I'm a Believer

It wasn't an experiment I meant to do. In fact, falling off my exercise program started unintentionally enough: before Christmas, I was simply too busy for it. It was after Christmas that some will was involved: I was tired, and I wanted a break. To be frank, I crashed out. And I paid for it when I felt a cold coming on last Friday. When that happened, it was clear that I needed to get out two things: the zinc, and the workout DVD's. No  more being lazy. Working out really does make a difference. In fact, I'm sure that's why this cold is passing so quickly - in fact, I might not have caught it at all if I had pried my butt out of the recliner a few times last week to do what I should have been doing. 

I think getting sick was more of a testament to the benefits of exercise to me than the 4 pounds I gained over the past 3 weeks. I'll be honest enough to tell you that I hate exercising. I have better things to do with my time, but the truth is that the price of quitting is too great. It's been a regular part of my life and my schedule for a year and a half for a reason: it works. Besides losing 20 pounds, I've noticed that:

• I don't get sick as often, and when I do, it passes quicker. In fact, of the sick leave I took last year, all of it was for routine checkups or dental visits except 1 hours I took off early for a migrane one day last summer;
• I'm more creative. I wrote 2 books and rewrote another book last year. I also published a book, and worked on revisions on 3 other books. When I started writing nearly 16 years ago, I was lucky to get halfway through one book in a year. While my production has been gradually increasing, last year was definitely a boom in creativity;
• I'm more energetic, and get more done in general. It doesn't seem to take me as long to do things as it used to because frankly, I feel better; and
• I'm sleeping much better. 

So if you resolved to start a diet and exercise routine for 2017, consider this post your motivational speech. The high protein diet and T25 exercise program (alternating between Beta and Gamma cycles) have made a drastic difference in my life. Sure, it's hard at first. You're hungry, and you will feel bad for a few weeks while your body adjust to the changes. This is normal, because a body at rest wants to stay at rest, and resists slimming down. But hang in there. There are a lot of benefits, both short term and long term, if you stick with it. Keep on it. I feel much better in just the few days I've been back to it!

Knock on wood, the cold is passing, and just in time to go back to work tomorrow. Oh well. Live and learn - and I hope this post motivates you and keeps you from making the same mistake I did in my laziness the past few weeks. 

In other news, I'm also back to writing. Edits on Metamorphosis (Book Two of The Earthside Trilogy) are well underway, thanks largely to me taking an extra day off for the holidays to stay home and be a writer today. I'm going to miss this tomorrow but alas, we all must return to reality sometime. Where else will I find inspiration for my fiction writing? 

That's all today. Take care, and have a great week. 

Bye!