Flickr image by Darwin Bell
A shout out to Kelly D. and her blog Over Here for the heads-up on the celebration for yesterday.
Following the key rule to make sure it is tasty and that you enjoy it, I needed to delay my participation until today. I was inspired to enjoy a chocolate croissant from Panera. So, I planned for it to be a lunch time treat paired with their tasty hazelnut flavored blend. I also planned to down two Ibuprofen before first munch to stave off a chocolate and extra caffeine-induced migraine. I pinged the pastry in the microwave for about 20 seconds and voila…pure, absolute, creamy chocolate bliss.
But, what does this indulgence say about my 90-Day Challenge commitment (with only 30 days left)? My fortitude against the cravings monster? My adult understanding between a want and a need? Would Jillian or Bob shake their head in shame watching me run arms open wide towards the pastry buffet, while I’m rationalizing the whole way how the treat is a benefit in some way? Would there be a field of car tires and an uphill run in my future as a “last chance workout” punishment?
Post my 9/20 car-being-rammed-from-behind accident, tonight will actually be my first foray back to the gym. That’s 16 days of neck injury muscle knots and energy twitches balling up. While I had 15 more pounds I was eying to kill off by 90-day finale, I’ll happily settle for half. That would get me to 43.5 total pounds off since end of January, which is pretty cool Back to low-impact cardio (hello recumbent bike; goodbye for now Zumba) and cautious strength training.
Was my planned pastry worth it? Absolutely—it was good going in! Seriously, I’ve grown to learn the process of changing habits, processes or quirks isn’t finite, and if I tried to make it that way for me, I would fail. In choosing to celebrate and enjoy the day, I did come to realize a few mindsets that have shifted for me regarding food. I planned for the chocolate delight and patiently waited. I didn’t just wander, while stressed out and off kilter, up to the counter and end up purchasing multiple snacks (a la my old strategy). Also now that the treat is done, I’m done. I don’t feel this urge to head out to nibble more…though this could just be that croissants aren’t a strong enough trigger (see the Milk Dud episode). And I slowed down and took the time enjoy and appreciate it, which is something I’d forgotten how to do along the way of life.
For next year, I’m thinking some high-end cheesecake should be on tap. Are you going to join in?
Barbara McDowell 