The Circle of Inspiration

Cold weather. Snow. Clouds.

All of that makes me want to hide under the covers with a good book, a cup of coffee and a bag of Oreos or popcorn all day long.

Unfortunately, I actually have done that quite a bit lately.

So, I wake up the next morning with my leggings -- yes, my LEGGINGS, known for their loving stretch in every direction -- feeling a bit tighter.

Then I step on the scale and to myself say, "Today is the day, Kristin! You're eating clean ALL day. No sweets, just fruit. No entire bags of popcorn, just raw vegetables."

Then I discover a bar of dark chocolate hiding in my workout clothing drawer, skip the workout, and go back to bed again with my book and chocolate.

I blame it on winter. That's the easy thing to do. It's what even the muscular men and girls with visible abs occasionally blame a cheat meal on -- their version might be a little piece of white bread with their grilled chicken (not an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's, like mine). Excuses are found everywhere -- especially in winter. Everyone agrees on that. I bet people in Florida even find something about winter to blame a bad meal on if they search hard enough.

However, every day hasn't been like that, because deep down, I know I still want success on this journey more than I want to be lazy every single day and even more than I want to eat an entire jar of peanut butter every day (I tried that one very dark, sad night, by the way, and discovered it's actually the one thing I can't eat an entire jar of in one sitting... lucky for me!).

So, while eating doughnuts as long as they fit into my maintenance calories isn't giving me results right now, it's at least keeping me from undoing all my progress from last year. Yet, I still let myself feel down about it and have that fear of what if I DO undo it all little by little. Then I get discouraged.

That was until a couple of my friends -- who love cookies and movies as much as I do -- started eating healthy and working out. Yes, you read that right... IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER! Talk about inspiring. They've cleaned up their diets, are taking walks daily, and have a new confidence and glow about them! I was so excited for them.

I told them how they are inspiring me to get my glow back, because honestly, how does a doughnut make you glow even if it fits in your calorie allotment for the day? It doesn't. I'm like, sitting there thinking how I really love healthy food, so why am I eating crap (excuse my French). They didn't even start off loving it and they're eating more of it than I am lately.

So, after that talk yesterday, I changed again. I ate fruit and carrots and cucumbers in the middle of the night when I was hungry after eating well all day. Today, I'm going to do it again.

BUT...what was most surprising about the talk we had at a restaurant where we usually load up on the fried foods was not that we were happy to eat healthy there, but that I actually inspired THEM to start their OWN journey.

Yes, me who binge eats in the middle of winter nights now and then even after a good workout; but they don't see that part of me, they just see the results of my progress last year and finally realized they want to feel better, too. They know me, and they saw me change and knew if I could -- ANYONE could. I inspired them even in the midst of my struggle. That felt great to hear.

Now, while they didn't know my struggle lately and their journey is just beginning, they inspired me to really take a look at my diet again and get real with myself instead of staying comfortable.

It's the circle of inspiration! That's why...

ONE: You should never give up. You don't know who is seeing each tiny, positive step of your journey (like ordering a water instead of soda or getting on a treadmill instead of starting a Netflix marathon) and feeling inspired to make their own healthy decisions. Later, their success you in some way may have helped get started will help you when you want to give up again.

TWO: No one is perfect. It's those tiny decisions that eventually add up and allow you to progress. You're going to eat a cookie -- or a box of them -- now and then. One workout -- heck, even five months of workouts -- won't necessarily make you look like Carrie Underwood. But all those positive steps make you FEEL better, which makes you keep going and inspires those around you -- and later inspires you again when you need it most.

So, today, you can make excuses -- even where it's warm -- those are everywhere! Or you can let them go, and remember what you want most and go for it, all in, until you get there. I believe you can do it, but you've got to believe it, too! Just NEVER give up.