I have been on my personal journey of fitness for many years.  In that time, I have learned something that keeps ringing true.  There is strength in numbers.  Strongest You Coaching has a community component.  We have a private Facebook Group that allows Coach Jen to communicate with us, and vice versa.  Being actively involved with the other women of the group has been a great way to keep me tuned in to the work I am doing.

I am still working on slowing down my mealtimes.  Believe it or not, after only a couple of weeks, I am getting better!  Even when I do finish my meal a bit too fast, I make myself wait out the end of the timer.  Yes, I physically set a timer!  I may sit and sip on a glass of water, but I am waiting for the full 15 minutes to pass by.  On a consistent basis, I am satisfied and feeling “just full” once the timer is done.  I definitely have to keep working on it.  It is way too easy to creep back into my old habit.

The new habit for tuning in to my body is learning to feel hungry.  Some of you may be thinking “What?”  Yes.  Most of the time, I do not think about being hungry when I eat.  First of all, I am a creature of habit.  I eat on a schedule.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner all fall at fairly regular times.  The other hindrance to hunger is that I have fallen prey to the “you-must-eat-six-times-a-day-or-your-metabolism-will-suffer” mentality.  I eat SOMETHING every 2-3 hours.  It may be a piece of fruit, some almonds, or a protein bar… something. 

Here I am, having worked those habits for 20 years.  The thing is, my body has changed over those years.  What my body requires to be in good working order has changed over those years.  My mentality around eating has NOT changed with what my body needs.  The end result is that I tend to carry around more “cushion” than I need to as my body is storing the excess.

I am challenged with each new habit, and this one is no different.  I have a note written on the counter in the kitchen.  It reads “HUNGRY?”  Directly beside that note it says “SLOW DOWN”.  Sometimes those reminders are exactly what I need.  My Strongest You Facebook group has the same effect.  We all share our successes and struggles with the habits.  We are all at different places in life.  We are connected in our willingness to learn how we can better care for our bodies. 

On a different note, we have been given our workout programs!  Hurray!  I was so excited to get that email!  I opened it and started reading.  Three days of strength training….a day of upper body focus, a day of lower body focus, and day of total body focus.  Awesome!!  The email from Coach Jen spelled out a work out “prescription” to help maximize the work towards the desired body response.  I kept reading… and my heart dropped a bit:

Cardio will be limited to two sessions per week, no more than 25 minutes, with moderate heart rate, and one session of high-intensity interval training per week IF you are not under any physical or mental stress.

What?

How the heck is THAT going to work?  My old-habit brain started to go WILD.  All of the years of what I read and did came pouring out in a bit of a panic.  I NEED more cardio or I will not lose fat!  I NEED more cardio or I will lose my cardiac conditioning.  I NEED more cardio so I can better my endurance!  I NEED to take a breath.

I read the workout program from start to finish a couple of times.  I read the information from Coach Jen a couple of times.  I started to have a conversation with myself.  “Look.  What you have been doing for yourself is okay, but it is not really serving you well anymore.  You wanted to find a different way.  You wanted to learn more about your body, and what it needs NOW.  What do you have to lose by doing this?”

Ah, the voice of reason.  Sometimes you have to slow down to get stronger.

I am maintaining daily communication via the Facebook page with my community.  I share what I am feeling.  The other women chime in, and share their own stories.  The sense of belonging is comforting.  I am not alone.  I do not want to let my sisters down.  I do not want to let ME down.

Cool thing about personal journeys. I can keep learning about myself as long as I am on this earth.  Time to slow down and see what is around the next bend.