I am finding that it is really helpful to narrow my focus each week on one specific goal. So often, when it comes to weight loss, I have noticed that it is very easy for me to get overwhelmed. Every time I embark on some sort of “lifestyle change” there are a million people and opinions that sneak in bringing with them a barrage of rules and limitations. On top of that, your friends, family, co-workers and strangers expect you to be a normal, non-crazy, annoying or constantly H-ANGRY person? How do you do this? For me at least, I feel like the answer is the good old cliche “slow and steady wins the race.” I heard somewhere that if you can simply set an intention of laying one brick every day, before you know it, you will have a house. This metaphor is very helpful for me to use as a point of focus. And it is this metaphor that makes me believe that simple, attainable goal setting is the way to go. Life changes should happen in layers. If you try to pile it all on at once, restricting yourself in a straightjacket of “rules” from day one, you will eventually collapse and dive head first into whatever you are trying to overcome. Whether that be food or your own vice of choice. If I look at myself today and compare it to the person I was just a few weeks ago, it is incredible how many changes I have made. I know however, that if I tried to implament them all at the same time, I would never have gotten this far.

Going along with the theme of self recognition and appreciation, let’s discuss last week’s goal. It was a biggy. The dreaded EXERCISE! It is important for me to be honest with you all and tell you that when it comes to goals, I do not always pass with flying colors and I am not always a perfect student. Last week, I wanted to do my walk 5 days out of the week. I only was able to do 3. Normally, I would be pretty upset with myself and I might have even been dishonest in the interest of maintaining some imaginary perfect persona…but why? For me this is all about honesty and I have to own the outcome even if it doesn’t look as perfect as I wish it looked. That being said, I am very proud of myself and feeling very grateful. This past week has been an unbelievable gift. So many friends, acquaintances, people who I just met or who I had lost touch with for a while, have been coming out of the woodwork and approaching me with open arms. All, eager to help me on my journey. Inviting me to join them in classes at their gyms, offering to play a round of tennis, go for a walk or be an accountability work-out buddy. This response is absolutely overwhelming and so heartwarming. It is truly incredible how the simple act of stating what you want can bond and unite people, in the most beautiful and humbling manner. I could have never imagined the response I would get and I am so immensely grateful.
Side Note: Today, I indulged myself with a one hour training session with an incredible personal trainer and I absolutely loved every minute of it. This is shocking, I know! Even though I was a bit terrified going in, ultimately it was the best gift I could have given myself to start off my week on the right path. Being led through a strenuous workout and getting to see first hand how the body can work its way through tremendous strain, even excessive weight, is truly inspiring!

Going along with all of this inspiration, enlightenment, and gratitude, I felt that the perfect goal for this week would be meditation. I have wanted to implement a meditation regimen into my daily routine for as long as I can remember and I have not yet been successful. For this week, I would like to begin by starting at least 5 of the next 7 days with meditation. It is hard to focus on gratitude and positive manifestation when there are elements of present life that are feeling out of whack but I believe this is probably the best time for this practice. I am a big fan of Deepak Chopra (I download meditations for free from his podcast.) A trainer/friend also gave me holosync meditation which I use from time to time (though these, unlike the Deepak meditations, are not guided.)
What is your goal for this week? I love hearing from you and getting to help you stay accountable as well, so please share your goals with me! You can leave them in the comment section below!

Namaste,
Chelsey