For Me

I took this from the "I See Fit People" Facebook page. This is one of the few pages I look forward to every day.  If you're on FB, give it a look!

I haven't made New Year's Resolutions in years. Although I think there is a lot of merit in the feeling of "starting fresh" and having renewed optimism at this time of year, I find that once I start to focus too much on any one aspect of my life, the other aspects start to fall apart.

2012 was not a great year for me. It seemed every month there was some problem, tragedy or challenge to face and overcome. Some worse than others, some minor but on top of other issues seemed insurmountable. Some health related, some relationship and family related, some career and some just bad luck related. I like the idea that on January 1, the slate is wiped clean and 2013 brings with it a whole new set of circumstances and opportunities.

But, reality isn't like that. Our bodies don't know a switch was flipped on January 1 and they don't care. Our bodies only react to the actions we take. What they care about is what we do consistently, day in and day out - regardless of what the calendar says.

2012 was the year I let go. I let go of preconcieved ideas I had about weight loss and fitness. I let go of people that I thought were friends for life just because I'd known them a long time. I let go of letting other people dictate my dreams and accepted that my dreams are just as good, even they are not as lofty.

If I am to take anything from 2012, it is that life happens and I can only control my reactions. It is my reactions that make a situation bearable, conquerable or a misery.

As this relates to my weight loss efforts, it means that I am no longer comparing myself to others or to others' ideas of succcess. My focus is to do the best I can with what I have and what I am capable of doing at any given moment. It does me no service to try and live up to standards put out there by "the weight loss community" and bring myself down in the process. I am done believing that if I do "abc", then "xyz" must follow and then feeling like a failure when it doesn't.

It has taken me a long, long, time to lose 50lbs and it will take me a long time to lose the next 50 or so. I am not a bad person because I didn't lose all my weight in 12 months and I won't be a better person when I do get to my goal weight. That does't mean I accept being this weight - I don't - it's not good for my health or my well being.

I can't give any of you weight loss advice, there are far more successful weight loss bloggers than me out there - but I would like to wish you all success and happiness, in whatever forms that takes for YOU.