So what do I want to come of this one year post that seems to meander through my thoughts a bit aimlessly?
I want to inspire people.
I want you to believe you can do this, too.
I want you to see my happiness and know it can be yours as well. I’m not suggesting just because a person is overweight that they are unfulfilled, unhappy, not physically active, or that they need to change. Please do not misread my message. I’m suggesting that if you, like me, are feeling unfulfilled, unhappy, or are not physically active because of your weight, that you can change if you want to. You can do it. You can become outside.
There are no quick fixes. Diets might work for a little while, but are unlikely to work in the grand scheme of things. Trends might work for a bit but will most likely fail you eventually. You might think you’ve tried the calories in/calories out and exercise thing and it hasn’t worked for you. You might feel like it is impossible. I have to tell you that you’re lying to yourself. If it hasn’t worked for you, you likely haven’t found the mental commitment you need in order to change your lifestyle. I do understand that some medical conditions can prevent a person from finding success the same way I did. I understand that not everyone can find success in the same way, or that success will look different for me than it will for someone else. I get that. I’m just sharing what I did, and how I believe almost anyone can do it if they find the mental determination to do so. So what do I suggest you do?
I suggest you start by thinking about who you are, and who you want to be. I would take as long as you need to simply mull this over. When you find yourself with a spare moment to think, allow your mind to drift towards these thoughts, almost in a meditative fashion. As you do this more and more frequently, begin to dream up what it would look like to change your life. Begin to imagine what you’d have to do for that change to be complete and successful. I think truly considering these things, once you’ve reached the point of being fed up with how things are, is the only way you can embark on utter and total change. You might spend weeks or months, maybe even many months, considering change before you find you have the ability to commit completely.
Once you find you are ready to make this commitment, what do I suggest? I suggest you do not try to diet. I know a lot of people find success with My Fitness Pal and other methods of tracking. I won’t discourage you from doing this if it feels right to you, but I will say that if it doesn’t feel right to you, if it feels like it will inhibit you or be unsustainable, go ahead and try to embark on your lifestyle change without tracking. This is what I did because I knew it would be unsustainable for me and would feel like another yo-yo diet.
What might you do instead if you choose not to track?
I suggest starting off by avoiding processed foods, including power bars, granola bars, and other snacks marketed for weight loss. I think these can be a harmful crutch. Reach for healthy fruits, smoothies at first if they satiate you, proteins and veggies. You do NOT need to be hungry. This is where a lot of people end up failing. They allow themselves to feel hungry. If you are hungry, you should probably eat, but it is the choices you make that matter.
If you can get your footing with regards to nutrition, you can make improvements as you get deeper and deeper into your new lifestyle. How you eat WILL change. Some changes you will have to choose to make, some will happen naturally as you learn what works for your body and what doesn’t, and as you learn what balance really looks like. So what’s next? You’ll know when it is time to move your body more, and I think that’s what comes after getting nutrition dialed. Start off slowly with something that you love, that feels good. For me, that was getting outside with my kids. It might look different for you. Once I started becoming more active I wanted more and joined a gym. This doesn’t have to be a chore! If you are dreading having to go to the gym and see it as a task to complete instead of something to enjoy, you haven’t found what works for you yet.
Try classes if it’s your jam, try different machines, try weight lifting, try various types of cardio, find what you love. Try new things on YouTube before you try them in the gym if you’re feeling self conscious, or, step outside of your comfort zone and wing it. That’s what I did with hip hop. I’m not good at it, but I really enjoy it. Once you find a routine that works for you, and as you lose more and more weight, you can add in a greater variety of activities. I’m always trying new things and it feels amazing to allow myself that sort of personal exploration. You might find out you enjoy things you never thought you’d enjoy, or you might find out what it is like to enjoy things you’ve always dreamed of enjoying.
I don’t think I have all the answers. I don’t know that my perspective on lifestyle changes is valuable to anyone but myself. I don’t know if my advice is worth much. What I do know is that someone might be able to take inspiration from my success and my happiness. So now that I’m over one year out, I aim to work even harder to share my experiences with others. I have so many goals and I hope many successes to come, and I want to share those with the world.
Before I close this post it is worth asking, at 145 down, over one year out, what is next?
I keep hashtagging the 52 hike challenge but my goal this year is 100 hikes. I had said in my new year’s post that a goal for the year was to work on my climbing. I’m in the midst of that and have joined a climbing gym to bolster those efforts. I wasn’t going to set a goal regarding route difficulty but I am, not so secretly now that I’m posting about it, aiming to climb a 5.9 indoors by the year’s end, and a 5.7 outdoors. I also want to continue working on bouldering and try that outdoors as well. I had said I wanted to do a big hike using ice axes and such and we didn’t make that happen this past winter, but we might be able to do so just before the year turns over, so I’m not ruling that goal out. I’ll definitely be ice climbing next winter. I have some big hikes in mind and can’t wait to see which ones I get to accomplish this year. I also am working daily to improve my yoga practice and flexibility. I’m hoping to try aerial yoga in the future. With all of these goals in mind, I also want to work harder at weight training in order to improve my strength.
But if we can talk about even further into the future, I’d love to talk about my bigger goals that couldn’t have been achieved had I not made the changes I’ve made. I intend to do some very big hikes in the years to come. My goal is to get myself into a physical condition where I am able to do Rainer, Grand Teton, and as money will allow, some other incredible summits around the world. Over the years, I intend to improve my climbing to the extent that I am physically and mentally able to lead climb. I have lofty goals for yoga, and hope that in the coming years I will be able to do more advanced poses. I intend to continue to give my children access to the outdoors daily, and to encourage a love of hiking, climbing, and living an active life. I hope in the next decade to do some more serious backpacking, with the ultimate goal of one day doing the PCT, hopefully with my whole family. It is worth also mentioning, if I’m being honest about my loftier goals, that I aim to have my excess skin removed at some point in the coming years as well.
These goals are big.
I know that. But the things I do in my daily life right now once seemed unachievable. So I dream big and know that anything is in the realm of possibilities. While they are big, none of these goals seem unachievable to me. What an amazing thing it is to dream and know that those dreams can come true. I cannot wait to see where I am in a year, what things I have done that I once thought impossible, what things I have done that even sitting here now I don’t think I will do this year. I can’t wait to see what the future holds as I continue to become outside.
