There’s always a great momentum to starting something new. Diving in, seeing what you can accomplish. The world is wide open and ready to welcome you with open arms, right?

Okay, not really. It’s scary, frustrating, and downright intimidating to start something new, especially when it has to do with your health. It’s exciting as well, but fear can play a HUGE reason why you haven’t done this before. As soon as you think you’ve got your brain in the right place, your sneaky voice starts whispering in your ear, filling your mind with doubt and recipes for comfort food like nachos. That and external factors like stress from work and family/friends who simply don’t get what you’re doing or keep telling you how to do it…but I’ll get to them in another entry.

Right now, we’re talking about you and what you want to accomplish. When I started this journey to regaining my health a year ago, I’d reached my end. I didn’t want to feel like crap anymore. I didn’t want to feel winded just trying to go up the stairs with my children, and I didn’t want to be that mother that simply looked like she’d given up. I was only 44 years old and could have a lot of wonderful years left. How did I plan to spend them? Sitting on my ever growing ass or getting up and doing something else?

Plus, my best friend had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had started chemotherapy. I’d promised her I’d do something to help myself.

I’m glad I did because a year ago I weighed 40 pounds more, couldn’t do much in the way of exercise without feeling like a wounded water buffalo, and my normal caloric intake had to be in the 3000-4000 range.

Today, I weighed in at 191, 40 pounds lighter, two jean sizes smaller, and a whole lot healthier.

After that kind of success, how do I start my next phase?

Me and Santa before the run

Me and Santa before the run

By dressing in a Santa Suit and walking in downtown San Antonio with hundreds of others in the muggy Saturday morning.

I’ll be the first to admit, the suit did little to compliment my figure, but the point was that I got up at o’dark thirty in the morning, got off my butt, and got to it. And not only did I get myself up, but my 7-year old decided she wanted to get up and go with me. After I told her why I was running, she asked to join me. Honestly, I think she just wanted a Santa suit, but she did get up and she did run with me. Although it was only the 1 mile fun run, it was a start and we got some good mother/daughter time.

She got to meet the Spurs Coyote and I got to start my journey to improving my wellness.

You’ve got to launch yourself forward to get where you want to go. I know it’s frustrating, intimidating, and downright annoying, but you’re not getting anywhere standing still. Change has to happen to get where you want to go.

Just like my heroine, Megan, in Weighting for Mr. Right, she had to move far out of her comfort zone to make things happen for her.

Keep checking back in and letting me know how you’re doing. I’ll keep up my end of the deal as well.