A Surprising Reminder

My family took a three day trip to one of my favorite places, Long Beach, WA. It was our first real "vacation" with the kids, one that involved a hotel stay (which is its own special hell, let me tell you). We spent that time shopping, checking out little stores, having ice cream, finding awesome fresh seafood in every restaurant (halibut for breakfast? Oh yeah!), visiting museums, digging in the sand, running from the waves, and hiking to some lighthouses.

The lighthouses bring me to my startling revelation. We visited North Head Lighthouse and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, both with amazing views of the ocean. Cape Disappointment is the most exciting, as you can see the point where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. It's incredible. It also involves a one mile hike (roundtrip) with fairly steep hills and somewhat rough terrain through the woods. A little side note here, my kids did AWESOME. We were worried they'd be whining and complaining all the way back and need to be carried. Not so, they loved it!

Anyway, as we completed this hike, I realized something...These were steep hills, and I could do it! I've had a really hard time lately with stalled weight loss. In fact, it's been at least 6 months since I've been successfully losing, though I have maintained what I lost early last year. The week before the trip, I focused very hard on my workouts and what I ate and had a one pound loss (I'm happy with one pound in a week). Still, the back and forth lately, up a pound, down a pound, have gotten me down. Depending on any given weigh-in, my total loss so far has been 30-34lbs.

So, we're hiking these hills, and I'm carrying all the coats and such, and I'm just sweating a bit. I realize I'm not out of breath, I'm not gasping for air, I'm not red as a tomato from exertion, I'm able to talk to my family. I'm not in horrible shape!!!! A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to do this so easily! When I was 30 (or 34) pounds heavier, and rarely exercised, this walk would have killed me. I would have had to rest up top for 20 minutes to head back. I wouldn't have been able to keep talking to my kids and telling them to stay on the path.

I'm keeping this in mind as I head back to work on my plan. Even though it's so incredibly slow going and frustrating right now, I can't forget how far I've come. Changing who I am is a long and hard process, and sometimes I need these reminders of what I've accomplished so far.