Momentum

I exercised regularly all summer.  For the first time in a long time, but I did it and I was proud of my progress.  Then preschool started and I never could find time.  It just didn't happened.  A few weeks ago I heard some other moms talking when we were picking our kids up at preschool, and this mom said she wakes up at 4:30 because it just doesn't get done if she doesn't wake up early.  She apparently has a 14 year old who has to get up at 5 or 5:30 for sports and seminary, or something, I really wasn't paying that close of attention to their conversation.  I just thought 4:30?! I couldn't do that, but then I thought if she can wait up at 4:30, I can wake up at 7.  Preschool doesn't start until 9, and so I wasn't waking up until 7:30.  I know I'm weak sauce.  So during January, I woke up at 7 and exercised.  In a way it was terrible because my kids started waking up before 8 and how was I suppose to get my exercising in if they were up.  But we figured it out, they could sit on the couch and wait until 8 for the breakfast. So I was exercising again and I was feeling better than I had in months.  I fell asleep quickly, I was in a better mood, I felt better about myself, I had better posture, I had a desire to eat healthy.
Then three Saturdays ago, I was trying to unplug something from behind a desk and strained a muscle in my neck. I was in so much pain.  I took a week off, I was disappointed because my momentum had been so good!  But I didn't want to make my neck worse.  It felt better by Wednesday or Thursday, but then Nan and I got colds.  So I didn't start back up last week, I've been so tired, I crawl out of bed at 7:30 and take a nap every afternoon.  Maybe next week, I thought.
Then I started sleeping poorly again.  Well once I'm asleep I'm fine, but if I'm not active enough during the day then I really struggle falling asleep.  So I set my alarm for 7 and I'm back in the progress.  Its great, but the first morning was hard, I was tired, my body was shaky. I wanted to hit snooze, I wanted to sleep on the couch. But I survived, and I'm back on the wagon.

During this current sabbatical, I realized why I liked 25 so much.  Exercising gave me a better self esteem, so it wasn't that 25 was a magical age of adulthood, but that the endorphins or something were making me feel better. Which is reason enough for me to participate in moderate exercise 4 times a day. Yeah, I'm still weak sauce, I moderately exercise 30-60 minutes a day, 4 days a week.