saying it out loud

I like to think that I'm pretty honest on this blog. That while I may be guilty of moving the camera ever-so-slightly to hide the toy-strewn floor or blurring just enough so you don't see gargantuan laundry piles, I'm pretty open. At least I hope that's how this place feels. 

With that in mind, I decided over the weekend that it's time to keep that trend going and share a goal that I'm forcing myself to say out loud.

In just a few short weeks, 48 days, to be exact (right, Mags?) I will be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding. Now I thought that after giving birth to a certain number of children or reaching a certain age, one became exempt from bridesmaid duties, but alas, here I am, happily and proudly standing up in my dear cousin's wedding.

My cousin will be having a beautiful, straight-from-the-pages-of-a-magazine-without-even-trying wedding on my grandparents' farm. (Basically, she's having the wedding I've always dreamed of, but that's another story....) And I am excited to be a part of it.

Of course the first thing one thinks of when asked to be in a wedding is "What will I wear?" and then the second thing they (most likely) think of is how many pounds they plan to shed before the big day. 

And for awhile there, I was really on a roll. Around the holidays I signed up for a "body conversion" class that got me moving in the right direction. The momentum kept up, I loved escaping to the gym to exercise and for the first time in my adult life I was actually enjoying it. 

But, the past month, life has granted me plenty of excuses not to "get in there". Dan working late. Tired kids. Tired me. Work left to be done at the end of the day. 4-H meetings. blah. blah. blah. Really. Those things are always there, it's just a question of whether or not I allow them to get in the way of what I need to do. 

So, I've obviously let go of the fact that I will not be 20 or 30 pounds slimmer come bridesmaid day. But I do know, for the sake of my self-esteem and confidence and general well-being and outlook on everything, I need to get back in there. I need to be moving in the right direction again. 

And so, I'm saying it out loud. Ugh. Here goes:

Between now and the wedding (and beyond) my goal is to GO to the gym to work out a minimum of three times per week.

It's the getting there that's getting me. But now, I've said my goal out loud. Which means that other people know what I'm striving for. And that's good. I need that.

There is so much I could write here about this topic, but for now, I think I'll keep it to the nuts and bolts of my goal. 

Wanna join me? You don't have to sign on to three nights of workouts each week, but maybe there's some other thing that's nagging you, that needs to be done or picked back up again or dealt with. Maybe saying it out loud will help you make it happen.

As always, thanks for listening friends....(I hope I don't delete this in the morning...... :)

Comments

[allison]

This is good. We all have these things, though I sometimes think I must surely be the worlds biggest slacker. But how right you are. Saying it out loud, or even just writing it down can be so motivating.

Yeah, I've got my nagging thing(s). Maybe someday soon I'll be ready to say it out loud too. Thank you for this post (even if you delete it in the morning).

Best wishes to you - may it be a positive journey in the right direction!

[Heather]

Don't delete it! I'm with you! I need to move myself in the right direction as well. In fact, I need to move in the same direction as you are moving...the getting healthy direction. :) Go! Fight! Win!

[Patricia]

I love your honesty, Molly. I'm in exactly the same spot... never fully recovered form pregnancy 1 or 2 and now after 3 babies, am just like you, 20 or 30 pounds more than i want to be. Funny, my deadline is similar too... 2nd week of July we're going to the beach for 2 weeks, and I'd love to look better than I do. So, bring on the healthier food and exercise. I'm about to order myself a jogging stroller and try to get myself to run 3 times a week. Or I guess I promise. So hard to say that! Good luck and I look forward to reading about your progress!

[Georgia]

Go you! Two years ago I gave up sugar and started going to the gym. The giving up sugar worked best for me and I dropped nearly 20 pounds in a few short months. The gym thing was good, but I wasn't heavily into it. Then things slowed down, and I broke my pinky toe and I was TERRIFIED of putting on weight again. I had slipped back into sugar, but never as bad as I used to be, but started going to the gym every night. I started RUNNING for the first time in my life and I felt great. I kept that up for nearly a year, and although I wasn't loosing much on the scales, I knew I was slimming and toning and it was really good. Then I turned 40 back in Feb, developed a lump on my thyroid and slowly but surely I've been loosing energy. Now I'm lucky if I can get to the gym once a week and run a mile. And I miss it so much. So my goal is to get better (even if that means surgery) and get back into being fit and feeling great. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with it all.

