slow progress, mindful thoughts

After my husband (and workout buddy) slipped on the ice and tore his hamstring last week, I stopped going to the gym. I haven't been to the gym since last Sunday, so when I go later today it will have been seven days since my last visit. I know this is not the way to my running goal. I  have felt sloshy and unmotivated. My eating is off (I am still under my WW points limit, but eating fewer veggies and more carbs) and have been sooo tired.  I have been weighing myself daily (I know, bad thing to do, but I do it) and then beating myself up after finding myself up a pound.  (Self talk: this is never going to work, I work so hard and gain weight, why bother at all, might as well go have a milkshake and be happy.)

I distract myself with the internet, randomness, tv, radio, all the things that keep me tuned out. So my goal this week is to work on mindfulness. I am going to work on self kindness, paying attention to how I am doing, to my hunger, to whether I am focusing on thoughts that are useful and healthy.  I will try to focus on self-thoughts that affirm my health, my progress, and my positive goals. I will also work on getting my veggies back up and carbs down because it will make me feel more energetic and less hungry.

I was at a lecture last week and the speaker talked about a study that suggested we have between 40,000-60,000 thoughts each day, and that 80% of them are negative. This may have served us well as cavemen when there were so many things in the world to be worried about.  But today we mostly live to old ages and there are fewer legitimate worries. That leaves a lot more room for positive thoughts.  Try it with me?