Motivation looks a lot like a bikini

In a couple months, my husband and I celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. It’s been a great 5 years, and we have a lot to be grateful for. There have been ups and downs, but many more ups than downs. To celebrate, we just booked a trip to a beach resort in Mexico.

Now there’s a reason to lose these last few pounds!

I tell ya, going to Mexico feels a liiiittle bit like a cop-out. Typically we like to visit places we’ve never been before; we like to go, see and do … we like to sight-see and learn and experience local culture and change hotels every night or two to see more of the countries we visit. Not this time – this time we are going to a region we’ve been before, we’re staying at one place all week, and we may never leave the resort. We talked about doing an interesting go-see-do vacation, and decided that isn’t what we need right now. This vacation is all about relaxing. As far as sightseeing goes … well … been there, done that, pass me a cocktail.

I can’t wait!

This upcoming vacation definitely gives me a motivation boost. Knowing that I’ll be in a bathing suit … knowing that I’ll be in PUBLIC in a BIKINI… that’s definitely going to keep me focused. Plus, most of my nice clothes will only fit when I’m at goal. And won’t it be nice to look at pictures of myself on our honeymoon and look at pictures of our 5 year anniversary trip and be able to say I’m the same size?

Heck, I may even be able to say I’m in better shape. We leave for our vacation exactly one week after the 5k I’m planning on running.

Yay! If I wasn’t focused before, I’m definitely focused now.

How are things going, you ask? I’m still on track in my “back to the basics” week. I drank all my water yesterday, journaled everything yesterday, and managed to make healthy choices eating out last night. Even after splurging a little on Tuesday night, I still have plenty of flex-points left for the weekend.

From an exercise standpoint, I finished Couch to 5k week 3 day 3 on Wednesday. It was hard but not impossible … it was easier than Week 3 day 1, but harder than Week 3 day 2. (Even though all three days were the same – isn’t it odd how the difficulty seems to vary even though the workout doesn’t?) Tomorrow will be much nicer weather than today, so I’m planning on doing my couch to 5k week 4 day 1 run tomorrow, along with a strength training session. I’m still on track as long as I do it before Sunday. I’m nervous about week 4 (it looks a lot harder than week 3), but I’ve surprised myself before doing these runs so maybe I’ll surprise myself again.

I’m going out to dinner again tonight, but based on what I hear about this place I should be able to make healthy choices. If all goes well I may even be able to get a little popcorn at the movies tonight and still be on plan.

All in all, things are good! The only challenge is that I still haven’t made it to the grocery store. To get my fruits and veggies in, I’m dipping into the cabinet and freezer … applesauce, edamame, and other frozen veggies are my friend right now. I’ve got to get to the store – I miss fresh produce!