Countdown to 50

Today is my birthday but not just any birthday. Today is my 49th birthday and I have mixed feelings about that though overall, 49 doesn't really bother me too much. What it does, however, is remind me that this time next year, I'll turn 50! Now THAT number does something for me. It motivates me. I have found myself over the last year or so actually looking forward to 50. I really want to be the best 50 I can be. I want to be healthier; I want to look good and I want to be more active. I'd like to be able to go for a hike or a bike ride with my family and not be so out of breath that I can't keep up. I live in beautiful Florida where there's so many wonderful outdoor activities to take advantage of and I'm so out-of-shape that I just can't participate and I want to change that.

So here's what I'm doing. Like the title of the post says, this, my 49th year, begins my countdown to 50 where I plan to continue to work hard on losing 40 more pounds - I've already lost 10 over the last few months. I've been working on changing habits. I'm getting off my butt and going outside to walk. When I started I could only go 20 minutes but now I'm up to 30 nearly everyday. I'm eating healthier and learning a completely different dietary lifestyle than I've ever known. I'm eating lots more fruits and veggies, cutting way back on refined sugars and trying "weird" foods like legumes and quinua. In addition to walking, I'm toying with idea of trying yoga and little by little I'm incorporating strength training. I'm taking it slow since so much of this is new to me, especially where the food is concerned but so far, it's been fun and challenging and frustrating and hopeful. In a perfect world, I'd lose a pound a week but I've been on this rollercoaster ride waaay too long to truly expect that to happen every single week but it's still something to work toward.

I'm excited but I know feelings like this can ebb and flow as well, especially when I'm tired or stressed so I would appreciate any prayers you'd care to pray on my behalf in this area. I have asked God to change my "want-to's" and I can see Him answering that prayer even in silly ways. Like, I crave broccoli at times the way I'd crave ice cream or something cake-like. Weird, right? But I speak the truth. Writing it all down like this helps keep me accountable in a way and gives me an outlet so I'll post updates on occasion and maybe even a pic once in a while that I hope will show my progress. So that's the deal. To the two or three people who might actually see this, thanks for checking in and reading.

Be blessed.