As my life has gone on, it seems I have more and more ‘day ones’! Starting a new job, a new house, a new country, a new diet, a new exercise regime.
I have moved countries five times, this doesn’t include the various cities within those countries. If I really apply myself I can probably count the number of houses and jobs I have had, but I surely cannot remember how many times I have started exercising or eating healthily again. I say eating healthily, as I gave up on diet’s years ago, I am no longer sucked in by fad’s and promises of slim shapely bodies in record time with little effort bar the ££$$ I need to spend to get there.
I know a lot about food and healthy eating and exercise, I have been in the food / health business off and on for years. I know exactly what is good for me, what is the ideal amount, am pretty good at guessing the calories and fat content of most foods within reason and have plenty of apps for those foods I am not sure about. I am better than most people I know at identifying ingredients, spices and herbs from all over the world and knowing what to do with them. I also know a lot about exercise, muscle groups, strength training and general fitness. I may not be as up-to-date on the latest bootcamp techniques, but I know the basics very well.
All this knowledge gets put aside often, I have gone sometimes for years, focussed on mind and body then for a myriad of reasons, I just stop. Lazy lie-in’s become more than a once a week treat, sugar, fat, white carbs and alcohol creep back into the diet at an alarming rate, clothes tighten or refuse to fit anymore and self esteem plummets. Somehow I get back to ‘day one’, the cloud lifts and I get on with it once again. Today was one such day. The last few weeks has been interspersed with fried food, high calorie , low nutritional food and of course that “just one more chocolate”! coupled with “I’ll go back to the gym tomorrow” my body is starting to show the telltale signs….
So today Sunday, I started as most days do, healthy breakfast and healthy lunch, it’s the evenings that are the breaking point for me, but today feels different, my mind is clearer and I spent some time in the gym. 5km in 39.58 mins, far from my best effort, but good enough for this day one. Good enough to lift my spirits, give me a small sense of achievement and know that tomorrow will be day two.
This time I plan to run a 1/2 marathon, 4 months from now, I have committed. At least there is one thing I know about myself, when I commit, I will do it. A mountain goat as my star sign, I may not be the fastest, but I am sure footed and have the tenacity to climb that mountain once I start. I am looking forward already, I can imagine the feeling of satisfaction and the fitness of my body. Another day one almost complete.