part 🙂
3. I have a renewed sense of being able to change things in my life. It’s difficult to admit, but I remember looking down at my stomach as it slowly grew year after year, thinking to myself, I guess this is just part of getting older – I guess I will just never look and feel like I did when I was younger. I was resigned to it. Sure, I had seen “before & after” photos of people loosing weight, but that seemed distant and unreal. About a year into my journey, I had lost 4″ off my waist and 30+ lbs. I realized I needed new shirts, pants, and suits – which startled me. I hadn’t planned for that. Let that sink in. I hadn’t planned for it because, when I started, I didn’t really believe I could loose the weight. That hurt when I realized it. I don’t know what new goals I will set in the coming years, but I have a stoic feeling I can achieve unknown things.
All of these little things add up. Together, they have made me feel a lot happier day to day. So, if you felt like I did and you are sick of it, here’s how I started my journey. For me, it started as an experiment – now I know I will do this for the rest of my life. I never want to gain the weight back – ever.
This is a great write up! Thanks for this!