My Journey With Health And Fitness – Getting Back To Normal

I got home from the fitness centre this morning after doing an awesome power hour and it was raining. I debated about whether to do the treadmill or risk the rain as it wasn’t coming down too hard. I decided that I really did not want to do the treadmill so put on my moisture wicking pants and water resistant running jacket. This may not have been the best decision especially since that jacket does not resist water very well at all. But out I went and within 10 minutes I was soaked. A voice in my head told me to do about an hour and then phone my husband to come pick me up. Yet as I kept walking I became more determined to finish the walk and so I got in 2 hours. Trust me a large, hot coffee was involved when I got home.

I want to be clear, I am nowhere near back to normal in terms of not having my little brother here, that is going to take some time. Yesterday my husband and I cleaned our basement family room where my brother spent most of his time. Reminders of him were everywhere and by time we were finished I was struggling to keep my emotions in check. I know this is going to take a while but at least after being home for nearly 2 weeks I amt willing to spend time in the family room.

What is getting back to normal is my diet and workouts. While I was in Mexico I committed to working out everyday and I did that. Even after my loss I refused to give myself any chance to find an excuse, especially for my mental health I needed to keep going. Having said that, I only worked out 2 hours most days which is below normal for me. Moreover, there was more eating out and alcohol intake than I should have thus I feel a bit doughy right now as I know I gained several pounds.

I told myself the first week back home I would start building up again. And so last week Monday to Friday I did a 1 hour class followed by a 2 hour walk for a total of 3 hours each day. I acknowledge I opted out on Saturday as it was the day to remember my little brother and I didn’t want to add further stress by being short on time. Still, I got it done and felt better for it.

Then we come to this week. I promised myself that for at least 5 days this week I would get in a 1 hour class followed by at least 3 hours of walking (done via a 2 hour walk then later another 1 hour walk). Today because of the weather I decided it would be my lesser day (normally that is Saturday) so only walked 2 hours. Tomorrow I’ll get in my full 4 hours of working out again and I have a great chance to do the same on Saturday. And, my diet is much better in that it tends to be home cooked meals. That is what normal looks like to me.

I recognize that I could easily blow all of this off and say I need some time but you know what, little brother was so proud of how far I had come and the lifestyle changes I made that I don’t want to disappoint him. Because of him I will keep pushing myself to avoid the complications of diabetes, that horrible disease that took him away from me. He has now become my motivation.