My Me Time

In the past 2 years I lost over 20lbs and went from a size 8 to a size 4 within a year.
Many people who struggle with their weight want to know my secret.

My secret is my me time.
I have discovered I need at least 3 hours of my morning dedicated to myself and my health before I can ever begin to be ready for my day.  At least that is what I tell myself.  And it makes all the difference.

I start by getting up early every morning.  I take the first part of my day sipping coffee and watching the sunrise.  Meditating must happen first.  Then I run through a list of at least 10 affirmations and then a five minute yoga stretch.   I then make my way to the gym and ride a stationary bicycle for at least 25 minutes.  I push myself harder each time so I use a setting that simulates a varied terrain so that I'm clearing at least 6 miles of going up and down hills in that 25 minutes.  Or I might go swimming for that 25 minutes.  Swimming and the bicycle is all I feel ok with for that long.  Otherwise I could do an eliptical or even a low setting on a stair climber.  But I rarely use those because I feel that I could accidentally trigger my knee to swell up.  I'm not that daring.

I feel the need to keep my knee moving so that it doesn't degenerate faster over the years since I've already had 3 knee surguries and my PVNS could come back.  Currently I am pretending like I don't have it.  Like I never had it.  PVNS?  What's that?  Never heard of it.

Another trick is that when I get home from the gym I make a smoothie with Matcha in it.  That is my secret ingredient to keeping the weight off.  Also, not eating emotionally.   And definitely no eating after 8pm, especially no sugar. 

I'm determined to go through a sugar detox after December.  The fall is the worst time for sweets.  They are everywhere.

If I do not get my morning routine out of the way and have my dedicated me time to invest in my health, I just feel off.  But the work over time is obvious.  I'm just one of the lucky ones that doesn't really suffer from pain.  Or maybe I do but I'm used to it so I just pretend like it's not there.