Guess who's back... back again

Wow… so it’s been awhile right? After being M.I.A a bit, I mean how do you not awkwardly come back??? Guess who’s back, back again, Krista’s back, back again (I’m not sure if an Eminem song was the way to go, but worth a shot). I’ve worked on a few different things here and there and really wanted to be back. I wanted to kind of ignore the elephant in the room and just plunge in and pretend like I haven’t been missing. Just to rip that band aid off- I’ve put my priorities other places. Some priorities were much needed like my own exercise and keeping a home- cooked meal going for my family, others… yeah I probably could have utilized my time differently, I was just worn out and overwhelmed. The hubby went back to school and that’s been a bit of an adjustment for our lives and not having all the proper things in place and adjusting to a new normal- this got pushed to the side. I’ve been studying for my personal training certification, which is very much important to me and a different way for me to serve others. It is important to how I want to serve here and serve as a guide for fitness. I’ve felt like I can’t contribute much without being “official”. I’m definitely learning, but there are still things I can share while going through that whole process.

Here are a few things I’ve learned in general over the past few months.

An exercise routine is important. If the time isn’t dedicated it disappears. We are what we consistently do (notice that last key word is an active word). I’ve been successful in incorporating 5 days of physical activity CONSISTENTLY for at least two months now. That was a goal of mine I couldn’t quite reach for awhile as far as the consistency part. I used to hit 5 days and then fall back down to three or four more often than the five. It feels good, and I like that I’ve honored that commitment to myself. If you’re just starting- just start somewhere. Even three days a week is a good place to start. We all start somewhere- it's just the action of starting. Set a reasonable goal- going from zero days exercising to five, probably isn't reasonable to consistently maintain. Start the habit and then build from there.

Find the excuses and time suckers and deal with them. Yeah, no one ever likes this one, myself included. I had to face my own B.S. I was feeding myself. “I’m too busy” and “I don’t have time” are kind of what they are- you’re putting time towards other things that may or may not be important. If you find time to scroll the ‘gram or the most current obsession Tik Tok for a cumulative of more than 30 min to an hour a day (I didn't specifically add it up, but I can tell you there was some prolonged scrolling going on) that’s time you had to exercise or cook a meal. We do need a break, but I even found a lot of time I wasn’t using in the best way (mindlessly scrolling Instagram included). You can keep up with what you’re doing by logging on your calendar or writing down what you’re doing in a day- I didn’t want one more thing, so I became more mindful and paid attention to where my time was going. It wasn’t exact, but I could see enough where I wasn’t using my time in the most effective ways. I made adjustments from there. I still struggled breaking some old habits, as I’m still working on that today. Slowly, change is happening. Keep working, assessing, and changing.

Being very clear what your intentions, goals, and direction is very important to accomplishing those things. No surprise here, it’s really easy to get lost in the day to day. We are all busy. I allowed my focus to be shifted elsewhere from a variety of things like discouragement, my own negative thoughts, fear, and my own expectations. I didn’t have clear goals and directions. I was living, but I stopped living with intention and purpose and just started to do all the things. Months went by, and I was far from the direction I was trying to head in. I assessed and changed things and rediscovered my priorities and put them back where they should be. If you’re struggling with this- it’s ok, we all do. Even in this process and journey, some days it felt like taking two steps forward only to take three back. Evaluate what is working and what isn't and make actionable changes. Just take 10-20 minutes, intentionally plan it, and take the time to think and see what you’re trying to accomplish and what’s important to you. This may change over time and that's ok too! Keep going and you will see progress! Long term change isn't made by trying to make a bunch of short term changes at once, going overboard, and fizzling out. It's made by making slow and sustained change over time. We're always wanting things to be quick and easy, and it's not always the key to change. Challenge yourself to change and grow a little bit every day, and when you start looking back a month, three months, six months, and then a year from now, you will see the evidence of your growth.