By Amy Pelz
When I took the challenge of training for this figure competition, all sorts of positive thoughts swirled through my head leading up to the end result. Thinking about the process as a whole ignited some pretty amazing, empowering thoughts. But actually, in retrospect, getting down to the everyday nitty gritty of it has been somewhat grueling. Every day in between now and then will truly test my will to succeed. Especially on days like yesterday when I had to answer to myself, the toughest critic of all.
I had a moment of weakness. It was a dreary Monday morning at the office and my head was clouded with defeat. It’s that time of year when the weather is changing and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch in my sweats. Being at work was no different because I just wanted to sit there on my lunch hour and eat junk in the comfort of my own space.
Thinking back, I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I dreaded working out. This is usually the easiest part for me. Where was this feeling coming from? The scary part was that it came out of nowhere. Bill was out of the office so I couldn’t call him for some words of encouragement. The only person I had to rely on was myself.
Ultimately, I ended up making it down there to the gym despite my negative thoughts. Getting in there was half the battle. After I was finished, I felt accomplished physically and mentally. I have habit to thank for helping me through this tough struggle. Habit has carried me through some pretty tough times and it won’t fail me. This notion has allowed me to not let physical activity in my everyday life fall to the wayside. It has helped me make good healthy choices for the past couple of years with the help of Bill. These choices have turned into habits thanks to him. This is what will make me stronger in my journey towards May. So, bring on the difficult days because I have the power to overcome them!