New year, new life! Improve you!

 I am heading into this new year with a new mindset. I have always struggled with my weight and taking care of myself. Over the years I have always enjoyed exercising. I played sports in high school and even college. In the fall of 2014, I started running and fell in love with it!

My daughter and I at one of our many half marathons!

And one of my best friends at our yearly Charlevoix race!

One of our many group runs!

I had consistently ran for many years. I even had a running streak (running at least a mile every day) for over five years. But I was not great at weight training or yoga, but I loved cardio! I even participated in two different distances of triathlons, sprint and Olympic distances. I even attempted a half ironman. 

My tri-partner in crime!

 

But then I had Covid in March of 2021, tore my meniscus later that November and had knee surgery in 2022, I have lost my consistency for working out. I finally cancelled my membership to our local YMCA because I was not using it. I can't remember the last time I walked through those doors! So here I am trying to fall back in love with working out. 

I recently started hiking and even backpacking.

My daughter and I hiking in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

I have a trip scheduled for right after we get out of school in June to hike in the northern mountains of Spain. I'm going by myself and I am extremely excited! I just need to get my body moving. I need to weight train and work on my cardio! 

Here in lies the problem, I get started and workout for a couple of days in a week. Then it stops for the next week and sometimes even two weeks. I went out for a walk the day after I got to Florida and it took at least a mile to feel decent with just walking around the neighborhood! I did three miles that day. But since then, I've only gone out again one time while I was at Blue Springs Park. I love walking and being outside, even when it rains on me. Just like it did while I was walking at Blue Springs Park. 

It's not motivation that is the problem, it is discipline. I had so much discipline before 2021 and all the stuff that came with it. But since then it has been so hard to get it back. I usually do the bare minimum to get by for different challenges I set for myself. I have done the twenty mile Mammoth March that is in August at Stoney Creek Park. I went with some amazing ladies to the Porcupine Mountains in the upper peninsula of Michigan. We did a four day backpacking trip. 

Lake of the Clouds in Porcupine Mountains

These pictures are from our backpacking trip to Porcupine mountains.

There are so many places I want to go hiking or backpacking. I just need to find discipline to allow myself to do the many, many things I would like to do.

So my plan for the new year is to give myself grace, compassion and understanding in this health journey. I do not "diet" but work on a healthy lifestyle. And that includes not just cardio exercise but weight training as well. I do not expect myself to be perfect with my exercise or healthy eating but I do want more good days than not so good days. Here we go for a new year with an improved me because I do not need a new me. Just a better than I was yesterday me. 

What are your health and fitness goals for yourself in the new year?

How do you plan on being better than you were yesterday?

Continue learning and if you can be anything, be kind.

❤Patti❤