Year 2: Day 361: Winding down & gearing up

This week will mark the end of year two.

I am pretty sure most people would count this year as a bust.

I know that I certainly have from time to time.

I am also striving to see this past year as a learning opportunity and to recognize that I can not succeed in personal health if I do not have a few failures and set backs.

Failures and set backs are a part of life....I just don't like them.

Today is what I did right...because honestly, I think it is the harder of the two posts.

What I did right:
1 - I took time off to heal. When I got hurt (pinched sciatic nerve, lower back pain and my left foot bothering me) I took a few days off (or more) to recover. Sometimes, I even saw a doctor to ensure nothing worse was going on. I have learned it is important to listen to my body and adjust accordingly.
2 - Focused on what I could control. When I wasn't able to work out, I focused on other areas - like eating healthy or doing more stretches.
3 - Learned to go slow. I am, by nature, a person who takes an extremely long time to decide to do something (like work out), but when I make that decision, I jump in with both feet and go full force. While the enthusiasm is good, the full force is not. Sometimes going slow and ensuring you have the right technique down is better. And in terms of changing food habits, slow is better for me.
4 - Discovered I don't need dessert, but I do need my starch/carbs. One of the areas I focused on this last year was food. I challenged myself to only eat one dessert a month. I gave up donuts, cake, cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, candy bars, etc. I thought it would be hard, but it wasn't. It was a piece of cake....however, when I attempted to do the something with breads, breadsticks, crackers, etc...yeah, I fell down really quickly (but that is a story for a different day).
5 - Stopped beating myself up. I did feel like a failure. I had a lot of people remind me that I was not failing. I have learned that health is a fragile thing. I have also learned that health is an every day lifestyle - not a once in awhile thing to try. I'm really looking forward to next years challenge.

Happy Walking!