Patience is a Virtue, Right?

This week I had four graduations at my school and an end term party.  Four speeches to be made, four outfits to plan and four days of food temptations to get through.  I think I fared pretty well.  I avoided the cake this year at all four ceremonies, though I did taste the frosting.  Girl must taste the frosting in life.  I went to two lunch celebrations with my staff following the ceremonies.  I fared pretty well there too, though I absolutely ate a piece of bread and butter both days.  Girls must eat bread and butter when in a restaraunt.  The end term party food wasn’t great so I fared well there too, though I absolutely indulged in some vodka on the rocks. Girl must live, laugh and sip vodka at parties.  I didn’t totally through caution to the wind this week, rather I tried to keep it real and keep control of myself.  It wasn’t hard to do and allowing myself those little indulgences went miles towards getting through not feeling deprived.  Last year I would have indulged a lot more.  I would have had cake and lunch and wine each of the four days.

The only bad thing about this week was all the pictures I had to pose for.  Thankfully I won’t see many of them and thankfully the children next to me are the real star of them.  I know I’m stuck on pictures lately, but putting it down here gets it out of my head.  Plus, so many of you have shared you’re struggling with them too.  It’s just that the darn pictures make me feel like I’m still at the starting point, the “before” phase of this journey.  They are a constant reminder that I’ve miles to go yet. But I’ve been smiling proudly and clicking away.  I’m documenting my journey and life and refuse to be absent again.

At yesterday’s graduation I saw the parent of one of my students.  Last I saw her, earlier this year she was super thin and had lost almost 60 pounds.  Yesterday, she was right back up to her starting weight. It saddened me to see that, but also reminded me that I am not back at the start.  It reminded me why I am taking the slow and steady route to health. It didn’t take me a week to gain the weight and create havoc on my health and it won’t take me a month to get healthy.  This is a journey and I’m in it for the long haul.

During my speech yesterday, I spoke about the measure of moments in a year.  If I had to capture the moments of my year I’d say:

*I began running again and kept at it despite a serious stress fracture.

*I only gained about ten pounds during recovery from said stress fracture.  I worked out in a chair during the crutches period to keep in the game.

*I rekindled and formed friendships through running and that are priceless.  My childhood friend and maid of honor at my wedding and I were always in touch and always said we’d get together, but life always had other plans.  Now we have races together and with meetings and weekends away built in. Big win-win!

*I overhauled the way I eat.  It’s far from perfect but it’s an improvement.  A great benefit beside my health, my daughter is willing to eat things she would never have tried before.

*I got off three medications and unnecessary supplements.

So, while I’m not moving those blue marbles to the lost jar permanently, the process is working.  If I’m still in it I’m winning.  Patience is a virtue, right?

Author: Laura Kump

I'm on a mission to reclaim my health. Life and a high stress job led me to forming many unhealthy habits, leaving me living in fear for my future self. Using a science based plan, I made small changes that have helped me achieve better health and fitness and put me on the path to meet my goals. As a certified health coach, I make healthy living accessible for all by keeping it simple. Many times health can feel overly complicated, but I've found ways to show people that small targeted changes can empower them to live healthier lifestyles. For instance, traffic light eating can totally change your lives. Knowledge is a super power and I look forward to sharing it with you. View all posts by Laura Kump