Friend of Julie: Victory

Snowy Owl; photo by Theresa Chamberland
 Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge, Rhode Island

I've been off for a long time, but it's over now. I'm not talking about being off-program, I'm talking about being off from work. During my months as a job seeker, I stayed the course and I did not go off-program. I did not turn to my old ways of eating during this major change in my life. In fact, I lost weight during my transition. Victory!

Last week my search for a job ended and today is day three of my new job. It feels foreign to have structure in my day once again. Not that I didn't have any structure. I planned daily walks and they were longer than ever before. I walked daily with my friend in Long Beach, CA. Mary and I talked on our cell phones as she walked in sunny southern California and while she walked in a heatwave with temperatures often in the 90's, I walked through the mild summer, ever changing fall, and cold mornings of Massachusetts in my zipped and hooded Parker, and leather gloves, until it was so cold outside that my phone shut down. Yes, it was that cold!

When the long dreaded freezing temperatures of December and January arrived and my Mass. walking buddy went away for the holidays, my walking came to a halt. I started mall walking and talking with Long Beach Mary, but then she went to Rhode Island for the holidays and my daily walking routine became sporadic.

All my long walks, especially in those cold temperatures, really paid off on New Year's Eve. I joined Mary and another friend on a bird watching walk at Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge in RI. As you can see from the photo above, it was freezing cold, but seeing my first Snowy Owl was well worth it!

Before losing this weight, this three mile walk in freezing temperatures was not something I could have done. There were many such walks that I missed out on because of my obesity. Making walking a part of my life also made this opportunity possible. I didn't spend any of my thoughts on how much my feet hurt or wondering "how much further?" I was free to focus my time on being in the present moment and fully enjoying my time with my friends and meeting my first Snowy Owl.

While it may not be mandatory to exercise to lose weight, exercise was just what I needed during my transition from one job to another. All that walking, plus losing weight, helped keep my energy, my optimism, and my spirits high. What's not to love about that?

Exercise takes time to make a habit, but we must find the time in our busy lives to make exercise a habit. We also must forgive ourselves when we have lapses, and keep moving forward. Having a plan for when we're going to exercise is the only way it's going to happen. I no longer have a gym I can go to at lunch time, but I can stop at the mall on my way home from work until the weather gets better.

Do you have a plan for exercise in your life? If you're new on the weight loss journey, start with a 10 minutes a day of some form of exercise and build up from there.