continued progress

I was looking at some of my blog posts from earlier this year, particularly dealing with weight loss.  That was one of my big goals for 2010, and I used this blog as a motivating and accountable resource.  I began the year by posting weekly updates.  Eventually, as my workouts became more and more routine and any blog posts about them became less and less common.  Reviewing, I haven't written a post addressing my weight loss progress since April.

Due to recent events in our lives, it has been more difficult to remain focused on this.  In part, its been tough to keep the motivation going.  The last two weeks I have only did my routine 3 days, as opposed to 5 or 6.  In addition, my eating habits regressed.  I understand that hiccups will happen along the road; but with a great workout this past Saturday, and a good motivating feel for the week ahead, I think the weakness, so to speak, of the last couple weeks is past.

Some things have changed about my routine.  I used to just walk for 45 minutes, with a minute of light jogging every 5-7 minutes or so.  Now, its walking with jogging mixed in every 2-3 minutes.  In addition, I no longer worry about 45 minutes, I just go til I reach 2 miles, which is usually just above 30 minutes at this point.  I then use the rest of my time to do a combination of weight resistance exercises.  I think its a fairly balanced workout most days.

Anyway, when I started the process, I thought it would be great if I could lose 60 pounds this year, 5 pounds per month.  It was a very ambitious goal, but I wanted to be constantly pushing myself towards something.  While I may not make that goal (depending on how the last few weeks of the year goes, what with the holidays and all), I have lost 50 pounds this year.  Soon, I will once again have to buy new clothes because the ones I have don't fit well - but now its because they are too big as opposed to being too small.

It's been a positive experience for me this year, to know that the hard work will yield results.  I focused this year on remembering that it was a commitment of multiple years to get where I want to be, and I remain fixed on my ultimate goal.  But so far, this year really couldn't have been too much better on this front.  Here's hoping for a strong finish for this year, a good start to next year, and continued progress towards my ultimate goals.