Be Honest...Does This Christmas Make Me Look Fat?

January is about done, and any pounds I would be packing on during the long Christmas holiday should be long since finished gaining ground.  Long story short, it's a month into the new year and people's resolutions, for the most part, have either taken root or taken flight.  The last few years I have been pretty good about being the 'take root' type, be it changing work positions, losing a few pounds, running my first marathon and even this blog.  All of these things that I have accomplished over the last few years have one thing in common, they all started as a scratching on a resolution list.  

A little back story.  Last year, I suffered an injury while running.  Without going into detail, suffice it to say, I didn't run from July last year until January 1st of this one.   Translation: the Christmas pounds found themselves an easy path from my mouth to permanent residence on my posterior.  With that knowledge in hand, I should have probably tempered my expectations for this year as it related to running, but, as a good friend of mine often says, 'no brains, no headache'.  

As I put pen to paper deciding my running goals and health goals, I would like to say I refused to take my six months of stagnant living into account but it would be far more accurate to say I didn't realize how far the mighty had fallen.  I set my goals and got myself ready for my first run.  To say it went off without a hitch would be a gross exaggeration.  I finished far more tired and sore than a 5K should.  I seriously rethought my resolutions and to perhaps adopt a list that was more heavy on mental achievement than anything physical.  I looked in the mirror, grimaced at the guy who looked back and decided to give my resolutions the month and address them again January 31st.  

That brings me to today.  I ran this morning and it went well.  Really well as a matter of fact.  It's not surprising as the month's runs got faster and more comfortable as the weeks passed.   Thirty -one days in to 2016 and I feel ready to tackle what I have set out to do, not just health wise, but everything, the whole list, because of a few weeks of treadmill time.  

For the better part of my life, I would have done one of two things, adjusted my goals after the first run or given up entirely.  It is only the last few years that I have taken a different tack, and couldn't be happier for it.   

So girlies, the lesson is this, the biggest limits you will face as life goes on, are self imposed.  No one will doubt you the way you will doubt you.  Here's the catch, those limits you put on yourself are real.  They are real because you believe they are.  One of the best gifts you can give yourself is the belief that you can do it, no matter how hard it is.  Take it from your old man, it is far better to bust your butt trying to reach something and fail than to try nothing and succeed.  I've tried it both ways and trying is always better.  The best part is this:  you're going to try some things you thought were impossible and win anyway.