So I have finally become motivated enough to change my habits. Before I met my husband and graduated from pharmacy school I would go to the gym 4-5 times a week for at least an hour each time. Then real life started. I graduated from pharmacy school and moved to the next city over, forcing me to leave my gym I went to for years. I started my full time pharmacist job, which includes 12 hour work days, leaving little time for almost daily workouts. I couldn't find a gym that I really liked and was convenient in my new home. I met my husband right before I moved. All of these things combined wreaked havoc on my routine and I couldn't recover, so I just quit. Since then I have gained 50 (!?!?!) pounds. I am disgusted that I let myself get to this point, so I am doing something about it.
I joined a gym that I actually like (shout out to Next Level fitness in Batavia). I have been religiously going on my days off from work and working out for 30-60 minutes each and every chance I get. If I don't feel like going I remind myself why I am doing this and how good I feel when I do it.
I bought a fitbit force and started using myfitnesspal again. The fitbit has been essential to me in starting this journey. It has made me more aware just how inactive I was (barely walking 2,000 steps a day on my days off!). I started low with a goal of 5,000 steps per day. I easily can reach this goal by going to the gym. Days that I work are harder. Even though I am on my feet all day I am not walking around and being active. I generally stand in one place and move my hands a lot opening and closing prescription bottles to verify things are right....not a lot of moving the rest of my body. I try to walk around the pharmacy more. If things are slow I will walk around the store to get some movement in. Myfitnesspal app syncs with my fitbit app to work together to give me the whole picture of what I am putting into my body and what I am burning off. Myfitnesspal is my favorite food diary. The database is so extensive I can always find the foods I am eating. I made a recipe out of a cookbook the other day and the nutritional information for that exact recipe from that exact book was in the database. Score!
So to really get me motivated again I needed some retail therapy. Specifically, I needed some cute gym clothes therapy! I went to the new Athleta store at a nearby mall and went a little crazy. Almost $400 later I walked out with a pair of kickbooty pants, 2 namaste bras, a freedom bra, and 4 chi tanks. I love all of it and it's all so comfy to exercise in. The pants stretch and stay in place while I do my cardio workouts. The tanks are just baggy enough to camouflage my stomach but not too baggy to the point of looking sloppy. Today I felt like I could use some more gear. Next stop was at the lululemon store in the Clover View Plaza. It was my first time in a lululemon store and I am in love. I picked up some Groove pants, a Calm & Cozy jacket, and some Skinniest Satin Pirouette headbands. I love all of it and am already making my wishlist online of what I want to pick up next (*ahem*run swiftly tech long sleeve shirt).
So I started this journey on December 31st. I weighed 225 pounds to start. Two weeks later I am down to 218 pounds. My goal is to lose the 50 pounds that I gained over the past 5 and a half years. I hope you will follow my journey and maybe even join me!
