I've cracked the code!

Hi friends,

Good news - I've cracked the code. I struggled and beat myself up for weeks after I backslide post 28 to Great. 28 days was just enough to rid me of sugar cravings and let me see and FEEL results. Sadly though, it wasn't long enough to change my preferences or my core belief system.

I'll tell you what though, 7 weeks. That's enough. Maybe 8. Since I got back on the proverbial wagon in April, I've been keeping up with my online workouts... ish... and eating healthy-ish. I hadn't put on anymore weight, but I hadn't lost the handful of pounds I'd gained back either. I decided that I needed to do something more structured again. I totally loved 28 to great, so I just used that model. I followed the portion Rx from the Barre3 blog and committed to working out at least 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week. (Sorry I haven't been blogging through it! I am working on a novel and only have so much time to write anything with the twins!)

This time, when I got near the month mark, I knew I wasn't ready to "quit". I'd been following all the food rules, but at that point, I would have rather still had cake than kale... coffee than tea... bread than protein... I was making good choices because I had committed to, but not because I wanted to. The thing is, I can't let there be an end date.

In week 4, I finally faced my fear of the awkwardness of group fitness and went to a class in studio for the first time. All my fears were realized. I was the chubbiest girl in class. I got weirdly sweaty when everyone else looked cool. I tripped over my own feet. All of it. You know what though? It was fine. No one cared. I confessed that it was my first class and got tons of support and even complimented by a skinny little Lululemon model-looking 20something. It turns out, just like everything else in life, the anticipation is always worse than the thing itself. After that, I was going to class twice a week and working out online the other 4 days. The workout in studio is my new favorite thing. Even though it's way harder than working out at home, it's also so much more grounding and centering. At home, I'm distracted by the dirty floor or the phone... the kids... whatever. In class I just focus. It's a beautiful thing.

Anyway, I digress...

So, now I'm about 9 weeks in to it. I've lost the weight I gained back and I feel awesome. I still have 35 to go. The miracle is, now I KNOW I can get there. Somewhere around the 7 week mark, my preferences changed. I genuinely prefer tea to coffee and kale salad to mac and cheese. 28 days wasn't long enough to create a fundamental change in me. 7 weeks... that was enough. I went to a wedding last weekend and set down a 1/2 full glass of wine in favor of water. I preferred it. Today at class (I'm going to 5 this week), I looked around at all the perfect bodies and realized for the first time that they are no different from me. They just figured it out sooner... that's all.

I'm excited to see where another 8 weeks will take me.

I know I'm sort of rambling now so I'll conclude by just encouraging you not to give up. Whatever your goal is, I want you to know that it's possible. I believe that completely.

If you don't believe me, follow the Barre3 rules for 7 or 8 weeks and then let's talk.

xoxox
Jenn