Isn't it funny how things change?

A little over 3 months ago, I decided that I needed to lose weight. Obviously I had thought about it long before then, but 3 months ago I got up off my big butt and decided to actually DO something about it. For some reason this morning, I was thinking about all of the things that had changed for me since then.

I've lost over 20 pounds. That is more than 10% of what my weight was when I started. I've lost lots of inches and 2 pants sizes too. The changes in my body are starting to be noticeable (I think) and to be honest, the main reason I decided to lose weight was because I wasn't happy with how I looked. Of course, weight loss comes with "extra benefits". Those extras were what I was thinking about today.

When I am hungry between meals, the first thing I reach for is an apple. 3 months ago, the first thing I would have reached for was whatever was closest - cookies, chips, anything that was fast and easy. Well guess what? An apple is fast and easy too, so as long as I keep them around, I'm not nearly as tempted to grab something that isn't healthy.

What has changed the most in the past 3 months is my exercising. When I started, I wanted to walk 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week. For the past couple of weeks, I've been using my 30 minute morning walk as a "warm up". I love to take that walk in the morning (even when it's freezing cold). It wakes me up and gets me moving and let's me think about what I want or need to do that day, but I do it in addition to something else (go to the Y, a longer walk, 30-45 min on the elliptical. etc.). It's like that isn't even exercise for me any longer. It's just something my body needs to really get going in the morning. My walking buddy (neighbor) used to tell me that she took a quick walk in the morning to get going and then she would "exercise" when she got home. I used to think "Is she crazy? The walk WAS exercise! Why would she go home and do MORE???" Now I know what she was talking about.

I did my weight training yesterday. I woke up today feeling tight. Not sore, just tight in my upper body. That was a good feeling. I am actually looking forward to meeting with my trainer tomorrow to get more exercises added on to my workout plan. That is definitely not something I thought I would ever say 3 months ago. I'm glad I'm making these changes. I can't wait to see where I am three months from now!