A 2013 Kind of Resolution

I rolled over this morning with a headache the size of Texas. I went to bed stressing about the release of my first book. My Mama and Big Little sister were in an intense competition to be the first to buy my book. I felt so honored to have my family support me like that. (Mom won!) I prayed, “God just let at least one other person have bought a copy.” I opened my email and saw that eight copies were sold while I was asleep, I was ecstatic! I passed up my initial fear of selling only five copies. All of my hard work was not in vain. I called my mom to share the good news and invited her to go to the YMCA New Year’s Day open house celebration. She said she had a head cold and wondered if she should workout. I told her, “If you remember the section of my book on Illness and Injury, you can work out if you’re sick from the neck up, but should rest if you’re sick from the neck down.”
“I figured you’d say that” she said, “that’s why I’m going.”

Her car was covered with snow, so I picked her up and dropped off cookies that I cleaned out of my kitchen. Golden Oreos are like crack… “just say no.”

I gave the chocolate chip cookie dough and the half eaten tray of Golden Oreos to my Big Little Sister. She told me “that was not a gift of love,” and asked “are you trying to make me gain the weight you lose??” I told her my goal was just to get them out of my house.
Once we got to the gym, they gave us free chili and T-shirts to welcome in the New Year. Mom walked the treadmill on incline for 30 minutes and I decided to grind it out on the elliptical. I’m always nervous that the elliptical machine will be soooo hard, but really, it wasn’t too bad.

I have a weight loss goal in mind for 2013, but I’m focused on a new type of resolution. A 2013 kind of resolution. I made a commitment to stop saying negative things about my physical appearance. On Sunday the pastor preached about six ways to keep your New Year’s resolution, and one of his tips was to replace negative habits. He said “what you resist will persist, so you have to replace it.” I have a very nasty habit of saying mean things to myself about my weight.

My resolution got put to the test just a few minutes after I made it. I was on the elliptical and I looked in the gym mirror and said “look at that double chin,” with disgust. And then I caught myself. I had to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones. I changed my thoughts. Instead I said, “look at that shirt you’re wearing, you earned from finishing a half marathon, and look at those sexy legs, look at that fabulous weave, lol and look at you getting out of bed on a holiday with a headache, not making excuses and working out at the gym! Look at a new you!

P.S. Don’t forget to download your copy of my new book “Running Into Shape: The Official 5K Training Guide”