I was struggling for motivation (and put on a bunch of weight after I stopped playing soccer). I got a fitbit and started a new diet. I've dropped a bit of weight and I'm competing against friends via fitbit to do the 10,000 steps per day thing. I hear you about motivation, it was a bear to actually get going again. It has been easier to keep going once I got started.

It has been easier to keep going once I got started.

What's the rule of thumb? It takes three weeks to establish a new habit?

The best I can do on a daily basis is park at the opposite end of the lot from the elevators, and schedule my meetings in the farthest conference rooms. But it's not really enough.

Once the office takes away our delivery vouchers and puts us on cafeteria food, it'll be easier to stick to a diet because the unhealthy options won't be as tempting.

It takes three weeks to establish a new habit?

I wish. Or at least for me that didn't "take". I did great for a couple of months, then my back started hurting when I walked so I've been going to PT. PT made me discover how completely out of shape I am as the wrong muscle groups have been supporting me and now that I'm asking the right muscle groups to do their job, they aren't strong enough and, boom, pain. So, in working on building those muscles back up, I just haven't had the time or motivation to do the initial work that started this mess.

tl;dr - I let pain and PT knock me off my routine. I'm doing better so I need to start over.

Suzi is me. I can go far beyond the three weeks and then suddenly lose a good habit. I can't stand how out of shape I am, but I also don't have the energy or motivation to do anything about it.

There was a time in not too distant memory, this summer, when I was going to yoga once a week and climbing once a week. But then vacation, then moving, then campaign volunteering, and I just haven't gotten back into it. I had planned on yoga yesterday afternoon, but spaced out shopping on an empty stomach and missed it. Also doesn't help that I've been so broke I haven't been to my PT in that long, either, which means owie.

At the beginning of the year, I had a goal of walking (for exercise; not the steps that my Fitbit tells me I accumulate throughout the day) 250 miles by the end of the year. That's really not a huge amount, spread out over the year. I actually figured I could do more like 300 miles.

Then this fucking year happened, and I am at 132 miles currently. I'm pretty demoralized about that, and trying to not let it add to everything else that's making me feel so shitty. But I look at that number and think, why do I even fucking try? What's even the point? I might as well give up and keep my ass on the couch, because fuck it.

(You can see that the awesome mood boost I got from going back on my blood pressure meds was only temporary.)

Steph, 132 miles is nothing to sneer at. It'll get you from Cincinnati to Columbus via Dayton.

I'd been planning to try to get back in shape before March so I could re-join the half marathon training program I had to punk out of last year...but I just got an email from the running store that does it with a promo for their 5K or 10K program which starts in January. I think I will plan on doing that, first. Because I need some motivation!