gain some, loose some

Today I got up and went to the gym before Darryl left for work. It felt good to go and do something for myself and that is good for me :) I've been enjoying the gym so much! About a year ago, I got on this program called MyFitness Pal, it is a calorie counter. It helps you see what you are eating. It also helps you set goals and tracks your progress. It has been a really great resource for me and when I first started using it I saw results really fast. I found out that I was eating close to 3000 calories a day. And I definitely wasn't burning that many! So I cut my calorie count in half, because the truth is that was all my body needed to stay healthy & loose weight. It was amazing to see the amount of weight I lost in such a short (2 month) time period. But, somewhere around Christmas I realized  I was almost obsessed with it. So I decided to take a break from the counting of the calories and try out my self control. Honestly, I was surprised with how well I did making good choices on food & proportions. But a couple more months went by and I became more relaxed about it all and gained 10 of the 21 lbs I had lost. I felt like such a looser. I was still trying to make good eating choices but I wasn't exercising very much. I felt like crap really. Not that how I look should determine how I feel about myself, but it was more about the self control, or lack there of, that I was using. In June the Y was running a 3 month membership special & I decided it was time again! Time to get back at it! I wanted to be healthy, feel good & be fit. I've been loving it! Running on the treadmill isn't always my favorite, but I've been enjoying the challenge of running a little more each time, even if it's just 15 sec. longer then the time before. It feels good to challenge myself a little bit. And if I don't feel like doing that...there's ZUMBA! And I love doing ZUMBA! Plus I've meet with a trainer there and got set up on a weight lifting schedule. It feels good to know I'm getting stronger. I'm counting calories again but at a much more relaxed pace then the first time around. It's okay if I don't know the exact weight of that piece of chicken... :) I'm not as worried about the amount of weight I loose either, more focused on how I feel physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually. It really affects all those areas too. Physically, obviously because I'm doing physical work. Mentally & emotionally exercising helps you think clearer and make better decisions therefore cuts down on some of the emotional stress of life. And spiritually I will often listen to worship music or the bible on ipod while I'm running. A huge plus to all of this is that I'm able to take the kids too and they play in the child watch center. Its really great for those days (most days) when I'm not as ready to get moving at 6am! One of my favorite parts though of the whole experience is when I'm all done working out & before I get the kids, I pour myself a cup of complimentary coffee & browse the paper or catch a few minutes of the Today show! Just a glimpse into my day and my journey!