Every Journey Begins With A Single Step

I mentioned last week how I see different changes in my body now as compared to when I first started on this journey. The first few months, and seventy or so pounds, saw a dramatic change in my overall shape – the transformation was very noticeable to other people (once I lost the first fifty). But since the start of this year, as my losses have started to slow, it is the definition and the fine tuning of my physique that has been most evident.

When I began this pilgrimage to a healthier life I started slow when it came to my exercise. The things that I do now – the activities which I engage in on a regular basis – were not even a blip on my radar of possibilities at the time. It didn’t remotely occur to me that I might one day be running three or four times a week and paddling a couple of others.

What I did think, though, is that I could do some stuff to improve my fitness level. Moving was better than not moving – that much I knew. So I did what I could and was proud of the fact that I was accomplishing more than I had been.

I walked. I walked a whole lot actually. There are countless hours that I simply committed to strolling in the early days of this journey which I will forever remember as part of the solid foundation upon which I built my success. I walked and walked and walked, and I made sure that I never let myself feel smaller or less than the people I saw jogging or playing sports or working out in gyms. I was doing what I could and that was a really important cornerstone for eventually increasing my fitness.

They may have been small feats, but I was pleased with the way I progressed day after day. I remember vividly walking for 10K and then for 25K. I recall with a great sense of victory the time I slowly made my way up a mountain. And I still feel pride when I consider the time I had a short burst of energy that resulted in an impromptu two minute jog.

Those achievements may not mean much to anyone else, but they will honestly always hold a special place in my heart. I could never have gotten to where I am now without taking the initial steps I did then.

Walking, doing simple calisthenics, and riding my stationary recumbent bike are what I started with. I was soon taking on exercise videos, walking up multiple flights of stairs, and working out a little with arm weights. Since the start of the year I have completed the 30 Day Shred, taken a belly dancing class, and worked my way through a jogging program. And now? Now, I am dragon boating and running regularly and I know that the sky is the limit!

Having to start small never defined what I could eventually accomplish. In fact, building my strength and endurance progressively allowed me to get to the level I am at now. So when I consider how my body has changed – both closer to the start of this journey and more recently – I feel really good about the tangible differences that have taken place. I may not see the massive loss of inches any more, but the body sculpting that comes from my latest exercise regimen is undeniable.

Changing my routine over time has really worked for me. Pushing my limits and constantly looking for new challenges has yielded excellent results. Now the only question left is: what’s next?

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 2 Spartan apples with cinnamon
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 1 cup maple almond granola cereal
- 4 pieces of a California sushi roll with soy sauce
- 4 pieces of a dynamite sushi roll with soy sauce
- 2 pieces of a yam tempera sushi roll with soy sauce
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 1 piece spicy garlic barbari bread

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 25 minutes of jogging with walking warm up, intervals, and cool down (1 hour and 10 minutes of actual jogging)
- 1 hour walk