Good momentum, bad momentum

Lately, the subject of momentum has been a big part of my thought process. When I first started this blog I thought I would write at the very least once per week…clearly that hasn’t happened. I also thought that by now I would have lost all of the weight I wanted to lose…that hasn’t happened either. But here’s the thing: I am not even a bit disappointed! Why? Because I have rediscovered momentum in my life. Now there is a definite awareness of when and where momentum is a something that is just propelling me or if it is something that is making me better.

I have mentioned The Bar Method Berkeley in previous posts. I am truly a devotee of these classes. One day in class it occurred to me that the reason the exercises are so effective is that each movement is precise and controlled. There is little or no use of momentum energy to move ones limbs. Muscle up, muscle down, muscle in, muscle out. Pilates, Bar Method, and Yoga have been tremendously effective disciplines for me and they have in common a preciseness. The changes that I am feeling within are the momentum. I am improving physically and mentally and that drives me to continue. Seems pretty simple, right?

It hasn’t been that way for years. I lost my mojo. I lost my will to endeavor. I suffered the self-inflicted consequences…weight gain, sore joints, turning down invitations because I had nothing to wear/no energy/was embarrassed. Although many would dispute this claim, I turned into a bit of a hermit. Then one day I just decided that was not who I am. That was the day I took control of my eating habits (to an extent), joined classes, got on my bike, and stopped having a little sad event: party of one.

So here is my assessment:

Good Momentum:

• Going to Bar Method Classes
• Riding my bike to and from class (and other places, too!)
• Not stopping on my bike when going uphill (yes, I look both ways beforehand)
• Making sure to carve out other time for me on a regular basis
• Reading every night
• Setting household goals and following through on schedule
• Staying on top of my personal paperwork
• Hydrating all the time
• Finding the perfect line in the snow to ski down the mountain

Bad Momentum:

• Mindlessly eating the whole bag of pistachios (or whatever else is in the bowl)
• Skipping something – which makes it easier to skip again
• Cyclical thinking – there is always a solution out there
• Setting things down to deal with “later…” Right.
• Letting one thing bother me…and then everything else that follows

Included in this new awareness is a supreme effort for self-acceptance. I am very hard on myself…harder than I would ever be on others. Lately I have been making an effort to be more gentle with my own feelings…I have been listening to myself. I have stopped trying to please people who will not be pleased. I am accepting of the body I have – and the knowledge that I will never choose to exclude things I enjoy. Things that are never going away?  Meat. Not gonna happen. Why? Two words: BĀ CON. I will likely always drink milk. Gluten? Oh, it’s staying in. On the other hand, I will exercise. I will also exercise control in my consumption. I always engage in life and love and friendship without fear.

So, what’s the momentum like in your life? Do you know what moves you forward and what just keeps you doing the same old thing? Tell me about it.