Patience pays off

I'll admit it, I'm not usually a very patient person. It's one of those character traits that I wish came naturally to me. When I was a teenager (and a new Christian), I once heard someone I would consider my mentor say, "don't ever pray for patience", then she went on to explain her reasoning behind it. As if God were going to dump a mountain of stress on me to test my patience limits, and then as a result of this, my patients would somehow grow. My opinion of that theory is different, but the one thing we all need to agree on is that we need to have patience in our fitness journey. And that can be really difficult.

Last week I had a major breakthrough. For eight whole weeks, my scale would not go below a certain number. It would fluctuate up and down, about four pounds, but never getting below the "sticking point". Eight weeks is a lot of time to wait for progress - that's two months! Especially when I was still in the gym four nights a week, working out for at least two solid hours each night. I never got to the point where I wanted to "throw in the towel", but it sure was frustrating. I tried flip-flopping my cardio and resistance training, I added in new or different exercises, I switched the days in which I focused on different body parts, but nothing seemed to be helping. But I kept at it.

Six months of working out regularly has formed a major habit. A habit that I could only dream about for the last ten years. I've always wanted this for myself, but never made the time for it. There were always excuses. And some good reasons too, but I never made this "me time" a priority. I was really good at quitting too, when it got tough, I would give up. Now, I never give up. I'm determined to set my goals high and accomplish them. (This is probably why my rotator cuff has tendonitis - I'm determined to do an unassisted pull up! I have tried, and tried, and tried... I'm not sure why that is so hard for me, but I will do it. Soon.)

Fast forward to last Monday. I was up four pounds from my "sticking point". I came off a weekend of not watching what I ate as carefully as I should, and it was time for "T.O.M." to visit. So starting the week, my mindset was "this is the week". Meaning, this is the week that I'm determined to breakthrough that number on the scale. I decided to strip my diet down to 1200 calories a day, to work harder, run faster, lift more, and go until I couldn't go anymore. I also acquired a new workout buddy to join me a couple times a week! I've always enjoyed working out alone, but there is something to be said about working side-by-side with a friend; encouraging each other, and strengthening our friendship. (Thanks for joining me, B!) We both have like goals and mindsets. We both refuse to give up. We'll both try anything. And I think she'll agree with me that we both refuse to weigh each other down. And the best part of course, we laugh a lot and have fun!

By Friday of last week, not only did I go below that "sticking point" on my scale, I went two and a half pounds below it! This is a huge success for me, and just proves to me that I can do whatever I set my mind to.

There is a new fire inside of me that burns hotter and brighter than it did before. And I'm so glad it's Monday because it's a new week in the gym. A new week for more progress. This journey does require patience, and if you are patient and keep up your efforts, you will be rewarded.

And to you... Keep going, you can do it! <3 Heather

And by the way, this breakthrough has me down 25 pounds total since January!! :)