Progress: Visible Differences

"You're losing weight, huh." -Adele to me. That's the best thing I've heard in weeks. She honestly doesn't see me terribly often because of her work schedule, so to hear her say this to me shows that it is actually becoming noticeable. She's known me for over 2 months now and the fact that she can see a visible difference in my size is so incredibly reassuring that what I'm doing lately is working. The number on the scale may be moving more slowly than I'd like, but that doesn't matter as much as how I look and how I feel that I look. When she said that a few minutes ago, my reaction was something along the lines of "Am I? Thank God!" 

I feel good. I feel accomplished. I feel motivated. I feel sore. I can't seem to get past the soreness yet, but that's OK because it's such a good feeling. No pain, no gain, yeah? I've been running what I can outside and then finishing off the 30 minutes of exercise on the Elliptical. So, no matter how long I last out there on the pavement, I'm getting the full, recommended half hour of daily exercise. I find myself about half way through saying "I don't have to finish, what I've done is enough". But then I look at the "calories burned" part on the machine's screen and I can't help but push myself as much as I can to get rid of a couple hundred calories. Doing my workout as soon as I get back from dropping the kids off seems to be the best way to work it into my daily routine. If I wait too long, I may not do it at all. When I get back, I don't think about it. I go straight to my room, change clothes, put on my shoes, and head out the door. I feel like that may be the best option for most people. When you over-think, you can often talk yourself out of things. Just do it, get it over with, be done. Just like ripping off a band-aid.

I'm also beginning to really sleep well again because of the exercise. I feel more worn out by the end of the day and it is so incredibly helpful for a full night's sleep. If you know me at all, you know that I hold sleep in a very high position on the priority list....It may be my favorite thing to do. I wish I was exaggerating. Seriously, I love sleep. I love feeling well-rested. I love the physical and mental benefits. I love everything about it. Without enough of it for too long, I tend to be cranky, stressed, and sometimes even physically ill (usually a headache). Just trust me on this and know that no sleep for Rachie is a very bad thing. However, thanks to this exercising on a regular basis again, I am functioning much more successfully again. A less witch-like Rachie, if you will, is here again.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter 'progress'. I'm feeling optimistic about my attitude towards staying healthy and getting down to that goal weight. I hate that it's taken me so long to really get back to normal, but better late than never, right? I wish I could fast forward sometimes and be done already, but where's the fun in that? I'm kind of excited about the hard work that's still in front of me. I know, I'm cray. But the sense of accomplishment is worth all of the heartache and pain. So, here's to the exciting road ahead of me. Cheers! (With a low-calorie drink to toast, of course ;)