Keep your chin up

I learned a very valuable lesson this month. How do you keep positive despite obstacles trying to knock you down? How do you just keep moving? As many of you know, I absolutely love the Mercy Me song "Move." It has been a great motivator for me since it came out and is keeps me moving in all walks of life.
But motivation hasn't come easy when I got my first cold of the season. What's a little cold you ask? It's a 2 weeks of can't do anything is what it is! This cold has been going around, and it most certainly takes away your get up and go! I don't know that I've had a simple cold hang on so terribly long. Started with the sinuses draining and eventually moved into the chest. I still have the nagging cough, but I was able to walk the boys from the parking lot today to the school building without getting out of breath. I call that serious progress. :-)
So, when I realized it's the last day of the month, so I  have to take my measurements, I cringed at the idea of stepping on the scale that I was trying to avoid all month. And almost came to tears at the idea of putting a measuring tape anywhere near me. My Beachbody coach, Mary, has been awesomely telling me to remember this isn't a 90 day change, it's a lifestyle change. And she encourages me that despite two weeks of not being able to workout, I can still keep plugging away.
How easy would it be to quit right now? How easy would it be to step back into my old routines and forget that I have an ultimate goal that I am working towards that could take a year or more to reach? VERY. Which is why I decided to step on that scale and why I decided, through my tears, to measure anyway. I didn't lose any weight this month. I anticipated that as eating out became a better option the past few weeks when we weren't feeling well and none of us had the energy to lift a finger, let alone a pan. But I decided I had to measure anyhow. It's my commitment to Beachbody to measure and check in. So I took that measuring tape and put it in the places to measure. First my right arm, then my left. Around my chest, my waist and  hips. Then the thighs. I wrote down each and every number not having a clue if they were an improvement or backslide. I had a hard time writing the numbers down because I was seriously crying. I'm an emotional soul anyhow, but the fact that I hadn't lost any weight really weighed heavily on me (excuse the pun).
I brought my numbers into the office space and sat down to my computer feeling as if I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. After bringing up my numbers in Beachbody, I just stared at the computer. And stared for quite sometime. Owen even asked me if I was okay. I couldn't believe my eyes.
It said I lost an inch around my waist and TWO on my hips!! Seriously, I went back into the bedroom and measured again. I just didn't believe it. I know what I ate; I know what bad habits I had started back up on. I knew I had taken the easy way out! So, the results for day 60 is that I have now lost a total of 2 1/2 inches from my waist, 3 1/2 inches from my hips. I've lost approximately 3% body fat and my arms have been reduced by 2 inches. I lost 3 inches from my chest. The shock of it all for me is the fact that despite not losing any weight, I still lost everywhere else (besides those stupid thighs which I think I might be measuring wrong).
So this morning on my way back from taking the boys to school, I had a heart to heart with the Lord. I promised him that I wasn't going to beat myself up about September. This isn't a 90 day commitment, as beautiful Mary Smith would say. This is my life and the life of my family. This is a lifestyle change, and there is no cheesecake out there good enough to make up for the incredible feeling I get after a great workout!
My lesson today, my friends, is that if you feel like taking the easy way instead of the right way, talk yourself out of it. The rewards on the other side are so much brighter and so much better. If you see me out and eating something I shouldn't, please ask me about it. It might be a special treat, but it might be me slipping. If you see me out, ask me about my workout for the day. October 1st starts a new day, so Kenpo will be calling my name despite the busy day ahead of us. And if all works out the way it is supposed to, I might be able to squeeze in a yoga just to get these muscles moving again today!
Keep your chin up friends as I can see a brighter and better view on the horizon and it is really beautiful!
Want to share my motivation with you... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EuV5goIkb0&feature=related