The Joy is in the Journey…by Liimu

This year for our spring break vacation, we went to San Diego, California to spend time with family. While I was looking forward to seeing my sister and niece, spending time with my Uncle Buddy and cousins and trips to Legoland and the San Diego Zoo, my kids were eagerly anticipating a different aspect of the trip – the plane ride. My kids love to travel. They love to take long drives down to see my mother in North Carolina. They love walking through the airport, wheeling their little pink bags behind them. They love to get new activity books to complete and new movies to watch. They have a blast when we get wherever we’re going, but they also feel like getting there is half the fun.

I think that’s something I have been missing over these many months of striving to achieve my weight loss goals. I’ve been so focused on where I’m trying to get to, I’ve missed out on the fun of getting there. Either that, or I’ve just been so lackadaisical about getting there, I haven’t made any progress toward the goal. Can you imagine if my kids were so engrossed in their Mad Libs while we waited in the airport, we completely missed our flight? Sometimes, I find myself so caught up in being okay with where I am, I forget about the importance of where I’m trying to go.

This past week, I’ve been able to strike a balance between being focused on the journey and enjoying the journey I’m on. I’m not pushing myself at a breakneck pace to get where I’m trying to go – no more hour and a half long punishing workouts in the gym. Rather, I’ve been diligently logging my food choice (still intuitively eating) and enjoying long hikes in the Wissahickon Woods near where I live. At the same time, I have been making better choices and pushing myself to lower my sugar intake by foregoing the Easter candy (after Easter was over, of course) or to add a 30-second running interval into my walk every now and then. We are on a journey, after all. No shame in stepping on the gas pedal a little bit every now and again, see how this baby feels when you really open ‘er up, as they say.

So, this is a new, more balanced approach and I like it. I still feel like I’m flowing along at a nice, easy pace, and it may take me another year to actually achieve my goal, but the difference is that I am now actually flowing downstream toward the goal, rather than simply floating around in circles under the summer sun. It’s a good feeling, being able to enjoy the journey.  If you haven’t tried it, you should. 

Tags: balance, hiking, intuitive eating, Legoland, running, San Diego, spring break, weight loss, weight loss on vacation