I’m still contemplating yesterday’s question, “what’s the best part of losing the weight?” I stand by my answer that I’m a more whole spiritual being, somehow learning to connect in body, not just heart, mind, soul . . . but there’s a joy piece I didn’t mention. It connects again to movement. I am so much lighter on my feet. It had gotten to the point I didn’t have much energy. Sometimes it was work just to get up out of a chair. But now I can MOVE again. I walk. I run. I do stretches and swim. A whole new world of joyful movement has opened to me.

When I first began tasting the freedom (last November) I asked my friend to snap this picture. I feel joyful, worshipful . . . flying free.

I am unencumbered.

In the months leading up to starting BeNew, I shed a lot of emotional weight. The accidents forced me to slow down, rest, and grieve life’s disappointments. The Lord used the season of low productivity to take me to a newer understanding of grace, to shave away another layer of that perfectionistic, performance-driven mentality that almost killed my heart years ago. You can’t be legalistic about the “doing” of the Christian life when you can’t do much, when your body and emotions shut down on you. In that season of “being” more junk inside of me was shed.

And now, as I drop the pounds, it is a visible announcement of the internal work. My body is joyful, even as my heart is learning to be.

I’m flying free.                                                                                    ~January 4, 2012

Real Time Update:

Wow. It’s awesome to be reminded of how far I’ve come. The picture I chose for today was taken at the beginning of my weight loss journey. I’d just barely begun to lose weight, but I was already sensing the freedom. If you’re just starting your journey, my friend, embrace the freedom. Catch a glimpse of what is coming!

As I write today, over two months later, I’ve almost begun taking this new, unencumbered, flying free self for granted. And so today’s question is how will I maintain the freedom? Will I fight for it?

The good news is after a few weeks of being thrown off from more regular exercise, I’ve walked every day this week. My goal is to head out for another round of exercise after I finish blogging this morning.

What About You?

Are you fighting to hang onto the advances you’ve made? What small steps forward (goals) are you setting for yourself to help you see the incremental victories as you work toward the bigger ones?

Tagged: exercise, flying, flying free, freedom, freedom of movement, movement, walk, walking, weight loss, weight loss journey