Brrr it’s so cold in Erie I really don’t remember what it feels like anymore to NOT be cold. It’s down right miserable.
The worst thing about winters in Erie is the fact that it is ALWAYS windy. When the weather forecast calls for 10 degrees or below (almost every day recently) it really feels like below zero with the wind chill. There are some things about this city I absolutely won’t miss when we move.
Yesterday morning started out with a run. A treadmill run of course. I completed 5 miles running followed by a 1 mile cool down walk.
I finished it off with about 15 minutes of weights before I had to jump in the shower to head to some appointments.
When it gets cold my motivation slows down and I really have to focus on the reason behind my workouts. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately because sometimes that is the only thing that can really push us out the door.
I don’t know about you all, but I’ve found that when I’m on the treadmill I do some of my best thinking. I don’t know if that’s why I enjoy the treadmill or running in general but it is one of the few times where I can spend quality time just thinking with myself. I think about the future, my hopes, dreams, and just about anything else one can think of.
The one thing that keeps me driving to the gym each and every day is knowing that my dreams are still alive. That dream that one day I will reach my goal and I will be standing on the starting line of the Boston Marathon and I will know that I finally did it!
I realize that sometimes our dreams have to be altered or pushed back. It doesn’t mean we have to get rid of the dreams it just simply means that plans change. Life happens.
Every day that I am focusing on adding 20 minutes of strength training, or stretching an extra 10 minutes, all of those things are eventually going to aid in getting me where I want to go. I know I have a long way to go and I know that it could be a couple years but every step I take and every way I improve myself makes me one step closer to that goal.
My nutrition is at the top of my priority list because my body needs it. It needs good foods and enough food to make it run and keep it healthy. Yesterday I had a couple appointments after my workout and I took lunch with me. I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but that is something the old me would have NEVER done. I would have used it as an opportunity to just skip the meal and eat more at night. I prepped and packed ahead of time and kept my body fueled properly!
Our dreams are what keep us alive. They are what keep us moving and they are what help us push through the tough workouts. To me dreams are a sign that we are alive and that we are really living. I’ve spent a lot of my life “floating through” and like I mentioned yesterday I don’t want to do that anymore.
I am so excited for the first time in a while about the future. I have nothing figured out yet, but for once I see that I can change my outlook, I can change my focus, and I can be the woman that I’ve always wanted to be. There are going to be set backs, there are going to be challenges, and not everything is going to work out the way we expected it, but my dreams are still alive!
No matter what, no matter how, no matter when – keep your dreams alive!
What are some of your dreams?
What do you do to keep your dreams alive?
I love this! It is so important to relentlessly follow your dreams no matter where you are right now! Sometimes easier to take the path away from dreams but if you keep chasing them… the right thing will come. I try to keep my dreams alive by taking time to reflect and get focused every morning, to remember why I am doing what I am doing that day.
Completely agree Hayley! Sometimes it is easier than others, but even following small dreams such as getting through the day in a positive attitude is still a dream!
Of course, we have larger dreams and those are just as important. Even if my dreams is years down the road every workout I do now is slowly getting me there. 🙂
Awesome! That is so important … well, pretty much everything you said!
– Dreams
– Living in the moment
– Appreciating what you have
– Working towards what you want
– Proper nutrition
and on and on. Just a great post.
I saw an article yesterday that contains a video game reference but describes my focus – it was called ‘From PC to NPC’. In a video game, the character YOU play is the PC (player character) and others you interact with are NPC (non-player characters). And as you become a parent, much of your focus is no longer centered on yourself but on your kids.
That is a blessing and a challenge – because we live for the ups and downs of their school days, college futures, relationships, health, dreams and disappointments and so on.
But we also live for each other and for our own dreams and our own future.. It is a constant balancing act and challenge. Personally I have a great job, home, marriage, family, running, and health. There is always ‘more’, but I am so thankful for what I have …
Wow that sounds really interesting! Would love to read that at some point! 🙂
I think dreams are what keep us moving. Even in the hard days if I can focus on my dreams I set for myself – personal, relationship, running, etc. then I know I have something I pushing towards. Dreams can be big or simply “lets get through this day with a positive attitude” there are so many variations!
Lovely blog dear! Stay warm 🙂
http://www.simplyhsquared.com
Thank you! 🙂 I will try!
So glad to hear that you are pushing through towards your dreams. I can’t even imagine having to deal with the crazy cold the east coast is having this winter! You are a rockstar for making it to the gym so often in that weather. I know that someday you will be on the starting line of the Boston Marathon and hopefully I will be there to see it! 🙂
It is REALLY hard some days, but the option of sitting inside is not much better! I learned my very first winter up here that some days you just have to force yourself to go otherwise you’ll never leave the house!
Thank you – I really hope I will be and that you will be right there with me!
I can relate to this post a lot, especially when you talk about “floating through”. I got in cycles of that for several months last semester, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted from life. It’s not a good place to be: I felt like an empty shell with no soul or personality. I mean it probably didn’t seem like much was wrong on the outside, but inside I felt so detached. Anyway, winter break helped me to re-define my priorities and now i’m back and feeling alive 🙂
But what I do appreciate is that now, having gone through times like that, I can relate to other people who might be feeling like that. And I think in some cases, it’s more important to be able to feel what another person is feeling than to jump right in and try to snap them out of it. We all go through hard times, sometimes you just have to sit in them for a while before you get through them.