[amy]

for me, saying it out loud is always the first step. good luck with your goals molly. don't forget that you are beautiful just the way you are.

[Erin in PA]

You can do it! Saying it out loud is definitely the first step, and for me - I need to keep saying it to myself - I WILL run for 30 minutes; I CAN run for 30 minutes. I started the Couch to 5K program at the end of February, and I have actually run a 5K, but my next goal is to run another (that actually has some hills in the course). I find that once I start the workout it's good, but like you said it's the GOING or GETTING STARTED that can be the hardest part!

[carol]

you can do it! i've been in a rut with visiting the gym, once I'm there I am happy I made the effort to wake up at 6 and go...anyway, good for you. i'm all about feeling good about yourself and allowing the weight slide off gradually.

[JCasa]

i'm with you, molly. soooo with you. xoxo

[Annie]

I'm there with you. I started running back in November (couch to 5k), then joined the gym in Feb so I could work out more frequently. I've lost over 30lbs so far, but still have a lot to go and lately it has been tough. Especially with spring here, beautiful weather, the kids--there is so much life out there to be lived. It is hard to get in the gym and get that done, but I need it.

[Sarah Jane]

You go, woman! I have a hard time getting to the gym, too. I ended up letting it lapse and have started doing videos at home and running. Good luck!! The wedding sounds dreamy!

[May]

You could have written the post about me...except for the bridesmaid part and more importantly the saying it out loud. That took courage. I support you...not just with words (I hope) but by taking up the same challenge. 3x a week. Here we go!

[amy turn sharp]

hugs and kisses and I will dedicate a swim this week to you. xo {i am trying to go 5 times a week} OMG>

[Julie]

Do not delete! I'm there with you in spirit! I would love to be exercising right now, but I haven't been cleared. :( You will be surprised at how good you feel after getting going and will look forward to going to the gym. At least that is my hope for you.

Good luck! You can do it! I know you can!

[Mary Jo, Five Green Acres]

Ok, here goes.
I WANT TO WRITE A BOOK THIS YEAR.
I want it to pay for a barn rehab and for a self-image, personal-achievement-not-related-to-raising-kids rehab.
30 minutes a day, 3 x a week sounds like it would work for me too, at least to get that query packet put together to find the right agent. (big hurdle)
Oh, how easily all of that buzzing in the periphery makes us lose sight of our big goals, no?
Thank you, Molly.

[Mags]

I am so lucky that you will be standing up there with me. I wouldn't have this without you (and your girls). I'm with you on getting motivated out of my "I'm planning a wedding, honeymoon, move, finishing a job, finding a new job" rut and getting back to business. xo.

[Denice (inkstitch)]

Molly! I am so with you! I'm in the exact same boat: Last summer the babe was just a little too small to really get into the swing of fitness, but now I'm thinking it's past time! So I will happily, finally, and doggedly commit to 3 days per week with you. :) xo!

PS: You'll look great for the wedding.

[melissa p.]

i can't find all the words...thanks for this post.
saying it out loud is hard and good. i started talking last night...i want to live NOW. i want to wake up and face each day as it happens. without fear, without guilt. so i am practicing the presence of God. daily, hourly, minute-ly. i'm also exercising every day. 30 minute minimum. ugh is right. it stinks. do, please, remember, though (as i preach it to myself)...20 or 30 pounds means nothing...your heart shines through.

[Betsy]

Time management/internet addiction. The internet is swallowing me whole. I pretend I'm working, but I am scattered, divided, manic and unfocused, unable to stay in one window at a time, and every day is the same and it gives me anxiety but I don't know how to stop it. I am no longer a writer, but a mom with a modem. Any 12-step programs you could recommend? Yoga helps, but I have trouble sticking with it.

[sarah]

As a fitness instructor and former ED patient, my vote is that you give yourself time/space and reasons to do this not just for the next 48 days, but forever. Screw the wedding. What is a REASONABLE goal for you to make it to the gym for the REST OF YOUR LIFE? Once a week? Twice a week? Or will going regularly 3 days per week actually help you keep the momentum going enough to continue?

