“I am inertia personified.”
One year ago, I started my very first Reluctant Hubby post with that sentence. And how do I feel about that statement 365 days later?
Much has happened since last Halloween. I took my first yoga class. I ran my first 5K racein over ten years. I ate “clean” for an entire month, avoiding nearly all processed food, and dropped nine pounds without really even trying.
And … I said I would be active each day in some way, shape, or form over the 100 days between Memorial and Labor. That one didn’t pan out so well. And … I’ve started to get a cranky back from working at home and sitting on the couch too much as opposed to focusing on proper posture at a desk. (Or, God forbid, taking Pilates sessions more regularly at Lisa’s studio.)
So back to that inertia statement. Is it still true?
The answer, if I’m being honest with myself, is that I let inertia win far too often.
I’ll always be Reluctant, and over all, that’s not the worst thing I could be. But in order to carry that moniker, I still need to follow through on the action, just not necessarily enjoying myself as I go merrily along. If you claim “reluctance,” but over time let your bad habits creep back in and take over, then you’re just … the Hubby.
I was incredibly proud in January during the month of eating clean. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do it, to overnight change my eating habits in order to subsist on a frugal food budget as part of our family’s Whole Foods 30-Day Thrifty Challenge. But I put my mind to it, actually showed some willpower and gumption, and surprised myself. If I put my mind to it, I can set a goal, see it through, and achieve it.
Problem is, I knew that particular challenge would only last until it was time to turn the page on the calendar. It was achievable because it was finite. And I have certainly enjoyed a fair amount of processed food in the months since. Those nine pounds? Back on, but thankfully no more.
One year after starting the Reluctant Hubby, I realize I need to make decisions that aren’t temporary solutions for my health and fitness routines; I need to enact lifestyle changes. To treat my body as more important to me than my couch. The question is, can I?
I thank you for reading over the past year, and I hope you’ll keep reading in the future to see how I answer that last question.