Do It Anyway

In chasing any goal, there are moments where the obstacles are overwhelming, the cost is too high, it doesn’t feel like a big deal to just do it later. Do it anyway.

Have you ever looked back and been able to pinpoint an exact moment where your perspective shifted?

A week ago, I found myself realizing that my priorities had shifted, my basic mental drive had changed. Normally I take two lessons a week with my dressage trainer and because I’m a creature of habit they are always mid morning. This week, though, busy lives and the severe heat blanketing Central Texas made my Thursday lesson a no-go. I told my trainer that I would come earlier, even if it was just riding while she was riding training horses so I could still get some direction. Wednesday evening, a text rolled in.

I can do 6 am tomorrow.

I typed back an okay and found myself staring at my phone, wondering just why I was infringing on what little sleep I’d been getting lately.

 

 

Elf-pony says “6 am lesson? Are you NUTS?”

A photo posted by Kristen (@ifthesaddlefits) on Aug 6, 2015 at 3:48am PDT

Since then, an idea has been percolating in my brain. In the last year, I’ve been making frustratingly slow but steady progress on a number of my goals. These are ideas that have been vague wishes for ages, the things that I wished I had time for. What changed and set the gears moving forward? There was a point where I decided to just do it anyway. And looking back, I know exactly when it was – early in my husband’s 2014 deployment. I ran smack into the idea that if I wanted to chase a goal there was never going to be a good time when the Army’s plans kept breaking into our lives. Either I would make progress or I wouldn’t. So, I found a regular part time baby sitter and concentrated on a couple of goals.

Making Wellness A Priority

When I say wellness, what I really mean is weight loss. I am, fortunately, remarkably healthy outside of the aches and pains caused by the weight gained from a medication reaction. While losing weight is physically harder for me than your average person because of sub-optimal thyroid function, the truth is that until recently it was never a top priority – it was something I wished I could spend more time on. During an argument with my husband shortly because he left for Afghanistan, he asked why I don’t just do more? More working out, more time on healthy meals until I found whatever it takes to make the difference?  With WHAT time, I responded, was that supposed to happen? It was all well and good for him to work out twice a day when he was a chasing a goal, he simply made it a priority and did it while I took care of the house, paying bills, our son’s schedule, the grocery shopping. But I was balancing all of these other priorities – our home being neat, meals for the family, keeping my work schedule flexible enough that my son still felt like he had a SAHM. Then I had that perspective switch. I was letting all of those things get in the way because what I wanted was hard. When my husband made workouts a priority, he adjusted everything else. In reality, I could spend less time picking up around the house and volunteering with one of the many activities that I used to participate in. If I divided up my time based on my real priorities, I could say yes less, when it didn’t contribute to one of those priorities. I jumped into Beachbody’s coaching program. I found a community of women who are also working to value their health and wellness enough to make it a daily priority. I still struggle to fit those workouts in, but I’m getting there.

Getting Back In The Show Ring

I enjoy riding for riding’s sake, but having competition goals encourages me to be more present and intentional in my rides. It gives me an accomplishment of my own, separate from my family and work. Perhaps it is because riding is a life long hobby, but I feel that I absorb necessary life lessons better when they are learned in the saddle then applied to the rest of my life. Like learning to fail forward – accepting that reaching for my goals will mean not meeting them in the process and that’s okay.   This is something that I needed for myself – a link back to a fitter, healthier time in my life. Last December, I took a leap – beginning consistent, 2x a week lessons with my dressage trainer and registering for a weekend clinic. In the Spring, I signed up for my first show in YEARS. And I have continued, seeing progress and loving the results that my hard work is earning. It’s hard, especially juggling time and commitments to make it happen. The summer has proven especially challenging since I have my son home with me and getting to the barn for rides requires advance planning. But in many ways, this is the most satisfied with my life that I’ve been in years – and I have those hours in the saddle to thank.

Make it a habit

Back a few weeks ago when I had this realization, happily waking up at 5 am to avoid missing a lesson, I realized that I could also make other changes to chase my goals faster. There are three habits that I’ve known for a while I needed to work on, but kept getting pushed aside:

1. Drinking enough H2O
2. Moving every day
3. Getting up early

Each of these three things positively contributes to my general wellness every day – which is a huge priority! A healthy, productive me is better able to be present in the lives of my family and chase my goals. What’s not to love? But they are also relatively small things that are easy to let slide in the moment. Slapping the snooze button, missing a workout because I really need to run to the store/do laundry/am tired, or thinking I’ll drink some water later. Making those small choices in the moment builds momentum. In the last two weeks, I’ve concentrated on building habits by choosing one to focus on for 21 days. To start with, I decided to address my number one excuse (not having enough time to work out) by working on my wake up time. I’ve been setting myself a strict bed time (10 pm) and setting my alarms for 5 am. You know what? It hasn’t been that bad. Don’t get me wrong, there are about 5 minutes every morning where I mentally run through every reason to not get up. But I do it anyway. I lay out my clothes the night before so I don’t have to think in those first 15 minutes I’m awake. I get dressed, grab my dog and a bottle of water and go for a walk. At 5 am, my mostly military neighborhood is quiet with soldiers just starting to  head out for their runs or formation before PT. A quick trip around my block takes 25 minutes, getting my body moving and letting my mind get rolling without having to focus on any one thing in particular.

  Dragging this am but Bella is wondering what’s taking me so long! #dogsofinstagram   A photo posted by Kristen (@ifthesaddlefits) on Aug 19, 2015 at 3:17am PDT

 

The difference it makes in my day is magical. I see my husband before he heads off to work and have time to some work done before my son wakes up. Although it wasn’t my intention when I choose to focus on waking up early, this one small change has positively impacted all three of the habits I wanted to work on.

Daily, I’m tired. I’m busy. I have a mile-long to do list. I don’t have time or energy or mental space to ride, work out, plan healthy meals, read books, or chase any of my other goals.

I do it anyway.