The Emotional Journey to Fitness

Well.. I laid down in bed last night and couldnt go to sleep.
Tears started rolling down my face.
I got up and sat in front of the fire and just thought and cried.

It was like 6 months of frustrations came out last night. I find the emotions that come along with getting-staying fit so interesting. There was one other time that I felt this way. That was 2 years or more ago when I first started this blog. I determined then that this journal would be one that was honest and open. And.. here I sit.. the day after a night of tears.. to tell you the story.

Emotions come in all forms. I have been in a grieving mode, I will admit, for the last 3 months as a result of the temporary loss of my fitness and all that it entailed. You see .. for me.. working out, eating right, taking care of myself, makes me into a better person, a more willing participant in this thing called life, the aches and pains that I use to have were gone when I was fit and life was great. I had it in my head, MY PLAN was that after 2 years of determination, after 2 years of "not quitting" and.. after reaching goals such as been 120something lbs again that I would be a different person. ... Dont get me wrong.. I meant what I said.. it does make you different.. but not as much as I thought. You see.. I THOUGHT that once this or that was reached..... that I wouldnt struggle as much.

Well.. then injury sets in, and plans get washed away, I realize that something I cannot control but somethings I CAN.

So last night I grieved, i was mad, I was truly angry. Why does it always have to be so much work? Why cant I just lay around, eat the way I want, and be fit! ... My sweet hubby talked with me and refocused me and made me feel so much better. But I must admit, letting the honest emotions and grieving the loss of who i thought I would be NOW and how i am and how far I have to go was a good thing.

I am refreshed. I am energized and I know that this life is going to just keep on being a life full of ups and downs. I will NEVER have to NOT work at being fit. Its all a matter of what price i am willing to pay.
Do i want to grow old(er) and be 100lbs over weight? Do I want to live the rest of my life, become a grandma that cant around, much less get on the floor and play with her grandchildren? Do I want a life filled with medicine, doctors, and the bills that come with that. Do I want a life filled with stress and worry about the aches and pains and how to fix them?

I am not saying that being fit will solve all my health problems. But I do understand that what I do today, what I put in my body today, whether or not I QUIT caring today... makes a difference in my tomorrow.

so.. I cried. I let go of the past and I am pressing on to the future. I might get injured again. My life might be turned upside down by some other issue... but I refuse to quit. I refuse to let the world get the best of me.

Psalm 37: 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this

Comments

JoAnn said…
Sucks sometimes to be us doesn't it? A friend said to me one time, 'everywhere I go, there I am'. Grieving is so important, because most of what we have handed to us in life is beyond our control. Even then, grief is learning that God's sustaining us. Progress, not perfection, sweet thing....Last night was definately progress, even through the tears! Love you always and forever, J.
Anonymous said…
Ruthie, I so loved your post today! It is gut honest truth and openness at it's best. I am sure everyone reading your post will can relate to how you feel. It is the feelings I think a LOT of us feel. Why does it have to be so dang hard! Nothing in life is easy. But with God's help, we can do anything. LIfe is a journey. We will never "arrive" at a place. It is good that you grieved over this past few months. Time goes by whether we want it to or not. How we lived our day is up to us. The good thing is most likely you will have tomorrow to make it better. Live each day to it's fullest. If it didn't go as planned, that's ok...start again where you left off. The important thing is to never give up! Don't quit!
Blessings!
suzette
JRo said…
Wow. I can so relate. Thank you.
Josha said…
You're my ultimate fitness friend and I can't imagine you giving up. I read an article about "running buddies" the other day and that's you and Sara for me. I have a whole post about it in my head that I'm working on. You are a big part of why I am on this fitness journey, and your honesty and passion to become all that you can become are my inspiration. Thank you for sharing your emotional journey as well as your physical one.
Laura said…
I think our fitness/health journey is so mental. So great that you can let yourself be in touch with that. I learned that more than anything over the last 7 months. Press on toward the prize of heaven, keep your eyes forward on the plow...now that you have mourned!