“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” – Benjamin Franklin
Have you had yours today? Sometimes we just need a little reminder to grab something healthy out of the cupboard. The small decisions you make today have a great impact on the future. Even if you can’t see the outcome, don’t give up! All it takes is one small step after another until you’ve reached your destination.
Molly learning to play fetch!
In obedience class today with our newest rescue, Molly, I was reminded how repetition is the only way to truly train a dog to do new tricks. This process is time consuming and requires complete dedication on behalf of the owner. Molly can be very stubborn, both due to her breed and personality. She picks up quickly on new commands, but requires consistent reminders to continue following through. She would prefer to do things her way, but is a much more focused dog when submitting to structure.
In class, one of the other dog owners mentioned how Molly looks like she has lost weight since they first met her. I’m excited to say that she is down three pounds since we first adopted her. The consistent training and exercise is helping her become a much healthier dog. I felt proud that all our hard work hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Being in class today reminded me of my own need for repetition in my weight loss journey. Just like Molly, I too can be stubborn and need reminders to achieve my goals and become healthier. Charles Givens says, “Achieve success in any area of life by identifying the optimum strategies and repeating them until they become habits.” If I expect to help Molly change for the better, I must also be willing to do the same in my own life. I have always been a person that feels it is best to lead by example. While Molly may not understand that I am on the same path as her, I will at least know I am not requiring her to do something that I am unwilling to do myself. As she continues on her training schedule, I am also teaching myself new tricks in order to build healthier habits and achieve desired results. I signed Molly up for obedience class because I thought it would help her, little did I know, I would also be in training.
“If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”
– Dave Ramsey
Since hearing this quote several years ago, my life has been changed. Not immediately, but through a slow refining process that continues to mold and shape me into the person I want to be. Just like restoring an old car back to its former glory, sometimes we too must be changed. For me, the start of my restoration began with the desire to unload debt in order to live a life of freedom. I was straight out of college, single, and working my first real job. I casually used part of my income to pay off a few things. A couple years later I met my husband, Brandon and we continue the journey together. During this process, we were down to one income while my husband finished college. Pinching pennies doesn’t really even sum up the struggle we faced during the first part of our marriage. Times were tight on one income, but we continued to remain united and focused on our goal. In July, we will celebrate our third wedding anniversary, almost $30,000 lighter than when we first began. The road is still long with $60,000 in school loans left to unload, but we plan to remain intense and focused on the road ahead of us.
Our adventures to getting get out of debt sparked in me the desire to see other areas of my life changed and renewed for the better. Through a series of unfortunate events that occurred over a fifteen year process; my sister passing away in high school, ended friendships, a car accident that caused a back and knee injury, and the most recent, a diagnosis of insulin resistance, my weight ballooned to the highest it had been in my life. For a long time, I had accepted this as normal. Yes, I was frustrated by it and I tried several doctors, a gluten free diet, and medication. Yet, no real change was occurring in my life. I was struggling in my career as a Social Worker feeling burnt out and unable to sleep at night. My physical and emotional health was off track and I knew I needed to do something to fix it.
In January, I took a break from social work to spend more time focusing on my life/work balance. I needed less hours on the road and away from home. My body was craving for me to slow down and I knew it was now or never. After getting a different job, I’ve been able to spend more time at home with my husband and the two dogs we rescued Pandi (July 2010) and Molly (April 2012) with thyroid problems and weight issues. Over the course of two years Pandi has lost almost 20 pounds and Molly has lost a few pounds in the two months since we adopted her. We have worked so hard to see them reach new healthy milestones and I have been so proud of the progress they have made.
However, it wasn’t until I changed jobs that I realized I was focusing all of my energy towards our debt, my desire to help others as a Social Worker, and our dog’s health and was neglecting my own well-being. Everything in our household was getting better, but me. It took reading about a friend’s weight loss journey that inspired my desire to do something for myself. A few weeks ago I took the plunge and joined Weight Watchers. I was skeptical at first because every other diet and personal training sessions I tried were always to no avail. Yet, after losing my first ten pounds almost immediately, I was hooked. I am so confident now in my ability to lose weight that I plan to write about it. My intent is not only to write about my journey to renewed health, but to include the process of bringing our household to full restoration. For me, that includes my journey, our dogs, and our financial health.
Most people are saddened to hit their 30th birthday, but when I celebrated mine in January I felt my life was just beginning. I am fed up with the excuses that got me to this point and I hope you will join me in marking this year as the start of something wonderful!
Life Begins At 30sum! 