New Perspective

So much has changed in the last month. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on every aspect on people’s lives. Everything has been uprooted domestically, professionally and financially. Instead of a life filled with routine, it is filled with with uncertainty. But if you look, there are positive things that have happened.

If I look past the anxiety and uncertainty, I have been gifted a unique opportunity. I have been given the gift of time. My biggest complaint before that not having enough time. My world was consumed with work, kids schedules and mundane tasks. I felt exhausted and frazzled all the time. What COVID-19 has caused many of us to do is slow down. I have more time for me. I am not talking about time to clean our closets, paint rooms and work on projects. I am talking about time to do things for myself. I now have the time to work out and go for walks and not feel guilty. I have the time to read books and try new recipes. I have the time to find myself again. I have spent so much time being a wife, mother and a professional that I get wrapped up in that.

I have also had time to reevaluate finances and where I can make changes to better use our money. I have had the time to truly look at every line on the budget and figure out what is most important and what we can live without.

All of this time has made it easier to make a plan to lose weight. I get to plan out my week for meals and schedule exercise. I get to cook and go for long walks. I love that I have this time. But there is a flip side. That is, all of this time leads to boredom. Boredom leads to too much snacking. Snacking leads to way too many calories being consumed. Too many calories makes the scale move in the wrong direction.

The scale has not been kind the past few weeks. I have had to put her in the corner for not being nice to me. I know that it is just a number. I know that I am working out more than I used to have time for. I know that I am gaining muscle and it weighs more than fat. I know all that. But I need to see some improvement in that number as well.

Now that I have the exercise part of the equation in a routin,. I really need to commit to food journaling better and getting my calorie consumption better under control. I want to commit to logging my food as I eat it. That is my goal for the week. I need to get better at that. Sometime I have already gone over the calories before I even realize it. This will help me make more conscious choices. I am working hard at building the muscle. I need to get rid of the fat so I can see my progress.

Also, I have booked my trip. So the end is in sight. I need reach my goals by January. I know that I can do this. I have come so far already. Not giving up by now is huge. I am going to make this happen.