Step 12,083,760

I made it through the holidays without doing any more damage to my body. Now I have time to assess what I want to do moving forward. I have been getting a lot of input on different diet and exercise regimens that people I know follow. I am going to stay the course this year with not eating pork or beef. I am also attempting to give up soda. I have had one or so in the past couple of weeks. I am trying to replace it with more water, coffee, and tea. I am looking to add some different cardio workouts to my routine. I am putting a workout room in my sunroom that will have a heavy bag and some weight machines. However, I want to make sure I'm getting
30-60 minutes of cardio each day before I move on to muscle building. I want to lose some weight while building my stamina before I start toning and shaping. Stay tuned as I will be unveiling more goals for the year once they are finalized.

Yesterday's (lack of) steps: 3,475

Step 12,013,322

Everything caught up to me yesterday. I got home from running some errands after work around 7:00PM. I sat on the couch to rest then proceeded to fall asleep. I got up close to midnight and went on to bed. This is not how I wanted to spend my evening, but it is what it is. I'll try to be better today.

Yesterday's Steps: 6,265

Step 12,007,057

I didn't get off to the fastest start with my redo. I worked from 9AM until 10PM last night then I had to do some housework. So my steps were not where I wanted them to be, but I ate well and did some shadowboxing while I was watching a bit of television before bed. I don't have to work late tonight so I should get some after work steps in.

Yesterday's Steps: 4,620

Step 12,002,437

This was supposed to be my climactic post. I had thought about what I would write today when I started this blog years ago. I thought about how great it would be to post that picture to show how far I've come. I planned on thanking everyone that helped me along the way. I thought about what I would say about my new life moving forward. That is not this post.

This post is about starting over. I'm resetting everything in my life and starting over again. I am starting over with a new career next month. I'm starting over in my personal relationships. This time I will be going at this alone. Finally, I am starting over with this blog. I'm not going to delete anything up until now. I'm not going to change the name. I'm not going to change the way that I title my posts. I am going to start my goals over and attempt to get 12,000,000 more steps in a faster time with a better outcome.

I'm starting over with my life. This time I am going to live it intentionally.

Yesterday's Steps: 3655

Step 11,914,525

I am an addict. I have an addiction that has, in part, cost me my family. It has stifled my career. It has sedated my life. It will cost me my future if I don't change. I am an addict in every aspect. I'm not your typical addict, though. I don't have an addictive personality. I can drink in moderation or not at all. I've went for over a year without even having a single drink. I've never understood alcoholics. I just don't crave beer everyday. I couldn't drink everyday if I wanted to. It's too expensive. I also don't get how people abuse pills. I've never taken them abusively probably because they are very expensive as well. I don't smoke, either. I guess the reason I'm not your typical addict is because I'm cheap. I just can't bring myself to spend any money on stuff that I don't really need.

All of this brings me to my addiction which is the most insidious of them all. I am a food addict. I'm addicted to something that no one can live without. I think about it all the time. I am constantly making plans on how to get more of it. I eat it in secret most times. I am truly addicted. I have a problem with food as a whole but not necessarily specifically. I haven't had any pork or beef in almost a year. I don't really crave it. I see ads for burgers sometime that look good, but I haven't been close to eating one since I gave them up. My problem is that I can quit eating anything once I get started. It doesn't matter if it is candy or corn, once I start, it is very hard to stop. I know that I just need to make better choices. I try. A lot of my problem is poor planning that puts me on the spot to get something through a drive-thru which is never good.

As I continue to go through this transition in my life, I am going to attempt to make steps to eat better first then less second. Once I start working from home, I can have access to better lunch and snack options. It will just take some planning and a few trips per week to Kroger for fresh food. I do best when phasing good habits in and bad habits out. Maybe I can focus this time and phase out my addiction. Maybe.

Yesterday's Steps: 7,860

Step 11,898,766

My lazy rear doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning. I just can't get up at 4:00AM anymore. Soon, I won't have anyone else's schedule to work around in the morning. That means I can wake up and do what I need on my terms. Also, I'm switching jobs. I'll be working from home after the first of the year. This also will free up my day to get several walks in per day.

Yesterday's Steps: 5,363

Step 11,893,403

First of all, I want to thank one of my readers for directing me to some posts he had written about the end of his relationship. It was really helpful to see how someone else is dealing with a similar circumstance. I'll be fine sooner rather than later. I bounce back pretty quick. I just have to focus on work and working out at this point.

I am attempting to get my step count back to where it needs to be consistently. I have a good place to walk right outside my door. My house is the last one on a road that continues two miles uphill to a radio tower at the top of a mountain. I can just go out and walk in peace. The only caveat is that I have to be back before dark because it is backwoods, completely dark, and populated by coyotes and possibly bears. I don't worry so much about it while the sun is shining, but after dark, you can't even see your hand in front of your face.

I am eating better. I've been trying to eat more fresh food and less fried fare. I need to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. There needs to be a couple of servings of plants in each meal that I eat. That is my goal that I'm working toward.

Yesterday's Steps: 6,449