Love meets hate and a little celebration

OK, it's goign to be a big celebration...but we will get to that soon!

I love how exercise makes me feel.  I feel ready to conquer the world.  I feel ready to tackle whatever obstacles come my way.  I feel alive!  It really is amazing how awesome I feel.  However there are some downsides..........(these are serious problems, even if you decide that you need to laugh at my downsides)

Yes, we must face them.

 It takes planning...I have had to sit down yesterday and really think about my plans for Monday.  I packed my gym bag because zumba comes immediately after work.  So soon after work that I actually change at work.  I was planning a run this morning before work, so packing my bag yesterday really was the way to go, the morning run usually causes me to run tight on time. OK, so preplanned things isn't really a major issue or downside, it's just a fact of life and just one more thing on my plate.  But in the grand scheme of things inconsequential and probably a good thing..planning has never hurt anyone!  Of course the biggest problem with this is the fact that the cats always seem to want to lay in my packed gym bag, so then I look like a hairy beast while I exercise!
The second and more annoying issue is laundry.  Seriously!  Extra towels because of so many extra showers.  Extra clothes because every workout creates another outfit.  Lets take today for example....I woke up and threw the clothes I slept in into the laundry....I ran this morning (in 24 degree weather might I add).  So I had socks, gloves, hat, cuddle duds (long underwear), exercise pants, sports bra, tee shirt and two sweatshirts that all  went into the laundry (sometimes the top sweatshirt doesn't make it to the laundry I admit...it is on an outer layer so it doesn't really get that dirty does it.......and yes, the gloves need to be washed after I run....why?  Well my eyes tear in the cold and my nose runs too....gloves..well....lets just say they need washed)...then a shower after my run so towel got dirty, I am at work now...so there is another complete outfit from top to bottom.  I have zumba tonight after work..luckily it's inside so I don't have the multiple layers but it still creates another dirty outfit....sports bra, pair of pants and sweatshirt and sports top.  I will go home and shower after that...so more towels.  And then whatever I wear in the evening at home.  That is a full load of laundry (should I ignore the rules of separating colors and throw everything into the same washer!) I feel like I do laundry and then there is a full basket within hours.  I can't blame it all on exercise of course, but there are an awful lot of exercise related items in the laundry now-a-days.  Once again, not a total issue in the grand scheme of things....but just something new that I noticed.

Will I let it stop me from my goals.  Nope....I just better remember to pick up more laundry detergent at the store soon!  I've got my focus set and nothing will stop me!   There may be roadblocks.  There may be obstacles.  Nothing however, will stop me...it may slow my progress...it may make me frustrated...but there is NO looking back.  Forward only!!!!

Sooooooooo on to the celebration!!!!    Drum roll please......the exercise and healthy eating is paying off...BIG time.  This week I lost 4 pounds.  :-)  That is 18.5 pounds since January first!  WOO HOOO!!!  

So that brings me to my dilema.  I recommitted at the beginning of this year (actually I recommitted the day after Christmas but didn't start weighing until New Years day).  I am extremely proud of those 18.5 pounds.  However, should I just be looking at the 18.5 pounds as my weight loss...or should I count my weight loss from my highest overall...in which case I have lost 80.7 pounds.  I feel like I'm cheating this go round if I include that previous loss....but then I feel like I'm ignoring the hard work that went into the previous weight loss. 

Either way....I'm going to win this battle!