Three Hundred Sixty-Five Days

Once upon a time, a young lady thought it would be a great idea to make a goal for herself to be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day for 365 days (even if it was just stretching for 30 minutes).  This woman was bound and determined to stick with this goal, even through road trips, family vacations, starting a new school journey, and just general day-to-day life.  Spoiler alert:  that woman was me and today is day 365.  And I made it!

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it was all butterflies and rainbows every single day for a year, because it absolutely wasn't.  There were days when getting into my workout clothes felt excruciating.  There were days when one mile felt like 12 and 10 pound weights felt like 100 pounds.  There were other days when I felt like I could keep going forever down the road or lift 7000 pounds.  I will tell you that I never regretted doing a workout, but I definitely would have regretted not doing one.

I'm also not going to lie to you and tell you that I went hard at the gym every single day.  There were days when my only physical fitness was a few sets of squats, lunges, and push-ups throughout the day to total 30 minutes.  There were some days when all I could do was walk for 30 minutes.  Some days, my only physical fitness was a hike.  Some days, it was only dancing (one of my favorite forms of exercise).  But, I moved my body for 30 minutes a day for 365 days, and that's all that matters.

Three hundred sixty-five days goes slowly when you're in it, but looking back on it, it went so fast!  This year I have run 1,249.4 miles, lifted several thousand pounds, ran my first half marathon, lost 2 pants sizes, found a healthier relationship with food, become happier with myself than I ever have been before, laughed so hard cried, cried so hard I laughed, gained two beautiful nieces, started down a path toward my career, and for the first time in my life, stuck with a goal and finished it.

The most important thing I have learned in the last year is that I can do hard things.  I am strong.  If I put my mind to something, I can complete it.  All it takes is a little hard work and determination.  I have said for years that I was going to run a half marathon, and finally, this year, I did.  I have said for years that I was going to get my teaching credential, and finally, this year, I did.  I have said for years that I am going to pick a goal and stick with it, and finally, this year, I did.  We are all able to to hard things.  We can get up at 4:30 to go to the gym when we've gone to bed at 1am the night before.  We can exercise even when we're on vacation.  We can move our bodies even when we're sick.  It's a matter of determination.  A matter of motivation.  A matter of putting ourselves first and loving ourselves the most.

There are many people I owe thanks to.  Many who I could not have completed this goal without.  First and foremost, my running partner.  She has been the voice in my head during every hard workout.  She's the one who got me into racing and helped me fall back into love with running.  She's the one who was by my side during the hardest race of my life and during my first 10 mile run.  

Also, I had massive support from boyfriend, who stuck by me, even when I whined and complained about being sore, tired, and cranky.  He also even went to the gym with me sometimes when I begged him to because I knew if I didn't have someone next to me, I wouldn't do it.

The blog friends I have made within the last year mean the world to me.  Whenever I felt like I was not going to make my goal, I would read their blogs and get supportive comments from them.  Also, the texts from them make my day!  Last, but certainly not least, I have my family to thank.  I have an amazingly strong support system.  They cheer me on in everything I do, from getting my credential, to running half marathons.  They're there for me every step of the way.  

You may be wondering what I did to celebrate my 365 physical fitness streak.  Well, I ran 6.64 miles and lifted.  Physical fitness is a part of me now.  It's a personality trait as much as sarcasm and kindness are parts of me.  

Will I take a rest day tomorrow?  Probably not.  Will I be as obsessed with getting 30 minutes a day?  No way!  What are my new goals for 2014?  I want to focus more on lifting and getting my diet in order.  I want to see where my body can go.  I don't have any specific goals at this moment.  Right now, I am just so happy I completed my 365 day goal!  

Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to read my fitness journey!