Coming out of a rut

Just a couple of months ago I was looking for a referral to an endocrinologist. I was sure my pronounced mood swings were some sort of hormonal imbalance that I needed medical help to fix. No one was happy with me. I wasn't happy with anyone. I didn't have the motivation to do much of anything except hide in my work.

In the midst of all that I saw a Facebook ad for a 6-week challenge and I answered the call. So I met a CrossFit trainer and we agreed that if I could lose some weight, control my portions and make it to the gym 3x a week she would give me a significant discount on the gym fee for the rest of the year. I did it! I'm doing it!

At first, I justified the expense with the fact that my youngest is about to be three and I still haven't made it back to my pre-baby self. I also told myself getting back in shape was a prerequisite to my actual hobby, which is horseback riding.

Want to know a secret? I'm loving it! I'm not thinking about baby fat or horseback riding when I'm at the gym. For the most part, it's the only time of the day I'm NOT THINKING!

The coach's instructions, my body's reaction to the movements, and the encouragement of my fellow athletes, as they call us at Dirty Gringos CrossFit (the name is an inside joke), are all I can focus on. When I walk out of there, at 6:30 am, I feel energized, I've had two hours to myself, and I find I just don't do any morning yelling.

So yes, I want to keep focused on my caloric intake. And yes, I want to keep increasing my weight lifting max. But you know what I really want, what's really addictive about working out and working at staying healthy? The fact that even on the days I don't go to the gym, I find myself quickly closing my eyes and taking a deep breath when just two months ago I would have yelled instead. Don't get me wrong, I'm still super loud in general, but I'm not screaming at my sweet children. I feel so proud of that! There's the win!

Well, it turns out I happened to stumble on a truth that at least one psychiatrist has been promoting for quite some time. Take a look at Stutz, a documentary by Jonah Hill, if you have a chance! Spoiler alert, the psychiatrist being interviewed will give you vocabulary for naming and tools for handling some of life's daily and universal personal struggles. My favorite part of the documentary was at the very beginning, when Stutz recounts his frustration with a profession that for years let people in very delicate situations talk for an hour but sent them away feeling no better. Stutz believes and suggests that making the person believe change is possible immediately, is the key to helping them feel better. He named 3 things in particular that can make someone feel 85% better right away: exercise, eating healthy, and writing.

So anyway, some friendly advice, if you're at all feeling, stuck in a rut or sad, or less than your best:

1) thank you for reading my blog! This is my writing. Send us a note if journaling isn't your thing but correspondence could be. My email is Miry at thewildspring .com.

2) if you can, just say no to one unhealthy food/drink today (I started with soda).

3) stand up, right now...and do ten jumping jacks (if you're in a public space, maybe wait till you get home, but do it!). ;)