Also, what kind(s) of workouts feel best to you? Which ones are most energizing?

Which ones do you HATE (don't even bother doing those). I hated exercise growing up b/c I thought it had to involve running, which I DESPISE. Now I workout b/c I never, ever run (except when chased).

There are still always days that I DO. NOT. WANT. to go to the gym AT. ALL. The only thing that gets me there is my mantra...for me it's, 'I never regret going. I never regret going. I never regret going." For a friend of mine, her mantra is, "I only have to stay for 10 min today. I only have to stay for 10 min. I only have to stay for 10 min."

Anyway, that's my take on it. I find that it's much easier to keep up a fitness routine when I am kind to myself, rather than demanding but at the same time try to remember that it's not that deep...I really do need to JUST DO IT.

Good luck, Mama! Yes, you can!

[Amanda]

So funny. I was lying in bed today thinking about the fact that there are only 32 days left until I will be a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding, and I am terrified that I won't fit into my dress at the fitting in a few weeks. So I'm really truly right there with you! My husband is watching my son while I go to the gym later this morning. Thanks for the boost!

[E]

Yes, yes! Go to the gym! But my tip to you is that if you really want to drop some pounds, you HAVE to change the way you eat as well. Eating fewer calories as well as working out will definitely get you to your goals. Good luck!

[Carrie]

I am SO there with you. Just had a baby in March...its bathing suit season and my two new ones arrived. They fit but I am still not happy with how I look (not that I was before the babe). I keep saying I'm going to walk or bike ride or do the evil Jillian Michaels video that I OWN but I don't. Todays the day it starts. I'm determined. Probably just a walk but by God, I'm getting out there in this 100 degree weather and doing it!

Good luck! I'd walk/run/do the gym thing with you if we were neighbors. :)

[Carmela]

Go you! You can do it! And boy do I know about needing to get in there. I'm headed East for a wedding in July...only 3 mos post-partum...I'm battling the bulge right along with you!

[Iesa]

I know exactly how you feel. If there is something that I really want to accomplish. (That I don't like doing.) Telling someone makes me more likely to do it. Even if it is just daily chores. I truly enjoy your blog and am so glad to hear that someone else is active in 4-H as well a my daughters.

[tamra]

This is one of the hardest things to accomplish as a wife, mother, business owner, etc. It's taken me years to adjust my habits, because that's what it really needs to be. Not just making sure you work out. It's a combination of eating right, getting enough sleep, and moving your body somehow, some way. And ultimately being happy with yourself no matter what. Good luck and keep saying it out loud...it def helps.
PS- didn't mean to sound preachy up there....LOVE ur blog. {blush}

[Maggie]

I am closing the lap top and doing 25 sit ups and upper arm exercises. There, I have said it out loud !
Good Luck to all of us.

[Jillian]

You have a great blog here! And yup, me too, the gym, the pounds, the kids, so much to do every day and everything. Yes, I'll make a promise to go to the gym 3 times a week!

[Mary Jo, Five Green Acres]

Logged: 30+ minutes today. So far, so good!

[Heather]

Funny, because this morning I let an excuse get in the way of going to the gym (2/3 of my kiddos woke up and sidelined me). I vow to keep working out the next two months and to watch what I eat. WTG, Molly!

[Kristina]

I'm glad you didn't delete. I'm right there with you Molly. In so many ways. Wish we lived nearby so we could at least walk together.

[Cindy M]

When I was homeschool 3 young children (oldest just turned 18), I realized I couldn't GO to the gym. So, I figured out ways to do gym stuff at home. Mostly that meant buying good videos (yes, it was back in the day) and doing them once everyone was asleep, which generally meant I didn't start until sometime after 9. It was good though and I got to where I couldn't do without doing them. And even though it meant I stayed up a little later than I would have without doing them, I slept so well, that I could stand to miss that 1 hour of sleep.

[Ann]

Think about the headspace you'll clear when you've sweated away the day's stresses. I find it hard to go the gym with my family dynamic, but remembering how great it feels when the exersize is done reminds me to get out of the door. And feeling better about yourself and taking care of your body is great and a good example to model for our kids, I think.

[modern canvas]

Really interesting post, can't wait to read more.