It Sneaks Up On You

Maybe I'm talking about the days - and how the weeks fly by and if you aren't paying attention - and before you know you've lost track of an entire month.

Or maybe I'm talking about the meals - and how summer turns into Ice Cream Fest '11! Or how bad habits pile on top of each other. And how one bad food choice can lead to another one - and soon you are having daily "treats" or "cheats".

But really - it's all of these and more. We used to have a yearly wellness exam that would occur at our workplace - it included all the blood numbers and helped you to reflect on your daily choices and how they add up to changes that you can't see. And then our insurance changed - like 2 years ago. So for 2 years I have lacked this formal self-reflection.

So I finally broke down and went to see my primary doc. Who greeted me with these words...

Dr: So, Regina I have not seen you in almost 2 years. I see you've gained 20+ (I blacked out the real number) pounds since I last saw you.

R: Ouch.

I'm awaiting the results from the blood work - but with cold hard facts like 20+ pounds...I'd be a fool to think they will be good. But this is kind of how it happens - the weight (the budget, the days) just sneak up on you and then you are kind of floored about how you got so far off track.

And I want to believe that it doesn't require a boot camp to get back on track - but regular doses of intentional choices - which sounds about as exhausting as boot camp - only it never ends. So while I await the dreaded numbers - I'll see if I can't start to get back on track with some good choices. I'm not sure that a yearly look at the numbers will be enough to keep me on track - it would seem that quarterly check-ins would be more regular to maintain the focus. How do you keep your focus? What keeps you going?